Nicole Atkins and Jim Sclavunos at Kitchen Garden, Kings Heath, Birmingham
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Thu 08 Jun 2023
Nicole Atkins and Jim Sclavunos will showcase their latest single,
Strange Weather, when they perform at
Kitchen Garden , Kings Heath, Birmingham, on June 8, 2023. The duo have made the song, a cover version of the
Tom Waits composition first made famous by
Marianne Faithfull , available on
Bandcamp and as a limited edition 7” picture disc. The audience at the show can also expect to hear songs from Nicole’s latest LP,
Italian Ice, and more new songs from Nicole and Jim’s upcoming duets album.
Chance encounter: Nicole Atkins and Jim Sclavunos. Picture: Steve Gullick
The two began working together following a chance encounter at a benefit in London. Despite having barely met, the duo dove in full tilt with only a Casio keyboard and an acoustic guitar — and within an hour had completed their first co-write. Reconvening their endeavours on the other side of the pond in Harlem — this time with a battered upright piano and an unruly guitar — the songs poured out fast and furious.
They debuted as a duo at SXSW in 2019 and were invited to play at Willie Nelson’s Luck Reunion Festival the same year. Both enjoyed unique and distinguished musical careers of their own before they began collaborating.
Collaboration: Nicole Atkins and Jim Sclavunos. Picture: Shervin Lainez
Starting out in NY’s infamous No Wave scene playing bass with Teenage Jesus & The Jerks in 1978, Jim, who is 6ft 7ins tall, carved out a distinctive reputation for himself as a drummer. Recording with Sonic Youth and The Cramps before joining Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds in 1994, he also co-founded Grinderman and his own solo project, The Vanity Set. An in-demand producer (The Horrors, Gogol Bordello, Fat White Family, Dublonde, Polly Scattergood) and remixer (Depeche Mode, Grinderman, Phillip Glass), he also hosts a monthly show on Soho Radio.
The world was introduced to Nicole Atkins through her 2007 debut album,
Neptune City. She quickly established herself as a charismatic performer with a powerful, versatile voice. She released her latest record,
Italian Ice, in 2020. Recorded at the legendary Muscle Shoals Sound with members of Swampers, the Bad Seeds, Dap Kings and Spoon, the album further established her as a genre-bending artist with a penchant for noir-ish sensuality. She was recently the opening act on Stevie Nicks’ tour.
New single: Strange Weather
When Nicole and Jim get together they make music that merges their eclectic tastes and backgrounds.
“
I think our music sounds like heavy ancient books thrown down to the gutter by gods during a hurricane, in slow motion,” says Nicole.
“
Or psychedelic folk tunes written by lonely Martians,” adds Jim.
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79053 - 2023-06-06 14:56:11