Nico Stai
Encyclopedia
Nico Stai is a musician singer/songwriter based in Los Angeles Ca.
Born and raised in Spain, Nico relocated to Los Angeles
where he formed and fronted various bands before embarking on a solo career in 2006.
He has since released four records, The Viva Dead E.P. (2006),Park Los Angeles 2006,
Dead Pony 2008,
The Victory of Miss Friday 2008
A Limited Edition Double E.P. containing bonus live material was released in 2010.
A new full length album is scheduled for release early 2011.
His songs have been featured in TV shows like Private Practice (TV series), Numb3rs
, Chuck (TV series)
, Gossip Girl (TV series)
, Beverly Hills, 90210
Nico Stai has played shows supporting Cold War Kids
, Art Brut, Jason Falkner
, The Deadly Syndrome
, Neil Finn
, Great Northern
In October 2008 two live performances of the songs Covered Too and Dead Pony were filmed and recorded for the W.B. web series by The O.C. Creator Josh Schwartz
,Rockville, CA
Other acts on the show included ..The Kooks
, The Little Ones
, Lykke Li
, Passion Pit
, Earlimart ,
In April 2009 Nico appeared on Last Call with Carson Daly
.
Nico Stai played at the Sunset Junction Festival, including acts like Conor Oberst
, Built To Spill
BONARROO, NOISE POP MUSIC FESTIVAL, SXSW, SANTA BARBARA NEW NOISE MUSIC FESTIVAL, SAN DIEGO NORTH PARK THANG
In the spring of 2010 Nico Stai played at the Silverlake Jubilee Festival with acts like Entrance Band, Foreign Born , The growlers
In March 2009 Nico Stai held the coveted Monday Night Residency at Spaceland, in Los Angeles, CA.
Guest acts included bands like Youth Group
, The Temper Trap, Josh Pyke
, Hesta Prynn
, Eastern Conference Champions
, The Movies (band)
In April 2009 he was featured on the cover of The Deli Los Angeles
( The Los Angeles Examiner Interview )
"On the verge of becoming America's next big indie rocker, evoking memories of Bob Dyland and post Srgnt. Pepper Beatles, Nico manages to create the fullest sound of any solo artist in recent memory.
Easily the most musically intriguing artist to come along since Sufjan Stevens, and on track to become one of the great to emerge form the Echopark/Silverlake scene."
Nico's early life in Los Angeles was marred by his struggles with drug and alcohol addiction.
(FLAUNT MAGAZINE INTERVIEW )
"Then there were extra-curricular activities that, he says, are behind him. “I’m clean and sober now,” he says. “I was a f***ng wreck.” As someone who’s gone through the ringer of drugs, Stai has a strong opinion of the artistic myth that drugs and creativity mix. “I think that’s the biggest lie ever sold,” he says. “A lot of the machinery in rock ’n’ roll and the industry and the business works on hype. The easiest thing you can do in this life is put something in your arm. It’s the other stuff that’s not.”
Tinpaco, Stai’s former band, “self imploded” before finishing a deal with Producer Garrett Lee (Snow Patrol) and London Records (Warner UK).
"While you’re in it, you see failure all around, but in hindsight it afforded me the opportunity to do what I want to do."
Stai walked away with ownership of the masters and began his solo career.
After the short lived stint on London Records,Nico went back to the beginning.
He went from headlining some of the bigger Los Angeles venues to playing small quiet rooms, alone
with his acoustic guitar.
Stai would record the songs he was to play later in the evening and make personalized CD's with that night's
set available at the show.
The Cd's took on a uniformity: card board jackets with spray painted stenciled letters in block bold print reading NICO STAI.
The songs on the early CD's would become the make up of his 2006 debut solo record Park Los Angeles.
Met with critical acclaim by the local press , it led to performances at BONNAROO MUSIC FESTIVAL , NOISE POP MUSIC FESTIVAL , AND SXSW ,
as well as airplay on local Los Angeles radio stations Indie 103.1 and KROQ.
In the end of 2006 Stai assembled a group of musicians to support him,
Guitarist Jeff Evans, bassist Sean Stentz and drummer Josh Mervin.
These three musicians have become the core of Nico Stai's live act as well as his recording band.
The Victory of Miss Friday was released end of the year.
In April 2009 Nico Stai appeared on Last Call with Carson Daly
.
As of July 2010—New Album Scheduled for 2011
Born and raised in Spain, Nico relocated to Los Angeles
where he formed and fronted various bands before embarking on a solo career in 2006.
He has since released four records, The Viva Dead E.P. (2006),Park Los Angeles 2006,
Dead Pony 2008,
The Victory of Miss Friday 2008
A Limited Edition Double E.P. containing bonus live material was released in 2010.
A new full length album is scheduled for release early 2011.
Music
Former front man for local Los Angeles bands Tinpaco and The Bonnie stai.His songs have been featured in TV shows like Private Practice (TV series), Numb3rs
NUMB3RS
Numb3rs is an American television drama which premiered on CBS on January 23, 2005, and concluded on March 12, 2010. The series was created by Nicolas Falacci and Cheryl Heuton, and follows FBI Special Agent Don Eppes and his mathematical genius brother, Charlie Eppes , who helps Don solve crimes...
, Chuck (TV series)
Chuck (TV series)
Chuck is an action-comedy/spy-drama television program from the United States created by Josh Schwartz and Chris Fedak. The series is about an "average computer-whiz-next-door" named Chuck, played by Zachary Levi, who receives an encoded e-mail from an old college friend now working for the Central...
, Gossip Girl (TV series)
Gossip Girl (TV series)
Gossip Girl is an American teen drama television series based on the book series of the same name written by Cecily von Ziegesar. The series was created by Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage, and premiered on The CW on September 19, 2007...
, Beverly Hills, 90210
Beverly Hills, 90210
Beverly Hills, 90210 is an American drama series that originally aired from October 4, 1990 to May 17, 2000 on Fox and was produced by Spelling Television in the United States, and subsequently on various networks around the world. It is the first series in the Beverly Hills, 90210 franchise...
Nico Stai has played shows supporting Cold War Kids
Cold War Kids
Cold War Kids are an American indie rock band from Long Beach, California. Band members are Nathan Willett , Jonnie Russell , Matt Maust , and Matt Aveiro .-History:...
, Art Brut, Jason Falkner
Jason Falkner
Jason Falkner is an American pop and rock musician. Active since the late 1980s, he has performed with several bands. In addition to releasing several albums as a solo artist, he is a prolific session musician and producer who has contributed to dozens of other recordings by other bands and...
, The Deadly Syndrome
The Deadly Syndrome
-Biography:The band was formed in 2006 by William Etling, Jesse Hoy, Michael Hughes and Christopher Richard. In fall of 2006 the band was signed to the record label Dim Mak Records....
, Neil Finn
Neil Finn
Neil Mullane Finn, OBE is a New Zealand Pop recording artist. Along with his brother Tim Finn, he was the co-frontman for Split Enz and is now frontman for Crowded House...
, Great Northern
Great Northern
Great Northern may refer to:* Great Northern , led by former 30 Seconds to Mars member Solon Bixler*Great Northern , led by former Mission Mountain Wood Band member Rob Quist...
In October 2008 two live performances of the songs Covered Too and Dead Pony were filmed and recorded for the W.B. web series by The O.C. Creator Josh Schwartz
Josh Schwartz
-Film school at USC:In 1995, Schwartz realized his boyhood dream of attending film school to study screen and television writing at the University of Southern California...
,Rockville, CA
Other acts on the show included ..The Kooks
The Kooks
The Kooks are an English indie rock band formed in Brighton, East Sussex, in 2001. Formed by Luke Pritchard , Hugh Harris , Paul Garred , and Max Rafferty , the lineup of the band remained constant until 2008 and the departure of Rafferty...
, The Little Ones
The Little Ones
The Little Ones was a 1965 British family comedy film directed by British director Jim O'Connolly starring Carl Gonzales and Kim Smith. Dudley Foster stars asSuperintendent Carter and Derek Newark plays the strict Detective Sgt. Wilson....
, Lykke Li
Lykke Li
Li Lykke Timotej Zachrisson , better known by her stage name Lykke Li , is a Swedish singer-songwriter. Her music often blends elements of pop, indie rock and electronic; various instruments can also be found in her songs, including violins, synthesizers, tambourines, trumpets, saxophones and cellos...
, Passion Pit
Passion Pit
Passion Pit is an American electropop band from Cambridge, Massachusetts. The group, which formed in 2007, consists of Michael Angelakos , Ian Hultquist , Ayad Al Adhamy , Jeff Apruzzese and Nate Donmoyer...
, Earlimart ,
In April 2009 Nico appeared on Last Call with Carson Daly
Last Call with Carson Daly
Last Call with Carson Daly is an American late night talk show that is broadcast on NBC. The show is hosted by Carson Daly, the half-hour show featuring celebrity interviews, documentary-style coverage of a topic, and musical performances. Last Call airs weeknights at 1:35 a.m. Eastern / 12:35 a.m....
.
Nico Stai played at the Sunset Junction Festival, including acts like Conor Oberst
Conor Oberst
Conor Mullen Oberst is an American singer-songwriter best known for his work in Bright Eyes. He has also played in several other bands, including Desaparecidos, Norman Bailer , Commander Venus, Park Ave., Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band, and Monsters of Folk.-Musical career:Oberst began...
, Built To Spill
Built to Spill
Built to Spill is an American indie rock band based in Boise, Idaho. The band has released seven full-length albums. Their most recent album, There Is No Enemy, was released on October 6, 2009.-History:...
BONARROO, NOISE POP MUSIC FESTIVAL, SXSW, SANTA BARBARA NEW NOISE MUSIC FESTIVAL, SAN DIEGO NORTH PARK THANG
In the spring of 2010 Nico Stai played at the Silverlake Jubilee Festival with acts like Entrance Band, Foreign Born , The growlers
In March 2009 Nico Stai held the coveted Monday Night Residency at Spaceland, in Los Angeles, CA.
Guest acts included bands like Youth Group
Youth Group
Youth Group are a rock band based in Newtown, Sydney, Australia signed to Ivy League Records.- Biography :Youth Group formed in Sydney in the late 1990s. They have released four albums in Australia, with the three most recent albums also gaining releases worldwide...
, The Temper Trap, Josh Pyke
Josh Pyke
Josh Pyke is an Australian singer-songwriting musician.-Beginnings and Feeding the Wolves :Josh Pyke was in his first band by age 12 and played his first performance in front of 650 parents and students at his primary school graduation. Playing guitar and initial song writing efforts came aged 14...
, Hesta Prynn
Hesta Prynn
Julie Potash also known as Hesta Prynn , is an American musician, singer/rapper from Long Island, New York. She began her career in music as one-third of the all-female hip-hop group Northern State. After the band broke up she started focusing on solo material and, in July 2010, released an EP,...
, Eastern Conference Champions
Eastern Conference Champions
Eastern Conference Champions is an American Indie rock band originally from Philadelphia now residing in Los Angeles, CA, consisting of Joshua Ostrander, Greg Lyons, and Melissa Dougherty...
, The Movies (band)
The Movies (band)
The Movies were a band formed out of the ashes of The Vehicle Birth in early 1999 in Boston.After playing the first show without a drummer in Boston, the band hooked up with an old friend Stevie Triechel in Arlington, Virginia...
In April 2009 he was featured on the cover of The Deli Los Angeles
( The Los Angeles Examiner Interview )
"On the verge of becoming America's next big indie rocker, evoking memories of Bob Dyland and post Srgnt. Pepper Beatles, Nico manages to create the fullest sound of any solo artist in recent memory.
Easily the most musically intriguing artist to come along since Sufjan Stevens, and on track to become one of the great to emerge form the Echopark/Silverlake scene."
History
Nico's early life in Los Angeles was marred by his struggles with drug and alcohol addiction.
(FLAUNT MAGAZINE INTERVIEW )
"Then there were extra-curricular activities that, he says, are behind him. “I’m clean and sober now,” he says. “I was a f***ng wreck.” As someone who’s gone through the ringer of drugs, Stai has a strong opinion of the artistic myth that drugs and creativity mix. “I think that’s the biggest lie ever sold,” he says. “A lot of the machinery in rock ’n’ roll and the industry and the business works on hype. The easiest thing you can do in this life is put something in your arm. It’s the other stuff that’s not.”
Tinpaco, Stai’s former band, “self imploded” before finishing a deal with Producer Garrett Lee (Snow Patrol) and London Records (Warner UK).
"While you’re in it, you see failure all around, but in hindsight it afforded me the opportunity to do what I want to do."
Stai walked away with ownership of the masters and began his solo career.
After the short lived stint on London Records,Nico went back to the beginning.
He went from headlining some of the bigger Los Angeles venues to playing small quiet rooms, alone
with his acoustic guitar.
Stai would record the songs he was to play later in the evening and make personalized CD's with that night's
set available at the show.
The Cd's took on a uniformity: card board jackets with spray painted stenciled letters in block bold print reading NICO STAI.
The songs on the early CD's would become the make up of his 2006 debut solo record Park Los Angeles.
Met with critical acclaim by the local press , it led to performances at BONNAROO MUSIC FESTIVAL , NOISE POP MUSIC FESTIVAL , AND SXSW ,
as well as airplay on local Los Angeles radio stations Indie 103.1 and KROQ.
In the end of 2006 Stai assembled a group of musicians to support him,
Guitarist Jeff Evans, bassist Sean Stentz and drummer Josh Mervin.
These three musicians have become the core of Nico Stai's live act as well as his recording band.
The Victory of Miss Friday was released end of the year.
In April 2009 Nico Stai appeared on Last Call with Carson Daly
Last Call with Carson Daly
Last Call with Carson Daly is an American late night talk show that is broadcast on NBC. The show is hosted by Carson Daly, the half-hour show featuring celebrity interviews, documentary-style coverage of a topic, and musical performances. Last Call airs weeknights at 1:35 a.m. Eastern / 12:35 a.m....
.
As of July 2010—New Album Scheduled for 2011
Discography
Albums and compilations- The Viva Dead E.P. (2006)
- Park Los Angeles (2006)
- Dead Pony EP (2008)
- The Victory of Miss Friday EP (2008)
- Dead Pony & Miss Friday Limited Edition Double e.p. (2008)
Other appearances
- The song "Dead Pony" was performed live on Last Call with Carson DalyLast Call with Carson DalyLast Call with Carson Daly is an American late night talk show that is broadcast on NBC. The show is hosted by Carson Daly, the half-hour show featuring celebrity interviews, documentary-style coverage of a topic, and musical performances. Last Call airs weeknights at 1:35 a.m. Eastern / 12:35 a.m....
- The song "Maybe Maybe" was featured in the television series "Private Practice (TV series)"
- The song "Panic And The Should Attacks" was featured in the television series "Private Practice (TV series)"
- The song "One October Song" was featured in both Chuck Versus the SubwayChuck Versus the Subway"Chuck Versus the Subway" is the 18th episode of the third season of Chuck. It originally aired on May 24, 2010 in a special two-hour block with "Chuck Versus the Ring: Part II." As the Intersect continues to malfunction Stephen hurries to complete the Governor for his son...
and Chuck Versus the First FightChuck Versus the First Fight"Chuck Versus the First Fight" is the seventh episode of the fourth season of Chuck. It originally aired November 1, 2010. In the wake of his first fight with Sarah, Chuck Bartowski embarks on a rogue mission to prove his mother's innocence, ultimately colliding with her MI6 handler, Gregory...
. The song "Miss Friday" was later featured in the fourth season episode Chuck Versus Phase ThreeChuck Versus Phase Three"Chuck Versus Phase Three" is the ninth episode of the fourth season of Chuck. It originally aired November 22, 2010. In order to escape the Belgian , whose mission is to discover more about the Intersect, Sarah Walker, Chuck Bartowski, Morgan Grimes, and John Casey immerse themselves in the...
, and the song "The Bottom of the Ocean" was featured in Chuck Versus the BalconyChuck Versus the Balcony"Chuck Versus the Balcony" is the eleventh episode of the fourth season of Chuck. It originally aired January 17, 2011. Chuck Bartowski embarks on two secret quests. As he tries to locate a nano-chip in the vineyards of France, he also attempts to stealthily concoct a romantic getaway for Sarah... - The song "Maybe Maybe " was featured in the television show "Beverly Hills, 90210Beverly Hills, 90210Beverly Hills, 90210 is an American drama series that originally aired from October 4, 1990 to May 17, 2000 on Fox and was produced by Spelling Television in the United States, and subsequently on various networks around the world. It is the first series in the Beverly Hills, 90210 franchise...
"
- The song "Maybe Maybe" was featured on the television show "Numb3rsNUMB3RSNumb3rs is an American television drama which premiered on CBS on January 23, 2005, and concluded on March 12, 2010. The series was created by Nicolas Falacci and Cheryl Heuton, and follows FBI Special Agent Don Eppes and his mathematical genius brother, Charlie Eppes , who helps Don solve crimes...
"
- The song "Silent Night " "a last minute ...cover thing " was featured on the television show "Gossip Girl (TV series)Gossip Girl (TV series)Gossip Girl is an American teen drama television series based on the book series of the same name written by Cecily von Ziegesar. The series was created by Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage, and premiered on The CW on September 19, 2007...
"
- The song "Like Alcohol " was featured on the movie "The Neighbor" with Matthew Modine
- The song "The Song Of Shine and Shame" was featured on the movie "The Neighbor" with Matthew Modine
- The song "Covered too " was featured and performed live on the Rockville, Ca internet tv show
- The song "Dead Pony " was featured and performed live on the Rockville, Ca internet tv show
- The song "Andy's House " was featured on the movie "Road House 2: Last CallRoad House 2: Last CallRoad House 2: Last Call is a 2006 action adventure film. It is the sequel to Road House , and was released direct to DVD.-Plot:...
"
- The song "The song of shine and shame " was featured on the movie "Road House 2: Last CallRoad House 2: Last CallRoad House 2: Last Call is a 2006 action adventure film. It is the sequel to Road House , and was released direct to DVD.-Plot:...
"
Videography
- "The Skies Over your Head" Live Acoustic ( by Elliott Glass)
- "Miss Friday" Live Acoustic ( by Elliott Glass)
- "Green Lines" Live Acoustic ( by Elliott Glass)
- "3000 Dollar Girl" Live Acoustic ( by Elliott Glass)
- "Falling Off The Moon" Live Acoustic ( by Elliott Glass)
- "Dead Pony" Live On Carson Daly
- "Dead Pony" Live At The Echoplex ( Spaceland Recordings )
- "One October Song" Live Acoustic ( by Elliott Glass)
External links
Interviews
- Last Call With Carson Daly Interview
- Spin Magazine
- SXSW SPINNER INTERVIEW OFFICIAL ARTIST NICO STAI
- BEATCRAVE NICO STAI
- LAST CALL WITH CARSON DALY DEAD PONY PERFORMANCE
- CAMPUS CIRCLE INTERVIEW
- AMERICAN NON FICTION REVIEW
- BEATCRAVE NICO STAI
- SUNSET JUNCTION REVIEW
- MISHMASH MAGAZINE LIVE REVIEW
- PASTE MAGAZINE ROCKVILLE ARTICLE
- GQ MAGAZINE BURBERRY NICO STAI
- PASTE MAGAZINE POST
- EL PAIS INTERVIEW ( SPANISH )
- Nico Stai - "The Skies Over Your Head" - SXSW 2010 Showcasing Artist
- BUZZBANDS L.A. POST