NICKO Returns with “Bits & Pieces 1”
After releasing an ambient exploration in September, NICKO has returned with his third album, which takes a different approach. Bits & Pieces 1 was created solely with a bass guitar to flesh out the multi-tracked compositions. Although he only used a bass, the album has a wide variety of tones due to his creative use of techniques and effects.
One track that embodies the effort as a whole is “Mourned By A Mother Earth,” which NICKO explained to us in an email.
“It’s a concept piece that draws its inspiration from a powerful but overlooked moment in history: a contingency speech prepared by William Safire in 1969 for President Nixon, thankfully never used, that was intended for a public address in the event of disaster during the Apollo 11 Moon Landing Mission,” NICKO wrote. “There was a real chance that the spacecraft wouldn’t have enough fuel to leave for the return journey; and the speech was a solemn tribute to those brave astronauts who risked everything for exploration. You can find the speech online, it’s a pretty haunting read. I imagined a bleak alternate timeline and attempted to musically portray their stark realisation of their fate; of isolation and desolation, stuck on the surface of the moon.”
Bits & Pieces 1 is out now on Apple Music, Amazon Music, and more.
Bits & Pieces 1 Track List:
- Rise & Shine (2P Mode)
- What I’m Trying to Say
- Colours I
- An Unexpected Turn
- Rest
- Sending You Warmth
- Colours II
- Indecipherable Message
- Mourned by a Mother Earth
- Colours III
- Another Place
- Just Feels Right (2P Mode)
- The Reluctance to Let It End
- Pocket Money (2P Mode)
In his time with No Treble, Kevin has met hundreds of amazing bassists and interviewed icons like Jack Casady, Victor Wooten, Les Claypool, Marcus Miller, and more. He's a gigging bassist performing jazz in Northern Virginia and bluegrass with The Plate Scrapers up and down the East Coast. Kevin appreciates all genres of music, from R&B to metal and everything in between. Connect with Kevin on Facebook and check his performance schedule on his website.
