Nicole Atkins

Last night I went to the Algonquin Arts Theater in Manasqaun to see Nicole Atkins & The Sea, a physicadelic/alternative/folk rock group. Nicole Atkins is a up-and-coming singer, guitarist, and song writter as well as a Jersey Shore native. She is also advertised as one of Rolling Stone's top 10 artists to watch, and has been recently seen on Conan O'Brian and David Letterman shows.

I first saw Nicole Atkins perform in 2005 as opening act for Vannessa Carlton. (my friend had free tickets) At the time she was just a girl with a guitar and a voice, singing original songs and strumming away. What i remember most about her then was what a cool dress she had on, and the folk-y sound of her music. So I bought her CD "Party's Over," and listened so much that it became the backround music of my seventh grade life. Super cool.

So I added her on Myspace, and checked out her new music frequently, which over time changed from just one acoustic guitar to a full band, and so she became Nicole Atkins and The Sea.


As a self proclaimed "Squan-a-bee," (credit to Megan Pearce for the name) as well as a big fan, I got front row seats at Algonquin too see Atkins again, plus a band and a more polished sound. Her music was great and her vibe was so genuine. Between songs she would make casual small talk into the micorphone, and a few audience members responded. Nicole was so friendly and fun on stage that me and my two friends waited outside the band door in the cold to meet her. But she was taking too long and we were very very cold. :(

Also, Nicole Atkins wasn't one of those lame female singers trying to be cool with a band of guys. Her voice and style is different and refreshing from the norm. In her short biography in the program, it says she shaped her own sound with influences from blues artists like Jimmy Reed, and other bands like Cream.

It was especially cool to listen to songs that i knew from "Party's Over" that had grown from pretty guitar melodys into big beautiful songs with a full, rich sound.

Honestly, her attitude on stage felt more like she was at a small dinner party than playing infront of a large audience. I would have rather seen her at a place where every one stands up rather than sits down, and I could have easily spent the night groovin' to her psychedelic tunes rather than sitting back and relaxing. By the way don't take me completely seriously with my word choice. Haha, but I actually did just subconsciously stop typing mid-sentance to belt out the chorus to "Maybe Tonight." It's good music.