Runnin' on the Last Leg of Tour

First off,  I just have to say - wow.  The past two months have flown by like a dream.  It seems like it was last week that we left Los Angeles to tour the USA.  Yet, here I sit, in our flat in Bremen with only five days left of the tour in Germany. 

The past few days we have had two gigs each day.  The time has just been flying by.  Since we landed in Europe on April 11, we have played something around 25 shows, 2 video shoots, 1 radio performance and held 2 workshops with teenagers!  Each show has been memorable in it's own way.  From playing in a hospital to a warehouse and from office building to smokey bar, we have met so many interesting people and I'm sure that won't stop.

While on the road, it's always important to make time for fun. Germany has made that pretty easy with toys on the sidewalk, Reeperbahn, bier and all sorts of other things going on. 

 This past Sunday, we played a show in Achim, Germany.  We had a small, but amazing audience who filled the room with a great energy.  The energy was so great, that during my final song, "Hey, Josephine," I was hammering away at my suitcase-kick-drum and blasted the pedal right through it!  Luckily, I've got another side of the suitcase that will carry me through the last days of the tour.

Just yesterday, we met with one of the teenagers from our last workshop and began work on one of my songs.  Friday we will go into the Songs & Whispers Studio and record a special version of 'Back Roads' with Julian playing djembe!  I'm not sure what will become of the recording, but we shall see.

I know that I haven't been posting my daily tour videos and I deeply apologize for this.  We had some troubles with internet connection in the beginning of the tour, so I had some backed up videos and limited time.  So, I've decided to make one long tour journal when I return to the states and I will share all of my adventures with you!

Until then, keep it real!

Much love,

Nico

Hello from Germany!

Well folks, we've made it to Europe and begun our journey!  Week 1 has been completed with a show each night, television appearances and a special performance with some students at Atles Gymnasium in Bremen.  We have had such a blast so far and it seems as though it will only get better.

Our booking and promotional team at Songs & Whispers has been working their asses off over the past few years to put together tours of singer/songwriters, folk bands and more throughout Northern Germany.  All of their efforts have been easily noticed as we've begun our tour.  Each venue has been a special place with a different vibe and all the venue owners and audience members have been very in tune with what they have going on.

So far we have played in a variety of venues starting in a Youth Center in Belgium and ranging to a bar in a mall, an Art Gallery in the Netherlands, the Aladin Music Hall in Bremen, Germany and even a school auditorium.  Each venue has been special in its own right and the people have been beyond amazing.

We will be performing each day for the next couple of weeks until the tour ends on May 5th!  We hope to catch you on the road.  You can check the schedule at NicoRivers.com/tour or on SongsandWhispers.com.

See you soon!

Joining Forces w/ Oxfam America

Recently, Reverb Nation has offered artists a great chance to partner with some worldwide charity organizations.  If you are not familiar with Reverb Nation, it is a website that provides bands, musicians, labels, etc. a platform for sharing music, photos and all that other good stuff.

I was pretty excited when I saw that they would now allow artists to team up with a charity of their liking in an effort to make the world a better place.  Over the next couple of months, I'm going to be putting some songs up for sale exclusively through my RN profile which can be found at: reverbnation.com/NicoRivers.

After reading up on a number of charities, I have chosen to support Oxfam America, a global organization "working to right the wrongs of poverty, hunger and injustice."

What really drew me to Oxfam is that fact that they hope to create lasting solutions to major issues, instead of just "band-aiding" the problem and letting future generations deal with them.  If you would like to read more about the charity, check out http://www.oxfamamerica.org/.

As of now, I have posted two tracks for sale on Reverb Nation, "Back Roads" and "Guardian Satellite."  Half of the sales for these tracks will go to Oxfam.  To help support Oxfam, you can purchase the songs via my Reverb Nation Profile or click the "Buy" button on the player below.

Learn how to get your song on itunes at ReverbNation.com

Spring U.S. Tour Dates Released

The time is upon us.  The spring tour is coming together.  There are a few pending spots which will be filled and announced very soon, but I couldn't wait any longer to get what we have out there!  Hope to see you on the road!

Indie Mag Lists Nico Rivers as Artist to Watch in 2013!

The Jan/Feb 2013 Issue of Indie Mag was just released this week and I'm very 

excited to announce that I've been listed as a Band to Watch in 2013!  The 

publication focuses on independent musicians from around the world, so I'm

flattered to have been selected as one of ten artists to watch in the new year (as 

well as being placed on the cover).  The mag is filled with interviews and features

from some other great artists including Katie O'Toole and Cherrie Currie.

The digital mag is free, you just have to create a profile which only takes a minute.

You may also purchase a hard copy of the mag to place on your mantle or tuck 

neatly into your bookcase!  Just click the link below or copy/paste this into your 

web browser: http://www.magcloud.com/browse/issue/506985?__r=139755

Indie Mag Jan/Feb 2013

By Give Me Liberty Press in Indie Mag

32 pages, published 1/30/2013

Indie Mag is a global magazine for independent musicians. Each issue is filled with interviews and features – from indie innovators to acclaimed songwriters, from producers to managers, from up-and-coming artists to label owners. It’s all about spotlighting the best independent musicians around the world and celebrating them. In our Jan/Feb 2013 issue, we talk to Cherie Currie (The Runaways), Martin Atkins (PiL, Pigface, Nine Inch Nails), John…

Merch Is In!

Over the past few weeks, packages have been rolling in.  We've got quite a spread of merch to share with all of you!  I'd like to take a moment to send out a huge thank you to everyone who pledged their support through the Kick Starter Campaign!  Thanks to you we're going to be able to spread the good word throughout the USA this Spring.

I'm in the process of revamping the webstore.  That should be up to date soon, but before I do that I need to take care of my faithful pledges!  I'll be contacting everybody early this week, so keep an eye out! 

Foxy Lady T's Have Arrived!

The Foxy Lady T's just came in this afternoon and they look hot! If you pledged for one of the puppies in the Kick Start, kudos to you because you're going to be lookin' slammin' in this shirt...also Thank You a million times! We will be reaching out to everyone who has pledged for rewards once everything has been delivered. The estimated date is Jan. 15, but let's not get caught up in all that. For now, just check out the T and think about how jealous your friends are gonna be when you rock this one.