![HOUSTON LIFE |32 | SEPTEMBER
PICKS AND PLANS
her guitar as her only medium. The
orchestrations that populate Neptune
City seem a far, almost unreachable
dream in her album’s scopes. All of
that changed when she moved to
Charlotte, North Carolina.
“I think it [moving] was a big
influence,” Atkins admits. “When
I was living in New York City, I
was playing the anti-folk thing,
my songs were all very country. I
wrote the kind of songs I’m playing
now, but it was all just me, so it
was very acoustic. I would hear the
orchestrations in my head, but when
I was just playing me, it was all
acoustic, and it wasn’t coming across
the way I wanted to do. I kind of
thought of those as my weird songs.”
Atkins was encouraged by a
fellow musician to incorporate the
orchestrations into her music, where
it slowly became Neptune City.
Along with her band, The Sea, she
has emerged into the “true” Nicole
Atkins. A whirlwind schedule for
the rest of the year could seemingly
exhaust her. But as she rushes out
the door to soundcheck for her show
that night, her energy remains high.
Nicole Atkins & The Sea play ACL
Sunday 9.28 at 12:30pm.
SATURDAY
6:30 N.E.R.D.
You know who we feel
bad for? Lee Harvey.
Remember him? He was
the other guy in N.E.R.D.’s
“Lapdance.” What
happened to that guy?
8:15 The Mars Volta
Doesn’t it seem like
there are about 40
members in MV?
8:30 Manu Chao
Want to feel cool? Ask your
friends what their favorite
Manu Chao song is. When
they say they don’t know,
just laugh, then mumble
something about them
being ignorant.
1:50 Bavu Blakes
Every week of this year,
he has provided listeners
with a new rap-flow free
of charge. Remember how
quick you stopped working
out after the New Year?
Don’t you feel like an ass?
2:30 Sharon
Jones & the
Dap Kings
Sharon Jones
bangs. Nothing
else to it.
2:50 Back
Door Slam
[insert lame
porno joke
here]
ENTICE
FRIDAY
!
MAKINGzWAVES
|
|
|
|
|
|
:
After tumultuous years,
Nicole Atkins & The Sea
finally relish high tides
WORDS ALMA VERDEJO PHOTOS BRANDON HOLLEY
Nicole Atkins should be tired. She has
spent a year and a half on a whirlwind
tour through the US and Europe. She
has been promoting both her 2006
“Bleeding Diamons” EP—which caught
the attention of major record labels
and led to a bidding war—and her full-
length 2007 Neptune City album. Atkins
also starred in an American Express
commercial featuring one of her songs.
Even if she ought to be drained,
she isn’t. “[I’m doing] good,” Atkins
enthuses, speaking to ENVY from her
New Jersey home. “We’re playing a
show in Atlantic City tonight, and my
house is just disgusting. So I’m trying
to clean before I have to leave.” Her
problems have diminished considerably
from the days she lived inside her car.
Described as both a female Rufus
Wainwright and a female Roy
Orbison—whom she counts as a heavy
influence—and Patsy Cline with Loretta
Lynn sensibilities, Atkins combines
sweeping orchestrations with sweet,
introspective, haunting lyrics and the sea
as a main focus.
“You know how when people always
write songs about commenting around
the landscape around them?” Atkins
asks. “Like Neil Young writing about
living in a burned-out basement at the
time? I’ve always lived by the river, and
it’s always my point of reference when
I’m trying to put the song into a place.
And it’s going out and sitting by the
river—it’s like the one place I can calm
down and let my mind go wherever it
wants to, without thinking about other
things; kind of meditative in a way.”
The meditative style of her lyrics has
awarded Atkins a huge following.
Her songs from 2007’s Neptune City
speak about a glorious time of a now-
decrepit part of New Jersey’s
Neptune City that once colored
the landscape but has now been
forgotten. It’s a narrative of both a
relationship and the blossoming and
death of a city. “That’s exactly how
we put the album together,” she
says. “A narrative. I think that’s lost
in records today—like, everyone is
‘What are the two singles? Then let’s
put shit around it.’”
It’s been a long road for Atkins since
her East Coast days. She used to
play in New York City’s East Village
Sidewalk Café, though she always
felt something was lacking when she
played. She was restricted to using
ACL_DESIGN.indd 32 8/29/08 6:14:41 PM](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/envyt5608032-161018030423/85/ENVY-Music-Guide-1-320.jpg)
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ENVY Music Guide
- 1. HOUSTON LIFE |32 | SEPTEMBER PICKS AND PLANS her guitar as her only medium. The orchestrations that populate Neptune City seem a far, almost unreachable dream in her album’s scopes. All of that changed when she moved to Charlotte, North Carolina. “I think it [moving] was a big influence,” Atkins admits. “When I was living in New York City, I was playing the anti-folk thing, my songs were all very country. I wrote the kind of songs I’m playing now, but it was all just me, so it was very acoustic. I would hear the orchestrations in my head, but when I was just playing me, it was all acoustic, and it wasn’t coming across the way I wanted to do. I kind of thought of those as my weird songs.” Atkins was encouraged by a fellow musician to incorporate the orchestrations into her music, where it slowly became Neptune City. Along with her band, The Sea, she has emerged into the “true” Nicole Atkins. A whirlwind schedule for the rest of the year could seemingly exhaust her. But as she rushes out the door to soundcheck for her show that night, her energy remains high. Nicole Atkins & The Sea play ACL Sunday 9.28 at 12:30pm. SATURDAY 6:30 N.E.R.D. You know who we feel bad for? Lee Harvey. Remember him? He was the other guy in N.E.R.D.’s “Lapdance.” What happened to that guy? 8:15 The Mars Volta Doesn’t it seem like there are about 40 members in MV? 8:30 Manu Chao Want to feel cool? Ask your friends what their favorite Manu Chao song is. When they say they don’t know, just laugh, then mumble something about them being ignorant. 1:50 Bavu Blakes Every week of this year, he has provided listeners with a new rap-flow free of charge. Remember how quick you stopped working out after the New Year? Don’t you feel like an ass? 2:30 Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings Sharon Jones bangs. Nothing else to it. 2:50 Back Door Slam [insert lame porno joke here] ENTICE FRIDAY ! MAKINGzWAVES | | | | | | : After tumultuous years, Nicole Atkins & The Sea finally relish high tides WORDS ALMA VERDEJO PHOTOS BRANDON HOLLEY Nicole Atkins should be tired. She has spent a year and a half on a whirlwind tour through the US and Europe. She has been promoting both her 2006 “Bleeding Diamons” EP—which caught the attention of major record labels and led to a bidding war—and her full- length 2007 Neptune City album. Atkins also starred in an American Express commercial featuring one of her songs. Even if she ought to be drained, she isn’t. “[I’m doing] good,” Atkins enthuses, speaking to ENVY from her New Jersey home. “We’re playing a show in Atlantic City tonight, and my house is just disgusting. So I’m trying to clean before I have to leave.” Her problems have diminished considerably from the days she lived inside her car. Described as both a female Rufus Wainwright and a female Roy Orbison—whom she counts as a heavy influence—and Patsy Cline with Loretta Lynn sensibilities, Atkins combines sweeping orchestrations with sweet, introspective, haunting lyrics and the sea as a main focus. “You know how when people always write songs about commenting around the landscape around them?” Atkins asks. “Like Neil Young writing about living in a burned-out basement at the time? I’ve always lived by the river, and it’s always my point of reference when I’m trying to put the song into a place. And it’s going out and sitting by the river—it’s like the one place I can calm down and let my mind go wherever it wants to, without thinking about other things; kind of meditative in a way.” The meditative style of her lyrics has awarded Atkins a huge following. Her songs from 2007’s Neptune City speak about a glorious time of a now- decrepit part of New Jersey’s Neptune City that once colored the landscape but has now been forgotten. It’s a narrative of both a relationship and the blossoming and death of a city. “That’s exactly how we put the album together,” she says. “A narrative. I think that’s lost in records today—like, everyone is ‘What are the two singles? Then let’s put shit around it.’” It’s been a long road for Atkins since her East Coast days. She used to play in New York City’s East Village Sidewalk Café, though she always felt something was lacking when she played. She was restricted to using ACL_DESIGN.indd 32 8/29/08 6:14:41 PM