nicole torres (guitar, vox), john minardi (electric drums), kim o'harah (bass), chris lawhead (flute).
Influences
all sorts of them........... radiohead, bb king, miles davis, sublime, janis joplin, widespread panic, sweatshop union, heiroglyphics, gorillaz, ani difranco, del tha funkee homosapien, ella fitzgerald, patty griffin, saul williams, bad religion, bob marley, morcheeba, joan osborne, jewell, blind mellon, tonic, pearl jam, the verve pipe, billie holliday, counting crows, portishead, galactic, dan the automator, madonna, the thievery corporation, leo kotke, jeremy hoog, nina simone, the allman brothers, mason williams, alanis morissette, bush, system of a down, bad religion, bella fleck and the flecktones, R.E.M., the red hot chili peppers, gloria estefan, the offspring, and about a million others.
Sounds Like
there are appearant influences from jazz, reggae, folk, hip-hop, latin, rock, funk, and even bluegrass--but it doesn't fit in to any of those categories. it's a pretty eclectic hybrid. it's sincere and unique. it is liquid... it will fill whatever space it is given.
Her "feverish eclecticism" and "engaging performances" are "likely to hijack the attention of anyone within earshot."
Described as "bold, passionate and poetic," Nicole Torres is turning heads across the country both solo and with her band, The Affiliates. "This is sophisticated music, classically structured and yet containing various elements, rhythms and genres."
Over the course of her seven independently released records she has incorporated flavors of jazz, reggae, pop, alternative and spoken word.
Acoustic guitar drives the groove-centered, genre-bending songs with "simple rhythms played to clever effect." Electric drums and bass from John Minardi and Sparrow lay solid foundation for primal textures from flautist Chris Lawhead. Torres' voice, "at once velvet and disarming," demonstrates a "range and musical savvy that most American Idol contestants would die for."
"She seems to grow to fill the stage she's on, possessing a stage presence well beyond her years." See Nicole Torres & The Affiliates today.
See, sometimes, we're born into that secret place between circumstance and shame, she forgot her name when she entered that world covered in muffled screams.
From the moment their doctor dropped her, she bore wounds and carried them proudly; a badge of her office lived loudly.
Hers was a life un-epic, deferred liability, shirked responsibility and fingers caressing scar tissue picked bloody for dramatic effect.
"Look...would you just look at what they did to me. There's a reason why I am the way I am.", she justifies righteously in a voice quivering just enough to be completely unbelievable.
"Besides it's safer here in the dirt.", she lies to herself and cries to herself while inching along on her belly, hiding from every corner-of-her-eye shadow man while wistful for the heavens.
I should be up there....inhaling clouds and expelling vision...vivid colors and controlled descent....and I would be if it hadn't been for that recent....
Then bloated from gorging on their advice and sympathy; she slept... until I awakened.
I'm glad you came through St. Louis and brought my girl Kim with you. Your music rocked my socks. It was great meeting you and hopefully I gained a new friend!
Nicole, thanks for rolling thru Indy in your veg oil machine. Your music was incredible and your stage presence was electric. I can't wait to see you again! hearts and hugs to a great girl, amy p.
I fell in love with your music. It is excellent. A fresh, new sound. I hope to get back to Denver soon to see you perform live. 'Til then I have downloaded everything I could find on itunes. You are EXCELLENT!! :-)
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We seek to connect with like minded “Peace Seekers.” We believe that peace is possible one person at a time… one heart at a time. “Let there be peace on earth… and let it begin with me.”
We are just beginning to feel our way around MySpace. Attempting to learn how to set up our page... and meeting some pretty amazing folks along the way.
In Health, Happiness, Prosperity, Love and PEACE,
Steve (The Photographer and "Horse Whisperer.") and Nancie (The Equine Artist and "Horsewoman.")
An excerpt from the D Mail newsletter: Friday night we have an awesome line-up, put together by Danielle Hastings. PolyJane plays at 5pm. We're excited to hear PolyJane judging from her myspace page. She lists her influences as Chopin, Scott Joplin, Lucille Ball, Eleanor Roosevelt, Tori Amos, Rachmaninoff, The Beatles, B.B. King, Ayn Rand, Frank Lloyd Wright. At 7pm are the Hobo Nickels. Listen to "Weaubleau Well". Wow. Instantly our favorite new band. Danielle says tons of kids were dancing to this band at the People's Fair this past weekend, so bring your kids. At 8:30 pm we have The Mile Markers. They remind us of Bela Karoli and The Reals. Also our favorite new band. Listen to "Revival" on their Myspace to get your spirit up. And "The Lowlands" will make you weep. Rounding out the night are Zeut and Nicole Torres. Zeut has a spectacular array of styles, pop to African to Reggae. Robert Eldridge loves to globe travel and has a killer ear. Nicole Torres does the jazziest, funnkiest, poetriest, music ever, totally infectious. She's a super cool dude too. But that's not all! You also get Tommy Nahulu doing live paintings which we'll sell to highest bidder for charity. We love The People's Fair. $7.
Hey Nicole, diggin the tunes. Looks like we are sharing a drummer! Johns gonna talk to you about offering some support for One Time at the Falcon in Englewood. www. myspace. com/wponetime Hope to cross paths sometime soon...till then, keep doin whatcha doing!
Nicole, I miss you so much. We need to get together soon. I wish I could come see you Saturday, but I can't. :) I will make it to see you soon, I am aching to hear you sing live instead of on recording.
Hey Nic, I'm glad you're coming back up to play at Buckets, it was cool to meet you at open mic with the boys. Hippy'll be there, he's in love with your sound. I was hoping to make it but I got free tix to see the Radiators...so I'm gonna bail to vail. Have a great show and I'll catch you next time!!
