There is so much going on with Nick Jaina that it is difficult to know where to start. For one thing, he is now residing in New Orleans, but more on that in a moment. After releasing last summer’s Primary Perception, the lead single, “Don’t Come To Me”, was picked up by NPR’s Heavy Rotation and Morning Edition, and he toured the West Coast (including a stint at Folsom Prison) and Midwest with a string ensemble. But that was just the beginning. Since that time, Jaina has been busy as musical director and composer for the contemporary dance pieces “Emergence” and “Rituals” at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. After selling out two shows, the New York Times called his score “the most physically bracing part of the night”. Of late, he has been focusing his energies on a one-man theatrical set of music and storytelling called “The Hole in Coffin”, and will be spending the summer in New Orleans to bring it to the stage. It will be premiering at the Fringe Festival in November and at PUSH Festival in Vancouver, Canada in January (2015). In addition, Nick has been hosting “The Story of Your Life” on X-RAY FM in Portland, which is a 30 minute weekly show combining new instrumental music with conversations with fascinating people. After its run on the radio it will continue on as a regular podcast.
With all of this, it is understandable that Jaina has only rarely been seen publicly performing his Indie Pop repertoire over the last several months. Word on the street is, however, is that we are all in for a treat, as Nick will be returning to the Northwest in June for a short run of performances, which will find him accompanied by trumpet, violin and drums. Here are the details, catch him while you can:
June 7, Sou’Wester, Seaview, WA
Tues Jun 10 at Red Light in Bellingham, WA
Wed Jun 11 at Fremont Abbey in Seattle, WA (with Stelth Ulvang, of The Lumineers)
Fri Jun 13 at Portland State University in Portland, OR
[youtube height=”HEIGHT” width=”WIDTH”]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M47iv0sg-6k[/youtube]