If you like texting on your Blackberry during a show, beware of Nico Vega. Frontwoman Aja will kick it from your hands. Based out of L.A, hard-rock band Nico Vega, consists of singer Aja, guitarist Rich, and drummer Dan. Lately, the trio has been touring with Toronto synth-rockers Metric. Nico Vega’s current tour ends with a Hollywood Palladium show Friday March 26. On the road heading to the Southern California, I spoke with Dan and the rest of the band about touring, defining their sound, and avoiding Lady Gaga as a musical role-model.
I hear it’s your day off. What plans do you all have?
Dan: We’re driving in the van heading to Southern California. We’re in the middle of nowhere right now.
I saw you guys in the merch booth and things looked pretty good over there.
Dan: Yeah, Metric’s audience has been awesome. It’s an opportunity to get in front of a bunch of new people.
People looked interested in buying and learning your name. It felt like a great atmosphere.
Dan: Definitely, man. I think an interesting thing about is that we have a diverse sound. We work with many styles and we match up well with other bands we open up for.
I noticed a sign up at the merch booth and it said Aja’s jewelry for girls. This being the Bay Area, did you get any joking comments about it from fans?
Dan: I think the sign said. There were two signs. The jewelry and the other sign was pointing to the shirts.
That clears that up. You never know maybe someone’s going to buy it for a girlfriend.
Dan: Both Rich and I wear Aja’s jewelry. We love it. A lot of guys buy it. A lot of times, we’ll see a bunch of frat guys buy her jewelry. It’s pretty funny.
What venues have you played have been the most fun or interesting?
Dan: The Metric tour has been great. We’re usually a club band and play those kind of places when we’re doing our headlining thing. Every city is its own adventure. But New Orleans stands out. New York too. We always have fun in Colorado or Detroit. And Ohio, which is Rich’s home state. The Metric tour has been great and more hospitable than we’re used to.
Have you played at unorthodox venues? I know of one band that played in the basement of an abandoned building.
Dan: In the early days, we played in a Myspace cubicle.
Article comments