Nicki Gonzalez recorded a great video session at the Blue House Productions Sound Stage.
It was a multiple camera shoot of the actual studio performances, Warner Bros Live style. Also on the session was the great guitarist Matvei Sigalov, amazing pianist Eli Staples fantastic drummer Lee Pearson (currently with Spyro Gyra) and the awesome Hadrian Feraud, currently with Chick Corea’s most recent project. What a great band. Watch the video below to see the very HEAVILY arranged versions of “Titanium” by David Guetta, Sign your Name by Terence Trent D’Arby, “Rooster” by Alice in Chains and “Shiver” by Coldplay. Nicki Gonzalez, being a musician was more than a choice, it was a vocation. The fourth of five children of Filipino-Spanish descent, she is continuing a musical legacy that has thrived in her lineage for generations. Her paternal great-grandfather, Juan S. Hernandez, is a renowned classical composer of symphonic orchestral music in his native Philippines. Nicki Gonzalez jokes that the music gene “skipped a generation” with her father, Vincent, but he made up for it when he met and married Mary Lou Perez, an accomplished cabaret singer in the mid-60’s Manila supper club circuit. Mr. and Mrs. Gonzalez immigrated to the United States in 1968 and started a family. All five of their children, now grown, are professional musicians. Not long after high school graduation in 1992, she jumped immediately into a professional music career. Her first gigs were as lead vocalist in a society band, juggled with the front-woman spot in her brothers’ nine-piece funk band, The Magic Pocket Company. They were a hit in the Washington, DC scene but the maintenance on a nine-piece ensemble was more than they were ready for. When The Magic Pocket Company disbanded, Nicki Gonzalez started her own ensemble; a simple acoustic guitar, bass and vox trio called The Nicki Gonzalez Band and entered a local songwriting contest. She won. Two years later, in 1999, The Nicki Gonzalez Band, now a five-piece with strings smart pop ensemble influenced by jazz, folk, and soul influences, recorded their self-titled, debut CD of all original material. Proficient in Portuguese and Spanish Gonzalez has recorded music for various artists in both languages. The Washington Area Music Association (WAMA) awarded her the “Wammie” for “Latin Vocalist of the Year” in 1999 – just two years after she entered the DC jazz scene. They reprised the honor in 2002 naming Nicki Gonzalez “Jazz Vocalist of the Year.” The Nicki Gonzalez Band, was also recognized by The Washington Area Music Association in 2001 for Best Pop Group. Gonzalez has since had the honor of performing our National Anthem three times for the Washington Wizards NBA team and twice for DC’s women’s pro-soccer team, the Washington Freedom. The Nicki Gonzalez Band played three sold-out shows at the legendary Blues Alley and were the headlining act at the 2002 Crosstown Jam. They’ve performed at The Smithsonian Folklife Festival, The Kennedy Center Millennium Stage and opened at the 2003 USTA Tournament. Singing songs that are new to your ears with the malicious intentions of leaving you dreaming of the chick that just kicked you in the balls with her unflinching sense of what’s right. Nicki Gonzalez sings the definitive ass-kicking versions of songs that feel fresh and unworn. Nicki Gonzalez offers up the total package: unapologetically original songwriting and attention-demanding vocals delivered by a stunning beauty. You can find out more about Nicki Gonzalez by going to her website www.ngband.com