Amongst all
the music I get to review there is a gem that comes along once in
a while and by chance one of them gems is Nicola Vazquez and her
band. From the moment I put the ´What´s The Point´ album in the CD
player I knew Nicola was special. Her talent for music and singing
is unreal and having a band that blends in so well is very rare
these days. I feel really honoured to be interviewing Nicola and
this is what she had to say:
Punk Globe: First off can you introduce yourselves to our Readers?
NV: I am Nicola Vazquez, the lead singer, guitarist and front
woman of the NYC-based band “NICOLA”.
Punk Globe: You´ve had your album ´What´s The Point´ out
for a while now so has it been successful for you?
NV:
I thank every fan that buys the album. Their 100% commitment makes
me give 100% back on every album I produce and every song I
perform. We’ve sold thousands to date, so it also pays my rent,
feeds my rabbits and replaces all those autographed panties I give
away at live shows.
Those autographed Panties are cool.
Very cute and a nice shade of pink too!
Punk Globe: Reading your musical history you´ve appeared
on Broadway with Les Miserables so why the change to playing in a
band?
NV: I’ve had a guitar in my hand since I was 7. On Broadway I
played somebody else. But I always wanted to write and perform my
own songs and my own music more. I wanted the freedom to write
about and against the establishment. I wanted to wear less
clothes, and high heels when I felt like it, just cause’ I felt
like it.
Punk Globe: So who did you appear as in Les Miserables?
Have you done other stage work too?
NV: I performed in the chorus and I played one of the few lead
roles for women. Madame Thenardier was the villainous yet comical
Mistress of the house. Along the way, I did other repertory shows
such as “A Chorus Line” and “Grease”. I appeared on stage but in
between, I did lots of other things to pay the bills, some I’m
more proud of than others, although I never worked on a fish farm.
Punk Globe: Is playing music or appearing in theatre a
full time career for you or do you have to take up a job outside
the industry to pay the bills?
NV: Fortunately, as I don’t have an MTV “crib”, or a “Pimp My
Ride”, and I’m no label whore, I have low overheads. I earn my
living through album sales, live performances, and studio work.
And I was one of 13 artists/bands selected from thousands who
audition annually for a professional lifetime busking license in
NYC. Since going legit, I’ve saved hundreds on police fines alone,
performed in prestigious locations from Madison Square Garden to
Rockefeller Center, and have been featured in countless Japanese
and German documentaries.
Punk Globe: Going back to your album what inspired you to
write the lyrics and music that you perform?
NV: Crappy lovers, exceptional lovers, and all the other stuff and
lovers in between. Oh, and a president that reminds me every
morning that I wake, that the only bush I trust is my own.
Punk Globe: Are there any plans for a new album in 2006?
NV: Yes – it will be less commercial and more raw. It will be our
third full length album, but it won’t be available until late in
the year. Our latest release “What’s The Point” is on sale now.
And due to demand, we have just reissued our first album “Real”.
Everything is available through the website and other major
outlets. Or join the mailing list on the website, and we’ll keep
you posted.
Punk
Globe: You´ve played in both Europe and the U.S.A. so did you find
many differences in how the audience react to you?
NV: I love the UK because they love real music. It’s the
birthplace of some of the greats, and I when I tour there, whether
“unplugged” or with the band, it’s a thrill to follow in their
footsteps and play in some of the same spots. In the UK, the fans
drink out of pint glasses, the beer’s better, and they sing along
even when they don’t know the lyrics, so we always have a great
time.
Punk Globe: What have been the best moments in your career
so far?
NV: I sang backup vocals for Joe Lynn Turner of “Deep Purple”, I
played at the “Summer Lights” music festival for 15,000 fans in
Nashville. Some of my favorite moments have been in this last
year, because we’ve launched a new album, performed on four major
radio stations, 2 TV stations, Yankee Stadium, and the UN. And
I’ve had 5 US tours including “Chicks with Guitars”, 2 European
Tours, and we are currently in talks about our first Tokyo tour.
I’m really grateful for every opportunity, but I’m still broke, so
I think my best moment is yet to come in 2006.
Punk Globe: You shed your clothes for ´What´s The Point´
you come across as very photogenic so would you ever do full on
nude shots in a high profile adult magazine to further your
career?
NV: Sex sells, I can’t speculate about the future, but at the
moment, I am not going to make a completely full frontal assault
just yet.
When you´re ready I´ll have my
camera ready!
Punk Globe: So what goals have you set yourself in 2006?
NV: Be less broke, open for an act way bigger than us, produce a
new album, and sell the music we have successfully licensed, so
that the tracks are used for film and TV so then I would really be
less broke.
Punk Globe: Anything you´d like to add?
NV: Oh yeah...visit our website. You can listen to and buy music
there. And if you’re a talented punk or alternative rocker and
think we could collaborate on a track for the next album, then
email us one of your songs at
sarahazzard@blueyonder.co.uk
