It's acoustic based Rock n'Roll music that is a mixture of a unique voice, vocal harmonies, deeply layered acoustic and electric guitars,and a strong focus on the lyrics; combined to create beautiful, soulful music with meaning.

11 MP3 Songs
ROCK: Acoustic, ROCK: Classic Rock



Details:
Reckoning, the debut album by Andrew Justin Nicoletta, is a musical and lyrical triumph, a collection of healing songs for troubled times that marks the end of a challenging artistic and personal journey. âItâs not a pretty pop acoustic record,â Nicoletta says. âItâs made in shades of blue, but itâs full of yearning for the light. Thereâs a lot of sorrow in it, but Iâm not whining. Thereâs optimism in every song.â Reckoning created an immediate buzz on PureVolume, one of the countryâs top music networking sites. The song âMelody In The Mistâ shot to #6 on the siteâs Top Ten list, no mean feat considering the database includes more than five million songs. Another track, âWhere Do We Go,â is currently #8 on the Unsigned Artists Top Ten list, getting close to 1,000 spins a day. All this without any hype or promotion; Reckoning hasnât even been officially released yet.

Nicoletta has been writing lyrics, stories and poems all his life, but the songs that make up Reckoning began coming together in a creative fervor about two years ago. âI havenât played many live gigs, but I felt these songs were important,â Nicoletta says. âI decided to risk everything and make a record.â Working 18 to 20 hours a day, seven days a week, both in the studio and at his day job, Nicoletta hooked up with producer Steve Rizzo (Cheryl Wheeler, Kristin Hirsch, Belly, Duke Robillard) and began putting together the songs for Reckoning.

âSteve is a perfectionist,â Nicoletta says. âIf something wasnât right, heâd make me do it again. It was my first time in a studio and I learned how to record as we worked together. I play all the guitar parts, he did the drums, bass, percussion and most of the keyboards.â Reckoning took a year to make, and you can hear the effort in the sharp production that gives every track its own individual character.

âMelody In The Mist,â is a song about the love that remains even after the break up. Rizzoâs sanctified organ fills, understated drumming and backing vocals full of yearning and undisguised torment support Nicolettaâs plaintive vocal delivery and sparse acoustic guitar. âLove has the power to see through the lies and deception and still endure,â Nicoletta explains. âThe guy singing the song is about to fall apart, but the big picture is optimistic.â The basic track of the poignant âIsabella,â dedicated to the artistâs daughter, was done in one take, including Nocolettaâs long, inventive electric guitar solo. The multi-layered guitar overdubs give the track a wide-open, atmospheric aura.

âWhere Do We Goâ has a classic folk-rock feel, with a touch of psychedelia on the side. Rizzoâs shimmering organ and Nicolettaâs minimal acoustic strumming are complimented by an experimental vocal interlude that coveys the fragmented inner dialogue of a confused mind. âThis one was composed in the studio, another one take track, no edits,â Nocoletta says. âI had about 12 verses written with no music, but when we started rolling, it wrote itself. On the bridge, Steveâs reading from The Tibetan Book Of The Dead and Iâm reading from The Beatles Session Book and the last thing that pops out of the mix is âTomorrow Never Knows.ââ The tune is getting a huge reaction on PureVolume.

The easy rocking âReckoningâ gives a joyful goodbye kiss to a bad relationship and showcases Nicolettaâs assertive vocals and slide guitar work. âShine A Lightâ offers a quick snapshot of the people that the American dream has passed by. The rousing chorus and Rizzoâs soulful, Gospel influenced organ balances the darkness of the verses. âLife can be brutal, but itâs beautiful too,â Nicoletta says. âThis record is about the conflict between darkness and light and this song celebrates the beauty behind the struggle.â âThe Letter Didnât Look Like The Restâ is a straightforward protest song, lamenting the passing of an idealistic young woman in a senseless war. Nicolettaâs anguished vocal, David Keyâs funereal flute and the swirling, processed guitars make it one of the albumâs most affecting tracks. âItâs not anti-American, but pro-humanity,â Nicoletta says forcefully. âItâs a prayer for the mothers and daughters and families that have given so much in hopes of making the world a better place.â

Reckoning is deeply personal, a record that faces lifeâs often difficult realities without flinching or falling back on false optimism. Nicolettaâs well-constructed, multi-level guitar parts, emotive singing and superior songwriting find a perfect compliment in Steve Rizzoâs organic production technique, creating an album thatâs as complex and universal as life itself.

Andrew Justin Nicoletta was born on January 20, 1973 in Suffern, New York and raised in Mahwah, New Jersey and Manhattan. âI always wanted to play guitar and write songs,â Nicoletta recalls. âBut being an artist in my family was like going to the moon. It wasnât an option.â Nicolettaâs dad was not a musician, but a huge music fan and exposed him the Stones, Beatles, Marvin Gaye, The Who, Grand Funk, Sly and The Family Stone, Dylan and the great protest singers of the â60s. Nicoletta was soon writing short stories and lyrics and dreaming about becoming a songwriter, but ran into one big roadblock. âI couldnât find a teacher who would take me on because I was left-handed. It was frustrating because I wanted to be a musician, but the world I grew up in resisted the idea. My friends and family had no interest in my musical ambitions.â

Nicoletta put his dreams on hold, but the frustration he felt took a toll. âThe 20s were my lost years. There was a lot of self-destructive behavior, bad relationships and substance abuse. I was a mess. I still am today, but now Iâm a controlled mess,â Nicoletta says with a self-conscious laugh. He finally picked up a guitar while he was a student at Colgate University. âI realized I didnât have a choice. I had to do this. I taught myself folk guitar, backwards, sitting in my dorm room and playing for friends.â

About five years ago, Nicoletta turned things around. He got into rehab, got married, had a daughter and restrung his guitar to accommodate a lefty. He began building his chops. âHaving my daughter, Isabella Marley Nicoletta (her middle name is inspired by Bob Marley,) and the music kept me from going off the deep end.â In the last five years Nicolettaâs worked hard, honing his songwriting and playing select gigs to showcase his material. He had a left hand Martin D-41 made for himself and also plays a 78 Fender Telecaster and a Gibson Hummingbird strung backwards.

Since completing Reckoning, which is dedicated to his daughter Isobella, Nicoletta has been writing songs for his next album and rehearsing for the solo acoustic tour he will do to support its official release. âSteve and I dedicated a year of our lives to making this record. I think we created a masterpiece. Now I have to get out and promote it.â

Nicoletta will be concentrating on college campuses and medium sized venues in the United States and Europe. With a great album in the can and his personal demons in check, he continues to evolve as a musician, a father and a human being. âI just take it one day at a time. Iâve made mistakes and have a lot of things I have to pay for, but music and songwriting have saved my life. Making this album wasnât about me, it was about getting the music out there. Iâve already had my songs downloaded about 20,000 times. For a new indie artist you canât ask for more than that. As I say on the website, âPlease pass the music on.ââ