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Recalling Carol Lombard in a lilac laced black slip but with schoolgirl knee socks and Mary-Jane shoes, Nicki Jaine takes to the stage spinning stark and foreboding lamentations about "pigeons named crow" and "little boys breaking". Alternating visually between an Estee Lauder model and a Tim Burton creation, Nicki Jaine is a work of modern art with a flair for the ironic. When she sings, "pretty little girls often grow up to be viscous liars" you believe her.
The experience of a Nicki Jaine performance is often a dream like experience where you find yourself naked and alone in an empty museum communicating with the artist. There just exists nothing else between you and her art. Her voice and myth echo each other in a most profound way and you find yourself with a strange feeling, like having a spider crawling in your stomach creating a mixture of fear and eroticism. It is at once creepy and wonderful.
Nicki Jaine has spent the last year opening for acts like Carfax Abbey and Voltaire. Not bad for just breaking into the area from Asbury Park two short years ago.
RP: Where was your first gig in Philly? How did you go about getting recognized here?
NJ: When I first moved to Philadelphia & started performing here, I regularly attended open mic nights like The Grape Street Pub & The Point. It was a great way to meet other musicians & experience playing in a new city. A turning point for me was opening for Carfax Abbey at Club Nostradamus. It was there that I met photographer, Kyle Cassidy & the members of the Carfax Abbey. Since then, they have introduced me to so many wonderful individuals who are now such a part of my life & music.
RP: What is the source of your disturbing lyrics and stark sound?
NJ: It's half aesthetic appreciation for things that are beautiful & dark and half being afraid of just about everything. I still sleep with the lights on.
RP: Your web site is a wonderful representation of your art. Who designed it?
NJ: Thank you so much. My webmaster's name is Bojan Kerkez. He is a very talented designer who lives in Croatia. Last Christmas Eve, I received an e-mail from Bojan introducing himself & saying that he enjoyed my music & would like to design a new website for me. I looked at the work he had done so far & it was brilliant. We quickly became friends & he's been my designer & webmaster ever since.
RP: I have seen you perform many times and was particularly moved by the response to your all ages show at the Grand Slam in Mt laurel. I sat with several teenage girls who watched you mesmerized with tears in their eyes. Had you any clue that your work would be so highly received by 13 year olds?
NJ: I haven't performed many all-age shows, so I didn't have a very clear idea of how I would be received by 13 year olds. I had a wonderful time playing for the girls at Grand Slam & was so happy to receive such a positive response from them. It was a great experience & I would definitely like to play more all-ages shows in the future.
RP: You are certainly not a mainstream artist. Does this lack of popular acclaim ever threaten your self-esteem or pursuit of creativity?
NJ: No. I have many creative people in my life who's art also does not fit into the mainstream, so I figure that even though "lack of popular acclaim" can occasionally be somewhat discouraging, I'm in very good company. I'm genuinely happy doing what I'm doing & am surrounded by others who feel the same way. What could be more inspiring & encouraging to the pursuit of creativity?
RP: Tell about your favorite live experience and most disastrous.
NJ: Picking one favorite live experience is really difficult. I do love playing Alchemy Mondays at CBGB's Gallery & enjoy it so much each time I'm there. The biggest disaster was when my favorite guitar was decapitated by falling off of a stand.. I'll never use that stand again!
Nicki Jaine is to release her debut album in Spring 2004.
Philadelphia's Nicki Jaine has just signed with producer Jason Rubal and Shaman Records (www.ShamanRecords.com) to record her full-length debut album.
The album will be recorded at Seventh Wave Studio in Harrisburg, PA (www.SeventhWaveStudio.com) & Cue Recording in Washington D.C. (Dave Matthews, Garbage). Session players include Mark Bohn and Mike Stang from the band Hierosonic (www.Hierosonic.com), known for playing last year's Lollapalooza festival with Jane's Addiction, AudioSlave, Incubus, and others.
"People will be very surprised with the sound of this album, even if you are already familiar with Nicki Jaine's music. I can best describe it as Tori Amos and Peter Murphy go to a carnival in the 1920's." says Jason Rubal, known for unorthodox production techniques. He continues, "Even though she has a rhythm section on part of her album, the main focus is still Nicki."
Nicki Jaine sings that she "knows that there is brilliance in this world" and I have to say, yes there is, her name is Nicki Jaine.
review & interview by Robin Parry
Origivation Magazine
March 2004