Jared James Nichols - Black Magic (2017)

Wisconsin-born, Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter and guitarist, Jared James Nichols, returns with his new album “Black Magic” which is the follow up to 2015’s debut album “Old Glory & The Wild Revival”. “Black Magic” features 10 tracks and will be released by Listenable Records on Friday 27th October. All tracks on the new album were recorded at The Boneyard in Boston as well as Johnny Depp's home studio in Los Angeles and produced and co-written by Tony Perry and Jared James Nichols. Jared will be special guest on Stone Broken’s February and March UK tour which also features The Bad Flowers. The tour kicks off Thursday 22nd February at the Haunt in Brighton. Full tour dates are listed below.

Over the past four years Jared has built up a solid reputation as a stunning heavy edged blues rock act and stage beast, having shared stages with the likes of ZZ Top, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Zaak Wylde, Glenn Hughes, Walter Trout, Blue Oyster Cult, UFO and Saxon.

All those tours were executed within a short period of time in support of his highly acclaimed debut album “Old Glory & The Wild Revival”. Jared has quickly reached international status and has continued to deliver crashing propulsive blues tones with soulfully insane guitar solos. It’s raw, raucous, and righteously real.

Nichols is fast coming a force to be reckoned with in the blues rock arena for his unique blues grit and gusto and bombastic arena-size rock’n’roll. When Jared toured with Lynyrd Skynyrd in Germany, Skynyrd guitarist Gary Rossington was so impressed with Nichol’s guitar playing, he invited him on stage to play lead guitar during “Sweet Home Alabama”, something they’ve never done before.

As soon as he got his first guitar at 14-years-old, the stage immediately called to Nichols. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that he grew up minutes away from The Alpine Valley Resort—where Stevie Ray Vaughan performed his last show. Nothing could predict just how adept at the six-string he would eventually become. He personally traces the beginning of his story back to a blues jam that his mother brought him to.

"Two weeks after I got an electric guitar, I was on stage with all of these old cats from Chicago playing the blues," he recalls with a smile. "The music immediately resonated with me. It was all about the feeling and the soul behind it. None of these guys were music nerds. They were true blues guys playing what they felt. That power and reality struck a chord in me."

Soon, he found himself practicing for twelve hours every day. Hitting up the local jams, he ended up sharing the stage with legends including Buddy Guy, "Honeyboy" Edwards, and "Big Jim" Johnson as well as opening for Kenny Wayne Shepherd and Derek Trucks.

By his 21st birthday, he had logged over 500 gigs. After a short stint at Berklee School of Music in Boston, he headed out to Los Angeles where he garnered numerous accolades at the world-renowned Musicians Institute, winning the 2010 Jerry Horton guitar contest, the 2011 Les Paul tribute contest, and the 2011 "Outstanding Guitarist" award.

2012 saw him release his debut EP, “Live at the Viper Room”, gaining the notice of both Guitar World and Guitar Player magazines and inking a deal with Sony/MTV's Hype Music Publishing. The groundwork was laid for what would become his debut 2015 album, “Old Glory & The Wild Revival”.

In 2016, following the European tour with Zakk Wylde, the Wisconsin-bred guitar gunslinger returned to the UK in June for a series of headlining live concerts in June, followed by an extensive October UK tour supporting legendary blues guitarist Walter Trout. To coincide with the UK shows, Jared released the “Highwayman” EP as an exclusive limited edition orange coloured 10 inch vinyl (500 copies), followed by the single “Don’t You Try”.

During the summer of 2017, Jared returned to the UK for a series of club dates followed by two UK festivals in July including Ramblin’ Man Fair and Steelhouse Festival. To coincide with the summer shows, Jared released the first single “Last Chance” which is taken from the upcoming Black Magic album.

“Last Chance is easily the hardest-hitting song I've ever wrote,” says Jared. “I completely let it all hang out and went wild. Even the guitar solo is off the wall, blazing fast, and absolutely crazy. I needed to set the bar high for the new record and come out with a bang.”

The single, produced by Tony Perry (Joe’s Son) and Jared James Nichols, features drummer Aquiles Priester (Angra, WASP, Tony McAlpine), and is mixed by Jay Ruston (Stone Sour, Anthrax).

The band features Dennis Holm (drums), Jared James Nichols (guitar, vocals), and Erik Sandin (drums).

ALBUM TRACK BY TRACK BY JARED JAMES NICHOLS

1. Last Chance (2:48)
This opening track is a total barn burnin' ass-kicker. I wanted to start the record with a BANG! It's a massive riff, urgent and almost 'falling off the rails' frantic. It was important for me to set the bar high from the first song. We have started opening our live show with this one. Lean and mean all the way!

2. The Gun (3:22)
This was the first song I wrote for this record. Originally, I was feeling a delta-blues acoustic style tune. For some reason, I couldn't stop playing this song with distorted electric guitar and the full band. I love the way the slide riff, groove, and vocals interact. Lyrically it's deep rooted in the delta form. It's my interpretation of blues, for 2017.

3. Don't Be Scared (3:27)
This is hands down my favourite song to play live! The riff is so damn heavy and mean. Often times, I'll bring a riff to the guys and we will just jam it out to see where it goes. This particular song came just from that. We sat in the room and riffed out for a few hours, the song basically wrote itself. Side note, it was fun to play a 'talk-box' on record for the first time EVER!

4. Honey Forgive Me (2:22)
SO FUNKY!! We had a blast with this one. I've always loved the funkier STAX/SOUL of the '70's. Growing up I was heavily influenced by Albert King, Booker T, and Steve Cropper. This one hits it home for me. I wanted to make sure to cover a ton of different ground on the record. It's fun to explore many different musical avenues. My favourite female vocalist Jessica Childress added a ton of dimension for this tune with her backup vocals as well.

5. Home (2:57)
It's no secret that I'm a massive fan of southern rock. When I wrote this tune I was under the Lynyrd Skynyrd/Allman Brothers spell! This one oozes the Americana vibe I grew up with and love so much. As with the rest of the record, it's all about the simplicity, classic, and timeless vibe. Lyrically it's about something we can all relate to, HOME. It's one of the only special places on the planet we each carry near and dear to our heart.

6. Got To Have You (2:50)
This track started as a simple blues shuffle; my first true love. I grew up playing blues in Chicago and the Midwest. I always dig songs that use a common blues-shuffle formula, but present the form in a different light. This track really came to be when we got into the studio. Music always feels more real to me when there are no limits or borders. We just had fun with this one and let the tapes roll.

7. End Of Time (2:46)
Originally, this one was written for a two-piece vibe of guitar and drums. When we recorded it, we tried to keep the simplicity at the forefront. It's raw and direct. It's about change, in people and in times. On a production side, it hits hard. Tony was able to push the limits on the gear, and you can hear it. We could even smell the tubes in the amplifiers burning from being pushed to the limit!!

8. Run (2:54)
This one is an absolute slow burn. Lyrically it's about getting caught up in a situation, and losing perspective of what's real. It's easy to lose sight of what's important during the daily grind. It has a heavy Bad Company attitude and swagger to it.

9. Keep Your Light on Mama (2:54)
This song was written to be played live! It's all about the attitude. It's raw, intense, and straight to the point. I wanted a 'call and response' type feel with this track. It's almost like the vocal and main riff grooves bounce of each other. This is the blues/rock I know and love. It is deeply rooted in the '70's vein of Nazareth, Montrose, and Mountain.

10. What Love (2:51)
This song turned out really special. Believe it or not, this is the 'only take demo version'!! Tony had and old Gibson hollow body that had a low bass string. This allowed so you could play the rhythm groove and lead at the same time. I had an 'idea' for this kinda old school blues boogie/rhumba. I told Tony just to roll the tape and I would sing and play the idea down. It turned out so cool and vibey, that we actually kept it! We ended up adding drums and percussion later on. As with the whole record, it's honest and real. We left in all the bumps and bruises, concerned more with the feel and fire, than being technically perfect.

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