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Nicole Atkins
Musical Discoveries: So, has the American Express commercial brought you a lot of attention? How did that all come about?
Nicole Atkins: I has actually. Not anything too nuts, but people in my hometown who never usually talk to me say "hi" now. Haha. A lot of people have discovered my music from the commercial too which is the whole reason we did it.
It came about kind of out of the blue. Someone who works at Columbia is friends with someone in the ad agency and she turned them onto my music. We met and after a while they decided to use me in the ad. it was pretty casual and very exciting.
Let's go back more to the beginning, can you tell us about your musical background and education?
twelve. I started teaching myself how to play it by reading Grateful Dead, Nirvana and Neil Young tabs. When I was fourteen my grandma got me a few lessons. Then I was in a few bands through high school and college but never studied music properly. After I graduated from college I moved to New York City and kept up playing with my band, Los Parasols in Charlotte, NC, where I'd gone to college and also working on my solo act.And how did you start your personal singing career?
I was just writing alot and gigging anywhere I could, mostly in the East Village's anti-folk scene. After a brief stint moving back to Charlotte in 2004, I wrote a bunch of songs and moved back to New York to record them with my producer friend David Muller. We put together my "Party's Over" demo. It somehow got into the hands of my entertainment lawyer Gillian Bar and she started spreading the word.
My band heard my songs on MySpace and decided they wanted to be my band so it worked out great. After a while our shows in New York were getting pretty packed and that summer we were getting courted by labels. We decided to go with Columbia that winter.
In your bio, it talks about "Neptune City" being a restoration album. What is that all about?
Well I guess most of the sounds that I'm attracted to are considered retro sounds. Also, the place where I live --Asbury Park, New Jersey--is steeped in musical legacy. What i'm trying to do with my first album is keep true to the sounds that I love while giving them a place in time now. With where I live, there was a scene there 25 or 30 years ago, and now we are carrying on that tradition without copying. It's important to me that where I live is just as viable as a scene today as it was back then because the shit that's going on musically now is really exciting.
Where do you draw inspiration for your music and lyrics?
My life, family's life, the shark river, boats, the Jersey shore in the winter, Brooklyn, the elderly, stories of loss, ghost stories.
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Can you tell us about a couple of songs that you find extremely special to you?
All of them are special to me but two that I'll discuss are "Cool Enough" and "Brooklyn's On Fire."
"Cool Enough" is a song about being discontented with social structures of the suburbs when you are young. and how most of the hometown heroes end up falling from grace as you get older. and just wanting to get the fuck out of town.
"Brooklyn's On Fire" is a song about me meeting some of my best friends at a rooftop fourth of July party. It's about being in your prime and life being exciting. It's about wearing bruises on your legs as a badge of youth. being invincible.
What kind of music and who are the artists you find yourself listening to all the time?
I mostly listen to old country and psychedelic music. I also love surf rock, 70s punk and crooner ballads. Lately I've been listening to alot of old swedish psych like Erkin Koray and Merrit Hemmingson. The new Arcade Fire record and the new Dax Riggs record are also in heavy rotation. Neil Young and Love are in permanent rotation. Big Star's Sister Lovers is as well.
Is your music trying to convey a specific message or impression?
My songs kind of just come to me. They are little soundtracks of my life at the time. I don't sit down and intentionally try to write something. It isalmost as if things get written because they have to. Because they need to get out.
What else can you tell us about this tour?
This is a pretty mellow tour. The beginning was a bit hard because I lost my voice for the fourth show. It's fine now though and the shows have been great. We've never toured the mid west previously and lemme tell you, the big cities can take a lesson on how to have a good time from the mid westerners. they are mad enthusiastic.
What do you think audiences take away from your live performances?
Well last night in Chicago, a couple people came up to me and told me that they almost started crying a few times. I said that I was sorry and they were like "NO! it was awesome! a good kind of crying!"
Do you have any favorite and memorable venues?
I love the Bowery Ballroom in NYC, Union Pool in Brooklyn and the Stone Pony in Asbury Park because they all feel like home. The Beacon Theatre in NYC was also one of the best nights of my life.
How has it been working with a major label and Benni Tarantini at Columbia?
Benny is the man!
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Do you think the internet has contributed to your career?
I think the web has helped musicians immensely mostly in the way it gets your songs out to more people than you ever thought possible. Especially with sites like MySpace, Facebook and countless music blogs, it seems like more people go to blogs to find new music then magazines now.
What are your musical dreams?
I feel like I'm doing it now.
Are there any special thoughts that you'd like to leave our readers with?
If life hands you lemons, squeeze them till the juice runs down your leg.
More Nicole Atkins:
Nicole Atkins Neptune City (2007)
interview, review and HTML © A. C. and R. W. Elliot 2007
images © Jennifer Tzar, Jeremy Balderson and Lucia Holm 2005-2007
Last updated 20 October 2007