Jeff Nich.: Press & Feedback

Jeff Nich, Another Season
Album Review - Darek Fanton
Seven Days, Vermont's Independent Voice

On his Facebook wall, Jeff Nich offers the following clarification: “Anyone who wonders why I shortened my last name on my latest CD project, go to Google and do a search on ‘Jeff Nicholson,’ then do a search on ‘Jeff Nich.’ That’s why.” That’s a savvy move for an up-and-coming singer-songwriter. But Jeff Nich isn’t looking to make it big. The comment is simply the result of his day job cropping up in his side project. A marketer from Stowe, Nich is looking to get the word out on his debut release, Another Season. The 10 acoustic musings about life among the freshly frosted mountains of Vermont promises to fill up the aforementioned Facebook wall with all manner of positive feedback.

Nich has been dabbling in music since college, and two of his compositions found their way onto local compilation discs in the 1990s. But now the 44-year-old tunesmith is putting his introspective songwriting on full display. With a distinct focus on the simple pleasures of New England living, Nich reimagines, or clearly recounts, personal moments and memories throughout.

He draws parallels on the title track between the drastic temperature shifts of the region and the opportunity for life changes they present. “New England’s got a way of spinning you around / A cold snow on your closed-eye smile / or sunshine on my frown / Changes in the weather, or maybe it’s just me, Needing something to remind me / It’s all a circle that we weave,” he sings. Nich’s concise, thoughtful writing style and vivid imagery fits comfortably over simple but solidly constructed melodies.

The album’s pace is fittingly down-tempo; much of the subject matter pays tribute to the often leisurely way of life in Vermont. The allure of trading in the breakneck speeds of city dwelling for more rural surroundings is the focus of “Moved to the Mountains.” Over prominent piano and layered harmonies Nich explains, “Moved to the mountains to slow down / Moved to the mountains to get a better look around / Seasons spin and spin, oh, what a ride / A finer place to stand and stare must be hard to find.” His vocals, while not always pitch-perfect, have a soothing tone and consistency. The sparse instrumentation serves to further exemplify Nich’s appreciation for simplicity and minimalism.

Jeff Nich is not a full-time musician, but it’s clear his songwriting is more than a passing hobby. Another Season is crisply produced, passionately performed and rife with imagery from our little corner of the world. With all those elements in place, it shouldn’t be long before this lyrically gifted pitchman finds his debut is easily selling itself.

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Jeff Nich's songs reflect his chosen Vermont

By Art Edelstein - Vermont Times Argus

In today's America, with the economy imploding, the Big Three threatened with bankruptcy, heating oil at record levels, and two wars to fight, we sometimes forget that life in Vermont is – in general – simpler and less complicated than in the nation-at-large. Look out the window on a November morning and light snow is falling, deer are munching grass in a field, and the rivers are beginning to show signs of icing. Jeff Nich has captured this picture of our state in his new CD "Another Season."

Nich is a Stowe singer-songwriter whose interest is in writing thoughtful, evocative songs, and for this album he's developed a strong Vermont perspective. His voice is pleasant, easy to listen to in the dimming light of dusk. This album is well-recorded with Chuck Eller contributing keyboards and production on this carefully engineered 10-song collection. Yet, Nich, is not using this CD as a vehicle for getting a lot of gigs or to start a touring career. He's happily ensconced in Lamoille County as a marketer.

But, if you're a writer you must write, and "Another Season" is Nich's way of bringing his inner artist to a wider audience than friends and the few who might hear him at his infrequent performances.

I recently listened to this CD on a drive back from Burlington one evening and was struck by the simplicity of the messages in the songs. Using an acoustic guitar, some piano or organ, a bit of harmonica and drums and bass, the album conveys a quiet and comforting message that Vermont is a sane place even with the nation's economy crumbling around us.

"Most of the songs on this album deal with time, change and balance," said Nich in an interview. "I chose ones that are the most rooted in the Vermont experience."

Nich, like many others who've moved here in recent decades, sees the Vermont experience as "balance and slowing down, and hope."

There is a sense of the wistful, the plaintive, a writer in awe of the country lifestyle and the state in general. He could have titled this album "A Vermont State of Mind" and not been off the mark.

This is a truism for many, as the song title "Move to the Mountains" makes explicit.

Nich at age 44 said he has been writing since college, and after a long hiatus he began playing open mics again in the early 2000s. Two of his songs made local song-compilation albums — "Vermont Nights" and "Man's Best Friends" — in the 1990s, but it's taken this long to get a full album recorded.

Of the title track, "Another Season," Nich says, "I was sitting in my basement on a Sunday in September playing with an alternative tuning on my guitar. I was thinking about living in New England and changes I needed to make in my life. I was noting how where I lived, the weather and seasons, really supported making those life changes. And a song was born."

In part, the words read:

Vermont is on the corner of September at noon
If we're going to get another one of these Sundays
It's gonna have to happen soon
Got so many choices today that I can't seem to move
So I'm waiting on winter
To start singing a different tune
Hey, look what's changing now
Another season pulling me around.

In "Vermont Night," he writes:

Earth on my back
Changing sky is in my eyes
The pines crowd round and laugh
While the wind just can't decide
I know days go
Down like tired eyes
Times still until
That moon begins to rise
What a night.

Nich said his main interest is in writing songs but he will be playing a few local gigs, and I think his songs are strong enough that even with just a guitar, the simple message that life in Vermont is good, perhaps better than most places will get through. You can hear him Dec. 26 at the Bee's Knees in Morrisville and Feb. 5 in Hardwick at Claire's. You can learn more at www.jeffnich.com.

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Songs are very nicely crafted. The needed elements all show up in force; clear and consistent vocals, musical and lyrical hooks and a rhythm section that makes sure all is in place. The overall form of the tracks brings in a classical singer/songwriter vibe.
(review of Slow Down & No Train)

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Stowe's Jeff Nich releases first album
By Jesse Roman

Singer-songwriter Jeff Nich is what some people would describe as a late bloomer.

Nich, a Stowe resident, has just released his first album, titled “Another Season,” at age 44.

“I’ve reached a point where I want to share my thoughts and songs with a larger audience,” Nich says simply. “Getting this CD down and finished allows me to get back to writing more and to connect my songs with people well beyond the walls of my home in Stowe.”

Nich has a soft voice, and the instruments on the record play almost as softly. There are some beautiful, peaceful melodies on the record, but few that will make your heart race — the pace is slow and introspective.

Nich is obviously influenced greatly by his surroundings in the Green Mountain State. He sings a lot about stars and moons, mountains and changing seasons.

“I moved to the mountains to slow down/ Moved to the mountains to get a better look around/ Seasons spin and spin, oh, what a ride/A finer place to stand and stare must be hard to find,” Nich sings in his song, “Move to the Mountains.”

The production quality of “Another Season” is first rate. The compositions are multi-layered with piano, guitar, bass and the occasional harmonica. Fellow Stoweites Michael Snyder (harmonica), Chris Vigneau (piano), and Chris and Courtney DeRienzo and Jane Harissis (background vocals) help Nich on the CD, recorded at Charles Eller Studios in Charlotte, Vt. Drummer Lukas Adler of the bands Kilimanjaro and Unknown Blues Band also plays on the record.

Nich started writing songs in college and produced several local music compilation albums in the 1990s. One of those CDs, “Vermont Nights,” had strong sales in Vermont and this new albums builds from where that one left off. Two songs, “Moved to the Mountains” and “Simple Tune,” have been reworked and recorded for “Another Season.”

Nich compares his sound to the folk-rock of the early 1970s, citing Jackson Browne, James Taylor and Paul Simon. Nich doesn’t quite have the guitar, lyrical or vocal chops of those artists, but his zeal for the craft is undeniable.

“I never set out to play music live or put money into a CD project; I just love, and need, to write,” Nich said.

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Art Edelstein's excellent review prodded me to say something. First, I agree entirely with his review. My first reaction to the CD was the high quality of the production and the work of your accompanists, rhythm etc. I also especially appreciate the clarity of the very well written lyrics.
Some people write tunes and then find words, or find tunes for other people's words, while you appear to have written the words first as poems and then set them.

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Jeff It is such a pleasure to have Another Season to listen to after hearing you perform these songs live. I thoroughly enjoy your performances, but now to be able to listen at my own leisure, savoring each word of your writing brings a whole new dimension to these songs for me. I particularly enjoy the thread of time woven into these songs. Now I have a whole new respect for your lyrical writing and feel you have created a new musical experience for me to enjoy here on this cd ! Thanks for making your work available to us!

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Wow Jeff - your album is fabulous! I've got to tell you, I was blown away when I first started listening to it. I am really impressed. The arrangements, the lyrics, the melodies/harmonies, the sound - really - everything - it is so great!!