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So, since last May a lot has happened, as seems to be the case for me,

The idea of reforming the Hoodoo Brothers has hit a dead end and we have all decided it just isn’t feasible and that doing it would not really bear the fruits we anticipated. My personal thought was it was going to be too much work for my already busy schedule and that what we had could not be recreated, so why bother? So, officially the Hoodoo Brothers are done. I will look back on that time with fond memories as one of the best bands I have ever played with. Time to move on.

My buddy Jim West and I were scheduled to play the Kansas City Blues Society International Blues Challenge regional competition in August as a duo, but Jim’s wife ended up sick and I ended up enlisting my friend Kenny Retzlaff (he plays with Mike Babb & The Mix and is a badass guitarist and slide guitarist). We had one rehearsal and we played really well. But once again, we didn’t win, or even place. This was probably my last foray into the IBC world. We’ll see. I have issues with the inconsistencies in the judging and don’t feel like it is worth my efforts any longer.

However, on the bright side of things The Big Harry Band now has a permanent bassist who has got skills. Danl Blackwood has a incredible background and has got mad skills. Will be nice to finally have a permanent guy!

The Nic Olas Band is starting to make traction. That is promising to me. I have hosted the Topeka Blues Society jam twice now and have had very large crowds and LOTS of positive feedback. I have more dates setup and have a couple guys who recently filled in with me who are more than capable of filling in with me in a pinch! My regular band mates (Mickey Munoz and Steve Montgomery) are still the same and I’m hoping to get more shows lined up with them!

The Kaw Tunes is alive again. In early August we booked at show at The Tool Shed in east KC and after almost a year to the day since our last gig together, me, Mickey and Paul showed up and played like we had just played the week before. It was magical. It’s a long drive for Paul from St. Louis, but he has been willing and we give him a little extra for his trip. It’s fun playing with these two cats. We have a couple more shows scheduled (one in October and one in November so far) so be on the lookout for us!

Finally, I was asked to be the featured artist at Coyote Bill’s Wednesday night jam at Libations & Company in Lee’s Summit. What a cool place… upstairs decorated like a speakeasy! Harry came with me and we had a blast at the jam session. We made some influential new friends as well as had a blast getting to cut with some top notch musicians. Adam Hagerman of the band Levee Town who hosts the Sunday jam at Knuckleheads was drumming and invited Harry and I out to the jam sometime. So between connections and getting to cut loose it was a great night and well worth the drive!

Thanks everyone who reads my blog. I know I don’t update much, but I appreciate you if you take the time to learn what is going on in my world! I’m trying to keep busy and play as much as I can. Music is who I am so more to come I promise!!

 

A LOT has been going on the past 10 months. Not even sure where to start.

Harry and I have taken the Counterpoint Project and used it as an agency for our projects we do together. This does NOT include The Big Harry Blues Band, but does cover our duo, Harry & Nic and our trio, Triplicate. The duo is getting some work and the trio is just getting off the ground. Look for that very soon!

The Big Harry Blues Band is now either a 4, 5 or 6 piece group, depending on the venue. Most of the time are a five piece as we have added Verlan Penn on keyboards. Wow, what a huge difference it has made! When we go six piece, it also includes Sabrina Mann on vocals. The band has really become a powerhouse.

I have been sitting in at jams and have really been fortunate to play with a LOT of great musicians. Recently I was at a blues jam hosted by Mike Babb of The Mix at Terry’s Bar & Grill in Topeka and man has it sparked some hidden intensity in me! Mainly, my desire to perform again with my buddy Mickey Munoz.

This has led to a revival of The Hoodoo Brothers. I was originally going to play bass and we brought Sabrina in to sing most of the vocals, but various factors have led me back to playing guitar again. We found a bass player (as of this post we think) and it will be interesting to see where the Brothers go!

I also have found that, playing with Mickey, my intensity boils over when we play together. So I decided I am forming a power trio called The Nic Olas Band that will be me, him and a bassist TBD. I’m looking forward to this. Raw energy and vibe. I think it’s going to become something bigger than maybe even some of the other projects I’m in.

I am also on the board of the Topeka Blues Society now and have been involved with trying to resuscitate the blues in Topeka. Founder Suki Blakely passed away and there has been a void left with her passing. The TBS has a entirely new board (my buddy Josh Vowell, another local blues musician, is President now) and we have huge shoes to fill. Time will tell if we can turn things around and bring life back into the organization.

Anyway, I’m sure I forgot something that has happened the last ten months, but there you have what my old brain can remember!

So I normally don’t post very often, but some significant things are going on with my music life that I thought I would go ahead and post something.

So first off my classic rock trio, The Kaw Tunes, is playing it’s last show this Saturday (7/29) at The Brass Rail in Topeka. Our bassist, Paul Gibson, who I began playing with back in the 1990’s in St Louis, is moving back to St. Louis. This saddens me, but I certainly understand his motivation to do so. He was the main vocalist and bassist in the group and honestly, trying to replace him would be way more work that it is really worth. So we’re are calling it a day.

The other part of that is Paul is also the bassist with my main group, The Hoodoo Brothers.  We can replace him (we are holding auditions) on bass but he was integral in getting the band to where we are today. He was the right piece of the puzzle at the right moment in time. He was truly like a brother to the whole band and it’s gonna be some big shoes to fill for whoever comes in after him.

This presents a problem for the International Blues Challenge (IBC) coming up in September, but we have a few bass players lined up that are auditioning and one that can cover the IBC if we cannot find someone very soon.

This means I am one band down… ahhh… but I’m like Hydra in the Marvel Universe! Cut one head off and another takes its place! (Yeah, stupid analogy, I know, but it is apropos).

The Counterpoint Project is chugging along with myself and Harry Muldrow on sax and we have some shows lined up in a couple different configurations of the group. I can see an exciting future for this group.

The next thing is that I have revived The Hot Toe Pickers and restructured the personnel and goals of the group. I will be playing acoustic and covering vocals, Jim West will be playing pedal steel guitar instead of guitar in the group and we are bringing in fellow Hoodoo Brother Mickey Munoz on drums and bassist Andrew Balden.  The plan is to only play once in a while (maybe once a month, maybe less). This is truly a side project that will be fun, but allows the rest of us to pursue other projects.

That other project for me is The Vibe Combo.

I love playing bass guitar. Always have. I played recently at a jam session The Hoodoo Brothers hosted at Score Bar & Grill in KC and forgot how enjoyable it was. The Vibe Project is going to fill that void for me. It will also only be a once a month gig, but the group is gonna have a great song list and some equally great musicians. I think we will be a pretty big hit.

The band will be playing strictly instrumental songs and instrumental versions of songs that have lyrics. It’ll be a lot of jazz/blues/fusion/funk (think of groups like Fattburger, Larry Carlton, New Mastersounds, Herbie Hancock, The Crusaders, David Sanborn, etc.) and will feature some off the hook musicians.

Like I said, I will be on bass, Casey Artzer will be on saxophone, Kenny Retzlaff will be on guitar, Marcell Stewart will be on keys and Colby Earlywine on drums. All these guys are top-shelf musicians and I am excited to see where this all leads!

So, that’s a lot. Even though The Kaw Tunes is folding, I have more than enough to replace it and feed my musical needs. I’ll miss Paul immensely and hope I get a chance to jam with him in the future.

I have also updated this website with all my projects shows and will really try and keep it current.

Thanks for reading, see you out there!

It’s amazing what can change in two months when it comes to guitar gear. I am posting an update to my last post that ran down the gear I use regularly. It has changed.

So without further ado, here is the revisited rig rundown!

With The Hoodoo Brothers I use the following:

• Guitars:
  Agile AL-2500 Electric Guitar, Sire Larry Carlton S7 FM, Fender Stratocaster, Fender Squire Telecaster (modified with Tonerider Alnico II Blues pickups)
• Amplification:
  I have a Quilter Superblock US (normally use the 65 voice and the Normal Cab Sim). It is mounted to my pedalboard that I run to the front of house system and into an Alto TX308 powered speaker as a stage monitor.
• Effects:
  Xotic EP Booster and a Flamma Mod (mainly tremolo) into the Quilter effects loop. Direct in is a Dunlop Cry Baby Jr Wah, VSN LT-901 Tuner, JHS Bonsai Overdrive, Tanabe Zenkudo Overdrive, and a Electro-Harmonix Soul Food (as a Klon-style boost with gain all the way down).

With The Kaw Tunes and solo instrumental shows I use the following:

• Guitars:
  Same guitars as with The Hoodoo Brothers
• Amplification:
  I have a Quilter Superblock UK (normally use the AC Normal voice and the Normal Cab Sim). It is mounted to my pedalboard that I run to the front of house system and into an Alto TX308 powered speaker as a stage monitor.
• Effects:
  VSN Trelicopter Tremolo, Tone City Angel Wing Chorus, and Flamma Analog Delay into the Quilter effects loop. Direct in is a Sonicake VolWah, VSN LT-901 Tuner, Keeley Compressor Plus, Flamma Black Dist (RAT Clone) and a Tone City All Spark Booster.

With The Vibe Combo and The Counterpoint Project I use the following:

• Guitars:
  Epiphone ES-335 (modified with Lindy Fralin Pure PAF’s)
• Amplification:
  I use the Hotone Ampero for this project running into the front of house system along with the Alto TX308 on stage. I use the “Jazz Clean” which is based on the Roland Jazz Chorus with the 2×12 Jazz Clean speaker option.
• Effects:
  Mostly I play this clean with no effects other than light plate reverb. I might add a bit of chorus, but not very often. When I utilize overdrive it is with the Providence SOV-2 overdrive with just a little bit of gain to break it up.

With The HooDuo, Solo or Nic & Casey projects I use the following:

• Guitars:
  Epiphone J-200EC Studio Jumbo Acoustic/Electric
• Amplification:
  Fender Acoustasonic Junior
• Effects:
  No real effects other than a TC-Helicon VoiceTone Harmony-G XT pedal for vocal harmonies and a Joyo 6-band EQ pedal.

This is really for the guitar geeks out there. My guitar rig varies depending on what project I am working with.

With The Hoodoo Brothers I use the following:

• Guitars:
  Agile AL-2500 Electric Guitar, Fender Stratocaster, Fender Squire Telecaster (modified with Tonerider Alnico II Blues pickups)
• Amplification:
  I have a Quilter Superblock US mounted to my pedalboard that I run to the front of house system and into an Alto TX308 powered speaker as a stage monitor.
• Effects:
  Dunlop Cry Baby Jr Wah, Xotic EP Booster, Tanabe Zenkudo Overdrive, JHS Bonsai Overdrive, Electro-Harmonix Soul Food (as a Klon-style boost with gain all the way down), Flamma Mod (mainly tremolo)

With The Kaw Tunes and solo instrumental shows I use the following:

• Guitars:
  Same guitars as with The Hoodoo Brothers
• Amplification:
  I use a Hotone Ampero effects/amp modeler into the same Alto TX308 powered speaker on stage and into the front of house system. I also mounted a Sonicake VolWah volume/wah pedal in front of the Ampero instead of using the Ampero’s expression pedal.
• Effects:
  For my clean sound I have the Ampero setup to utilize a Blackface Twin and Twin 2×12 cabinet IR’s with an Xotic EP Booster in front of it and some plate reverb.
  For my overdrive I use the Dr Z Maz 38 with an Engle 4×12 (Celestion Vintage 30’s) IR’s with the Xotic EP Booster in front, followed by the Zendrive overdrive, slight Tube Eko delay, and plate reverb.

With The Vibe Combo and The Counterpoint Project I use the following:

• Guitars:
  Epiphone ES-335 (modified with Lindy Fralin Pure PAF’s)
• Amplification:
  I use the Hotone Ampero for this project running into the front of house system along with the Alto TX308 on stage. I use the “Jazz Clean” which is based on the Roland Jazz Chorus with the 2×12 Jazz Clean speaker option.
• Effects:
  Mostly I play this clean with no effects other than light plate reverb. I might add a bit of chorus, but not very often. When I utilize overdrive it is with the Providence SOV-2 overdrive with just a little bit of gain to break it up.

With The HooDuo, Solo or Nic & Casey projects I use the following:

• Guitars:
  Epiphone J-200EC Studio Jumbo Acoustic/Electric
• Amplification:
  Fender Acoustasonic Junior
• Effects:
  No real effects other than a TC-Helicon VoiceTone Harmony-G XT pedal for vocal harmonies.

It’s the end of March, 2023. Spring doesn’t quite feel in the air yet (except for today…it’s almost 70 degrees out) but I have a feeling it’s going to be a good year musically for me. I have a lot of projects I am working on which will keep me out and about but that is kind of what I want. Get my name out there. It seems to be working. My connections are starting to increase and people are starting to recognize my name. That is the plan!

More on the groups later, first I want to talk about my personal projects.

The first is working on a new album of my music tentatively titled “Rain Falling Down” sometime in 2024. I have enough original material that really doesn’t totally fit with any of my projects so they will be added to a solo project. I will most likely record the majority of it myself, but will also be enlisting other musicians (local and not local) to fill it out. Tentatively It will be released in 2024, probably spring, so about a year from now. Sooner depending on how all the other projects I have going on pan out.

Another side project is working with brother from another mother, Bob “Zuzu” Welsh on an album comprising of his and my original songs. Bob and I played together back in St. Louis in the 1990’s in a few groups, the main one being “Reality In Exile” (RIE). This collaboration could potentially tie into my solo project OR become a re-worked Reality In Exile project with former RIE bassist, Paul Gibson (who is involved in my two main project bands currently). Time will tell.

Another future project is also re-working an album of electronic songs I produced and recorded in 2014 called “Infinite Journey”. This might not see light until late 2024. But…. We’ll see.

OK, projects… where to even start…

My main group is The Hoodoo Brothers. We have really taken off and are starting to make a name for ourselves. We are getting more and more gigs in Kansas City, have started working out and finishing up the original songs that will be on a studio recorded EP album. We are frequenting the KC Juke House Blues & Jazz in the Historic 18th & Vine district in KC, have cracked the egg that is the Topeka blues scene, have the ear of KC royalty “Mama” Diane Ray. Our calendar is starting to fill up and 2023 looks to be our breakout year!

My second group is called “The Kaw Tunes” and it is a classic rock trio made up of myself and Hoodoo Brother members, bassist Paul Gibson and drummer Mickey Munoz.  To say our debut gig was a success is kind of a understatement. One practice and we owned the songs and the crowd loved us! Bookings are starting to flow for this group as well. It was originally started as a side money making project, but the potential is there for us to get on a regular rotation in the northeastern Kansas area.

I am still working with my friend, saxophonist Harry Muldrow on “The Counterpoint Project doing jazz stuff, but we both have had recent surgeries that have slowed it down a little. Hoping to move it along here soon.

Then there is “The Vibe Combo” which is just starting out and is in the experimental stages. This is a jazz/blues quartet with some really good musicians. More on this group as things start to pan out.

Finally, The HooDuo of myself and Hoodoo Brothers guitarist Jim West is still a viable project, just becoming more of a “as needed” project. It started out as a money making endeavor and we found a few fun shows, but the venues don’t seem to be all that interested in us (at least the ones that want to pay us).

I could go on an on about each of these projects, but bottom line is I am stretching, learning and growing as a musician with all these projects. I hope you’ll join me on my ride. I am trying to keep my front page of where and with whom I am playing, so stay tuned!!

 

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!

 

I have decided to move all my music, information and resources over from my nburchett.com website to this site. The main reason is that with my music I no longer really use my real name and stick with my stage name (Nic Olas) and all future recordings, shows and appearances will be as Nic Olas.

That being said, I have been doing work on the site and trying to get all the information over as quickly as I can and trying to make the site a one stop shop for all things related to my music journey. There is a lot of work to do. I have been creating videos and audio for the Music & Video page, getting accounts setup and files uploaded to various associated sites (SoundCloud, YouTube, etc).

I am also working on a few projects, not only for my solo life, but for the groups that I am also in.

The Hoodoo Brothers will be going into the studio sometime in November to record 5 original songs, four of which we performed at the 2022 International Blues Challenge in Kansas City. We are also working up a bunch of new material to take the group in a different blues direction, one we think will benefit us in the long run.

I also continue to work with Hoodoo Brothers guitarist Jim West as “The HooDuo “playing acoustic pick-up shows here and there, mostly to supplement equipment purchases.

I am also working with Hoodoo Brothers bassist/vocalist Paul Gibson on a project called “The Kaw Tunes” playing classic rock favorites. We are using backing tracks, which is challenging, but which allows us to play some pretty cool songs without having to put up a big, full band. We’re getting closer to gigging, so look for us soon!

Finally, I am potentially embarking on a blues/jazz/soul project with some really great musicians. Harry Muldrow and Gary McDaniel of the “Big Harry and Back Alley Blues Band” are joining me on saxophone and drums (respectively) along with a TBD bassist. This is all in the discovery stages, so time will tell if it pans out to anything. We played this configuration with former Hoodoo Brothers bassist Mark Cavender in Junction City when the rest of the Hoodoo Brothers couldn’t make the show. It’s was fun and different, so we’re gonna see what happens.

Lot’s going on. I’ll try to keep this site updated as best I can!!

I am super happy you stopped by! 

I hope to post updates of what I am currently working on, where I will be performing next (whether that is with one of the three groups I am in – The HooDoo Brothers, The Hot Toe Pickers, and The HooDuo or as a solo act) and things that I just feel like sharing.

I also have a presence on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/nicolasmusicks/) and on Twitter (https://twitter.com/NicOlasMusicKS)  and will try to keep those updated mainly with my gig schedule and various music related items.

If you are interested in booking me as a solo act or The HooDuo, please leave me a comment on my Contact page.  If you are interested in booking The Hot Toe Pickers or The HooDoo Brothers, please visit the website of the band you would like to book and we’ll get back with you as soon as possible.

Thanks again for visiting, be sure to like me on Facebook and Twitter!

See you around!!!