Nico Vega

Nico Vega
Nico Vega at The Fire Escape in 2009. From left to right: Rich, Aja, Dan
Background information
Origin	Los Angeles, California
Genres	Alternative rock
Years active	2005-present
Labels	MySpace Records
Website	NicoVega.com
Members
Aja Volkman Rich Koehler Dan Epand
Past members
Mike Peña

Nico Vega is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 2005. The band consists of lead singer Aja Volkman, guitarist Rich Koehler and drummer Dan Epand. Comparisons have been made to The White Stripes in that they have never had a bass player. The band's popularity soared in 2009 when they performed three songs on Last Call with Carson Daly.

Nico Vega released several independent EPs and recorded their own videos to get their music out. Their hard work paid off when they got the attention of famed rock manager Doc McGhee of McGhee Entertainment. They already had a recording contract with MySpace Records and soon recorded their first full-length album simply titled "Nico Vega." Linda Perry produced three of the songs on the album while the rest were produced by Tim Edgar. The album was mixed by Tchad Blake.

The band is known for their dynamic live performances led by singer Aja Volkman. Her vocal style has been compared to that of Karen O, Joan Jett and Janis Joplin.

They were very active in 2009 touring with former Bush singer Gavin Rossdale, Semi Precious Weapons, Neon Trees, Manic Street Preachers, and Shiny Toy Guns. In 2010 they toured with Soundtrack of Our Lives, Metric, Sweethead, Saint Motel, and Imagine Dragons. In 2011 they are set to tour with She Wants Revenge and Blondie.

History

Aja Volkman started writing songs while in high school in Eugene, Oregon. Later she moved to Los Angeles and started performing on her own. She had hoped to eventually form a band. That happened when one night after a show in 2005, Mike Peña approached her about singing with him and Rich Koehler. The band called themselves Nico Vega after Mike's mother. However, in 2007 Mike left the band to pursue acting and enjoy fatherhood.^[1] At that point the band began looking for another drummer. Dan Epand's girlfriend, Angie Hill, was a fan of the band and urged him to audition.

Nico Vega recently released their first full-length album on MySpace Records. Tim Edgar, a friend of the band, was the original producer although they had been trying to attract the attention of Linda Perry. Linda eventually responded and produced three songs for the album: So So Fresh, Wooden Dolls and Gravity.

Discography

Nico Vega released several EPs before recently recording their first full-length album for MySpace Records.

Studio albums

Nico Vega (February 3, 2009)

EPs

Chooseyourwordspoorly (April 3, 2006) Cocaine Cooked the Brain (August 21, 2007) No Child Left Behind (October 2, 2007) Nico Vega Covers Nico Vega and Rod Stewart (January 3, 2011)

Music videos

The first music video off Nico Vega's studio album was for the song "Burn Burn." It alludes to Leonardo da Vinci's Last Supper and was directed by SKINNY (Directing Team).

Their second music video was for the song "Gravity." It was filmed in Los Angeles early in 2010 and was directed by Marcus Dunstan.

Their third music video was for their song "So So Fresh." It was filmed in Los Angeles, and featured several children.

They also have a music video for the song "Beast." Featured in the 2010 movie, "The Collector."

Members

Aja Volkman - Vocals (2005–present)

Rich Koehler - Guitar (2005–present)

Dan Epand - Drums (2007–present)

Former members

Michael Peña - Drums (2005–2007)

References

1. ^ http://blog.listen.com/scenes/charlotte/nico-vega-energy-commission-1/