It’s 2023…Here’s what’s going on!

I am terrible at updating this blog. I need to do better.

But, in my defense, I am currently in 5 different music projects along with working full-time and still maintaining some ties to my family! (LOL!) So, here I am attempting to post something to keep things current.

I have decided to rename this site “The Nic Olas Project” because as my music career evolves it continues to take on multiple forms and pigeonholing it into one group just doesn’t make sense (to me as I see it).

As of this post I have two projects that I front, manage, and control. The first is my solo work. This includes when I perform solo acoustic, when I perform solo with backing tracks (with acoustic and/or electric) and (for now anyway) any albums I record.

This project music will be all over the place. When I perform live, for the most part, it will be in the form of blues, rock, classic rock, instrumentals, country, and, maybe, a little jazz. In all honesty, these performances will be to make a little extra cash. They will also not be very frequent. I prefer playing with other musicians.

As for the albums portion of this, some will be entirely made up of me performing all the parts. Occasionally, I’ll recruit other musicians to work with me on the albums.

The second is my trio “The Nic Olas Trio”. This is made up of me on acoustic and vocals, my old friend, Paul Gibson on bass and vocals and my friend Casey Artzer on saxophone.  This group will be for pickup gigs at smaller venues such as coffeeshops, small bars, corporate events, etc.

So that is what is going on with currently as far as my personal projects. My main project is still my blues band, The Hoodoo Brothers. We have added a saxophone (Dr. Craig Treinen) and are gearing up for the next International Blues Challenge (IBC) this coming September. We are also beginning to make a name for ourselves in the Kansas City market. So be on the lookout for us!

I also have another project with Paul Gibson called “The Kaw Tunes” which plays classic rock favorites. We have the ability to play along with backing tracks or we add Hoodoo Brothers drummer Mickey Munoz and do a classic rock power trio. We’re still getting this off the ground, but keep an eye out for us!

I have begun a side project (for now) called “The Counterpoint Project” with saxophonist extraordinaire, Harry Muldrow and bassist Zach Carr. We will be playing jazz, standards, some blues, and more. This is in the growing stages currently and is really for me to stretch my guitar playing skills by jumping into playing jazz, a style that I love but has eluded me over the years.

Finally, I also do an acoustic duo with Hoodoo Brothers guitarist Jim West as “The HooDuo”. This is strictly to make extra money to fund equipment purchases and to stay busy. However, with the addition of The Nic Olas Trio and The Counterpoint Project, this project will slow down and probably only perform every now and then.

So…. that’s a lot… glad I made an update. Thanks for reading and hope to see you out and about!

 

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