NICOLE HART ~ Lead Vocals, tambourine, shakers
LANCE ONG ~ Musical Director, Keyboards, Backing Vocals
VONNIE HUDSON ~ Bass
JOE PITEO ~ Drums
GUITARS:
GIL PARRIS
MARC SHULMAN
DRUMS: DAVE MOORE
Influences
Aretha, Chaka, Ella, Lowell George, Susan Tedeschi, Otis Redding, David Ruffin, Donny Hathaway, Sheryl Crow, Anthony Jackson, Dusty Springfield, GLADYS KNIGHT, Freddie King, Robben Ford, B.B. King, Albert King, Earl King, MARVIN GAYE, Steely Dan, Bonnie Raitt, Brian Wilson, Mike Bloomfield, Stax, Eva Cassidy, Shawn Colvin, Etta James, Patty Griffin, Rickie Lee Jones, Wilson Pickett, James Brown, Sly & Family Stone, SAM COOKE!, Coltrane, Cannonball, Jeff Buckley, Mahavishnu, Miles Davis, Keith Emerson, McCoy Tyner, John McClouglin, Brian Auger, Jeff Buckley!!!, Nancy Wilson (both of them), Anne Wilson, & on, & on, & ON.....!
ARTIST MANAGEMENT: FM MANAGEMENT INTERNATIONAL, LLC, 917.797.8462
ARTIST REPRESENTATION: HARTY WIEDEMANN, TA733
850.875.2587, 850.559.7265, Tallahassee, FL
WWW.BLUESDIVA.NET
"Their initial CD,“Live,” is an in-performance document that testifies to their confidence and shows Hart's raw gospel passion and a seriously tight band."
~ RICK KOSTA, ARTS WRITER, NEW LONDON DAY NEWS, CT
"Hart is, er, kinda gorgeous, and she has a big voice, too, with a road-tested backup band that delivers nicely on the band's CD, "Nicole Hart & The NRG Band Live!"
~ TAD DICKENS, THE ROANOKE TIMES
"Clearly, Nicole has the chops to compete in the big time blues and R&B circuits. Her voice harkens back to her gospel roots, exuding blues soul. Hailing from Atlanta, Georgia, Nicole is a talent who is on the move up in the biz. I was impressed by her ability to work the crowd into a frenzy with her voice. This gal knows how to use her beauty to enhance her talent without turning it into a distraction."
~ WRITER RICK GRANT, REVIEW, SPRINGING THE BLUES
"THIS VOCALIST CAN BE HOTTER THAN HOT, OR COOLER THAN COOL, but make no mistake, Nicole Hart & NRG lights up the phone lines like a x-mas tree - a treat instead of a treatment, both in person, or on the airwaves...I know talent when I hear it. She has a tremendous future in the music industry...A major star."
~ BILL NOLAN, host of "Antique Blues", WPKN-FM 89.5, Bridgeport, CT
"Imagine Margo Timmins of Cowboy Junkies swinging to a Bonnie Raitt groove. That's Nicole Hart."
~ ROBERT BIESELIN, THE BERGEN RECORD
"THAT WOMAN CAN SING HER ASS OFF and the band is tight as hell. Nicole Hart is the real deal---period." ~ ALBERT CASTIGLIA, BLUES LEAF RECORDING ARTIST
"SENSUAL, SMOKY, & SMOOTH...Hart's...sultry vocals take on the brash confidence and gravel of a woman empowered....calling up hints of Bobby Bland and Aretha Franklin on the way...phrasing demonstrates both her command and the band's precise movements throughout the disc." ~ BEN COX, WEAI, ILLINOIS
"WHAT A STAGE PRESENCE! Gorgeous Nicole Hart sings with power, passion, and incredible range... (her) BIG voice hits all the right notes...but it's the emotion in her voice that really grabs you." ~ JIM HYNES, Blues Director and Host of "Blue Monday" - WDVR-FM
"SWEET, FINE, SENSITIVE, CHARMING, SEXY...Is this excellent, versatile singer who tastefully and cleverly combines funky music, blues and ballads."
~ Vincente Zumel, THE BLUES HOUR, Barcelona, Spain
"NICOLE HART LEADS THE BAND WITH AN INCREDIBLE VOICE similar to that of Susan Tedeschi, but with a sound very much all her own." ~ AL LUNDY, KZUM - NEBRASKA
"Imagine that classic band fronted by a beautiful blonde with a gospel voice and all the moves of Tina Turner. Get the picture?" ~ THE WORKING MUSICIAN
""NICOLE HART belts out some seriously soulful and very bluesy vocals... She really gets to show her broad and versatile range ... also highlighted by more great organ and guitar work."
~ Peter "The Blewzzman" Lauro, contributing writer to Blues Revue , Blueswax Ezine, and Mary4Music.com
"NICOLE IS TRULY ONE OF THE FINEST & MOST CHARISMATIC VOCALISTS I'VE EVER HEARD. She sings with tremendous passion and style." ~ DAVID GOLDMAN, Songwriter & Recording Artist, World Wave Music (ASCAP)
"BEEN A LONG TIME SINCE I HEARD A VOICE LIKE YOURS...You got the magic."
~ Blues Legend SAM "THE BLUZMAN" TAYLOR
"Nicole Hart & The NRG Band whipped up some of the most soulful tunes of the evening ... with Hart's impervious vocals supported by a few of the most critically accredited musicians around, including the Grammy nominated guitarist Gil Parris and the quick paced harmonica solos of Stanley Behrens."
~ Good Times Magazine Review
"THIS BLONDE BOMBSHELL'S SWEET, SULTRY VOCALS BROUGHT THE AUDIENCE INTO HER HANDS." ~ The Journal News
"NICOLE HART BELTS OUT THE BLUES! SHE'S A HEARTBREAKER!" ~ North Shore Sun
"NRG BAND IS OFF THE HOOK !!!!!! LOVE YOUR GROOVE....LEAVES A GREAT TASTE IN YOUR SOUL !!!!!!"
~ Alexis P. Suter, Levon Helm's Midnight Ramble
“These spectacular vocalists & instrumentalist’s bring their considerable talents together to rock your world: Rhythm & Blues at its finest!” ~ BARRELHOUSE BLUES, recipient, USA Today’s coveted “Hot Site” award & “Livin’Blues” Gold award for Virtual Excellence on the Web.
“Great keyboard work by Lance Ong & vocals from Nicole Hart.” ~ BLUES REVUE
“Wrote the book on putting on a perfect show. Their sound treated the blues in the highest regard. They exemplified how the blues doesn’t have to be just a simple twelve-bar phrase.” ~ GOOD TIMES MAGAZINE
“Record label scouts take note: Nicole Hart & The NRG Band gots chops! The independently-released "Live NRG" (***) is a splendid showcase for frontwoman Hart and The NRG Band." ~Dylann DeAnna, contributing writer to BLUESWAX & BLUESCRITIC.COM
“A big sound steeped in Jazz, R&B, Blues & Rock with incredibly soulful vocals. This band really knows how to cook with a blazing musical bonfire.” ~ MUSICMORSELS
"YOU ARE AMAZING!" ~ Bernard Allison
SHORT BIO:
NICOLE HART & THE NRG BAND stands at the crossroads of many musical boundaries, undefined by genre. The sound is a natural evolution of Blues, R&B, Funk & Soul, aggressively combining a seductive, funky feel with the soulful nuances of the Blues.
“I am an artist influenced by all great music, regardless of genre,” says Hart. “Our music is inspired by many of the greatest artists of our time...we aspire to create a feeling & a depth of integrity representing those influences, while also conveying a viewpoint toward the world all our own."
Under the direction of producer, arranger, and keyboardist Lance Ong (David Sanborn, Andre Crouch), the mission of this consortium is to bring an intense, provocative listening experience & a musically enticing & satisfying show to the audience.
Ms. Hart’s first CD release, "Live NRG," has made her one of the breakout artists of the year, already making serious waves on 350 plus radio stations heard throughout the US & Europe. Her impressive resume includes work with a variety of music greats such as Billy Joel, Michael Bolton, Oscar-winning filmmaker Jonathan Demme, Richard Bona, Drew Zingg, Harry Belafonte, Chuck Berry, & Bo Diddley; she has opened for Bernard Allison, Odetta, E.C. Scott & Richie Havens, & has the distinction of being the first-ever Caucasian singer for the R&B super group, The Shirelles. She began her career hand chosen by Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, Shirley Alston, “I responded to an ad in the Village Voice for a black vocalist,” she recalls, “I ran through my qualifications for the musical director over the phone. When he invited me to come down, ‘Just one thing,’ I said, ‘...I’m not black…’ Pause. ‘Well, come down anyway,’ he said. I sang for Shirley & she hired me on the spot.”
Nicole originally hails from Atlanta, GA, and composed her first song at age 12 on her old Conn guitar. “There’s a piece of me in every lyric I write; emotion I’ve felt, situations I’ve experienced, even wisdom I’ve gained. I write what is true for me.” She studied acting with Michael Bennett at the famed HB Studios in Greenwich Village, and with Robert X. Modica at Carnegie Hall in NYC.
Lance Ong, Keyboards, Musical Director, Backing Vocals : Lance Ong was part of a team that produced, wrote and arranged over 700 songs and whose credits include a Grammy Award-winning record by Andre Crouch and recordings with David Sanborn, The Pointer Sisters, Grand Funk Railroad, Michael Murphy, Frankie Beverly and Maze, Anne Murray, Johnny Halliday and Sylvie Vartan, Trini Lopez, Erykah Badu & many others. His masterful command of the keyboards is undisputed.
Straddling the diverse musical terrain as defined by such icons as Susan Tedeschi, Janiva Magness, Sheryl Crow, & Bonnie Raitt, Nicole's rhythm section brings the funky feel to the fore: virtuosic bassist, Vonnie Hudson (The Shades), whose mesmerizing grooves & solos are renowned, and hard-hitting, rock solid drummer, Joe Piteo (Gil Parris).
Guest Guitarists:
Grammy-nominee Gil Parris (David Sanborn) is one of very few artists who have 5 nationally released albums in over four different genres: R&B, smooth jazz, traditional jazz and blues. He has solo albums on RCA/BMG ("Gil Parris shines through as the brightest star in the genre since Larry Carlton" -Guitar One Magazine), Okra-Tone/Koch ("Parris has the goods and all seven cuts here show it" -Vintage Guitar), and his own "Jam This" release ("When it comes to improvising epic, crowd-pleasing solos in an eclectic range of styles, Parris is more than qualified to deliver the goods" -Guitar Player);
Marc Shulman has been performing with the Bacon Brothers, Chris Botti, Shawn Colvin, Cliff Eberhardt, Martha Reeves, Junior Wells, Billy Vera and Jewel, and as session musician is credited in albums by, among others, Will Ackerman, Marc Anthony, The Bee Gees, Celine Dion, Derrik Jordan, Lucy Kaplansky, Jennifer Kimball, Patty Larkin, David McGrath, October Project, Bob Telson, Vanessa Williams and Suzanne Vega.
NICOLE HART is often asked how to define the band's sound. According to The Blues Foundation in Memphis, Tennessee, keeper of the official Blues flame, “Modern Electric Blues is an eclectic mixture … embracing both the old, the new and something that falls between the two… (and) pays homage to those vintage styles of playing while simultaneously recasting them in contemporary fashion. It can also be…the most forward looking of all blues styles, embracing rock beats and pyrotechnics and enlivening the form with funk rhythms and chord progressions that expand beyond the standard three that usually comprise most blues forms."
ARTIST MANAGEMENT: FM MANAGEMENT INTERNATIONAL, LLC, 917.797.8462
ARTIST REPRESENTATION: HARTY WIEDEMANN, TA733 850.875.2587, 850.559.7265, Tallahassee, FL, WWW.BLUESDIVA.NET
Hello...It was wonderful seeing the band last night. I had a great time. You are all so talented and I hope to see you go far. Looking forward to February.
Hello Nicole thanks in order to have to me accepted like your friend. you memories of me! they are Tony we have known ourselves to the KCLINGER'S of Hanover.
