that's really nice of you. i guess people started noticing my voice when i was in college studying art, and my professors noticed that i was playing more gigs and making paintings and they were very encouraging for me to pursue music.
i was coming to the end of a long term relationship but still living with the person at the time. when i was writing "cry cry cry" it was kinda my way of dealing with that situation at the time.
my hagstrom is actually a 1968 viking that was given to me by tore johnnsen while i was recording neptune city in sweden. i do have a 12-string acoustic but i just haven't played it out yet.
a state bigger, better, and greater than new jersey? yes, when they make atkinsville.
Are there any New Jersey artists who have influenced your music style.
yes, patti smith. bruce springsteen (recently), ween
Saw you on Conan Thursday night. Wow! When are you performing in the Detroit, MI area?
Hey thanks! We'll be in Detroit at the Magic Stick on Feb. 27th. Please come out and tell your friends!
Yes I do. It can be very hazardous or hilarious when I'm drunk or tired.
Holly Miranda is a good friend. As are Regina Spektor, Langhorne Slim, Rhett Miller, AC Newman, My Morning Jacket dudes, Pat and Dan from the Black Keys, but I go the furthest back with my boys the Avett Brothers. We were all friends in college.
Have you recovered from bronchitis?
I have but it has now turned into a sinus infection. grrrr. luckily i have a day at home today to steam, steam, steam!
Hello, Nicole. Just wondering if your new stage backdrop will be completed for your Midwest shows?
I wish! But, we dont get the kickstarter funds to build it until the end of feb. we will create it at the end of this tour and have it rarin to go for summer and fall shows.
its talking about challenging the fate gods to a gamble to make things go your way faster.
Did '90s female breakthrough rock artists like Tori Amos, PJ Harvey or Bjork have any influence on you?
absolutely! as did harriet wheeler from the sundays, tanya donnelly, the deal sisters and kim gordon. when i was in high school there were so many rad women in music.
What is your favorite song to play live? Can we expect to hear it at Rock n Roll Hotel in March?
they all are for different reasons but lately i'm feeling the tower and war is hell.
Excited about coming north to Canada?
i am! and having poutine! its my first headlining show in montreal!
Nicole, I was wondering how your interaction with fans was, and if you had any fun stories about meeting them, having conversations or hanging out. In fact would you hang out with fans ?
ive met lots of our fans everywhere and over many years. good stock you guys are. i try to hang out for a bit after the shows if my throat is feeling up to it. lately tho, these shows have been pretty athletic on the old throat.
yes! we're just trying to figure out the logistics now
"American Dad" did a My Morning Jacket-themed episode. How would you feel if they did a Nicole Atkins episode? haha
i would love it!!!!!
its gonna happen.
i have! we opened for the pipettes years ago there and i sang with AC Newman there a couple years ago. its been a minute. we're stoked.
Are you excited about this coming Friday's show in Montreal? Are you gonna have time to visit the city?
very excited! unfortunately we wont have much time to explore. i do plan on vacationing there someday!
Are you going to really cut someone's hair, make them dinner, and wash their pet? What prizes are you going to get the opportunity to give out from the kickstarter?
i would have but we didnt have anyone pledge on that level. so we're doing handpainted bags, posters, tshirts, i wrote 286 thank you notes yesterday! my hand hurts.
we are also doing some meet and greets and dinners and one pledger gets a house concert! i also have to write a lot of songs with peoples names in it.
Were you upset that "Mondo Amore" leaked a few days early? How do you feel about pirated music?
i was but what can you do really. i guess it would be worse if it didnt bc that would mean that nobody cared. it makes me sad that people dont see the value in buying and owning artist's music. it was something that always was and still is important to me as a music fan. owning the records and supporting the artists.
Are there any New Jersey shows on the horizon or even in the near future? I loved the show at the Downtown in Red Bank and would love to see another one like that in the future.
of course! maxwell's on march 11th!
all of the minerva lions songs from their ep. lucidity from tame impala
How old were you when you started writing music?
15 but i wrote the first song that i liked at 21
it just came to me one day when i was trying to get out of bed. it's my good friend Senior from jersey
How did you get through your breakup? Was there something specifically that helped you cope?
alcohol, therapy and time
music is shit but he is a talented human with unfortunate hair.
Were you a rebel growing up, or were you one of those perfectly behaved kids?
i was a bad kid that never got caught
Aany plans to release to a concert DVD? It would be awesome to own and show off your talent to my friends. Do you mind when fans take their own amateur videos at shows?
im planning on releasing a live dvd in the future for sure. i dont mind when people take video, so long as they are enjoying being at the actual show and arent up in our faces with a flip cam
You with the elder man makes me think of the imagery from PJ Harvey's "UhHuhHer" and Tori's "Scarlets Walk." Not bad company!
cool thanks!
which song?
i pick according to mood. i tend to lean towards the casino culture, goth country end of the spectrum. this tour is seeing lotsa black and gold
oh cool. thanks. i love squeeze. i didnt have them in mind when robert and i were writting it but that is cool for sure.
how do i answer that? i dont know. maybe right now "if she keeps on spreading rumours well that bitch is gonna have to die." hahahah
i have a memory like an elephant. most of the time.
Your thoughts on Lady Gaga? :)
i think her art is awesome and her songs are shit.
i have no idea. that would be sad. maybe a painter or a cake maker or work in an old folks home.
i wish i could play with that many people all the time. especially that group of people. my good friends. maxwell's will be me, irina, ezra, jeremy and probably chen or jared on keys. some backup singers too!
that was one of the coolest nights ever. i love metallica!
the weirdest was probably when we covered danzig's mother. it was awesome. best cover of one of my songs is a toss up between this harpist that did neptune city on youtube and this cute nerdy girl who did skywriters on ukelale
van insurance, additional band salaries, merch
they were songs that i've always loved.
that was it for the vignettes. mandy and lucia did a great job. be on the lookout for videos for "hotel plaster," "baby dont lie," and "cry cry cry"
oh man, i have no idea. we'll be touring so much. probably the black keys and booker t when we open for them in indianapolis or the avetts when we open for them in may.
hahaha how many songs?
go for it. as long as youre not selling it its cool
i am.
they are friends whose music i admire very much so.
What is your favorite book and why?
hmmm. my favorite book right now is marquez's "one hundred years of solitude" his writing is so visual it sparks a million ideas in my head
i love pinkerton wine bar on havermeyer and the rabbitshole on bedford
im sure there will be several down the line
hahaha well best of luck! :)
your face, melted.
trying to work out logistics now! cant wait to get back there.
it feels like hanggliding down a mountain. i love playing with those guys!
Thoughts, comments, suggestions or criticisms about The Post's Live Q&As? Send us an e-mail.
Become a fan of Post Live on Facebook.
Follow @postlive on Twitter.
