NICK 13 is a singer/songwriter whose work recalls the vintage American sounds of hillbilly, honky-tonk and classic California country music from the middle of last century – but while this vanishing world echoes in his music, 13 puts a modern twist on it all his own, not content with being retro. Born and bred in Northern California, residing in Southern California and with a place in his heart for Nashville, Nick 13 crafts storytelling songs of heartbreak, experience and passion, driven by his haunting and distinctive voice and acoustic guitar. His self-titled debut album for Sugar Hill Records features a wide variety of seasoned players. Nick is joined live by Telecaster, pedal steel, standup bass, drums and more. Nick 13 is best known as the singer, songwriter, guitarist and founder of the band Tiger Army. His self-titled debut solo album consists of arguably the most accomplished work of his storied career in the form of songs like "Nashville Winter,” “101” and "All Alone."
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For several years, Nick 13 planned to do an album like this, based in the country music styles he first explored in the Tiger Army songs "Outlaw Heart" (1999), "In The Orchard" (2001), "The Long Road" (2004) and "Where The Moss Slowly Grows" (2007). Nick offered fans a brief preview of his solo work during encores at Tiger Army's 2009 "Octoberflame II" event, followed by a full unveiling on the Palomino Stage at Stagecoach, the West Coast’s premier country music festival. "Nick 13 paid earnest homage to Merle Haggard and Ray Price, both of whom would be following him shortly on the same stage," wrote the Los Angeles Times. "He has the timbre of Chris Isaak, but the tone of a young Lyle Lovett, with some early Elvis and Ricky Nelson mixed in," reported The Press Enterprise, with CMT, Country Standard Time and 9513.com taking notice as well. "Nick 13 seemed right at home inside the biggest tent at the fest," wrote the Orange County Register. "His dedicated followers, of course, were elated just to see him."
Nick has spent much of the past two years writing and recording his debut solo album in Los Angeles and Nashville, laying down tracks like "Gambler's Life," "Restless Moon" and "Nighttime Sky." Co-produced by respected California country veterans Greg Leisz and James Intveld and mixed by Grammy Award winner Jim Scott (Wilco, Dixie Chicks), the album features session players like legendary pedal steel guitar player Lloyd Green. Nick’s solo debut has proven to be worth the wait. "I've been asked about doing a recording or project that was entirely country-based since the first Tiger Army album was released. It was an intriguing idea to me that I kept coming back to over the years, but I was always too busy with Tiger Army,” 13 says. But while emphasizing that Tiger Army has NOT broken up, 13 notes that his solo Americana sojourn has taken precedence for the time being -- “This is where my passion lies right now. I’m excited to see where the future leads.”
