Nico Constantine | |
|---|---|
 Nico Constantine with guitar | |
| Background information | |
| Genres | Rock and Roll, indie, pop |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, songwriter, producer, music director |
| Instruments | Guitar |
| Years active | 1996–present |
| Website | institutionrecords |
Nico Constantine is an American music director, producer, and guitarist, known for his work with Lady Gaga, Biters, Program the Dead, [1] Comes with the Fall, [2] and Madfly. [3] He is the founder of Institution Records.
In 1996, Constantine joined Madfly in Atlanta, Georgia, along with singer-guitarist William DuVall, drummer Bevan Davies, and bassist Jeffery Blount. In 1998, Joan Jett signed Madfly to Blackheart/Mercury Records. After releasing White Hot in the Black , [2] the band left Blackheart/Mercury, and reformed as Comes with the Fall in 1999, with Adam Stanger replacing Jeffery Blount on bass. [2]
Comes with the Fall recorded their self-titled album in Atlanta, [4] a year later, before relocating to Los Angeles, California, [2] catching the attention of Alice in Chains guitarist Jerry Cantrell. Their self-titled album was released the same year through DuVall's DVL Records. [2]
Constantine amicably parted ways with Comes with the Fall during the first leg of the Degradation Trip tour, [5] however, some of his writing would appear on their later studio releases, The Year Is One , The Reckoning and Beyond the Last Light . DuVall thanked Constantine along with the rest of the founding members of Comes with the Fall within the liner notes of Alice in Chains' 2009 album Black Gives Way to Blue .
After leaving Comes with the Fall, Constantine went on to form the band Program the Dead, along with vocalist Matt Koruba, drummer Dave Murga, and bassist Johnny McClay (later replaced by Tom Kafafian). Program the Dead was signed to Universal Motown by Andrew Kronfeld six months after forming. The band toured extensively throughout the United States, Canada and the UK sharing the stage with such bands as HIM, Mindless Self Indulgence, and the Bloodhound Gang. [6] [7]
In 2006, Constantine played guitar on Lady Gaga's planned album release for Island Def Jam. In 2009, he served as Lady Gaga's music director and lead guitarist, assembling her first live band for her World Tour 2009 of the Fame Ball [8] throughout Europe, Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Israel and the United States. He also served as Gaga's music director and guitarist for her performances on Dancing with the Stars, the BBC Glastonbury Concert, the Isle of MTV Malta Special, Australia's Live at the Chapel, and many European TV specials.
In 2013, Constantine founded Institution Records, [9] working with bands such as Biters, Starbenders, Rosegarden Funeral Party, and Brooklynn.
| Title | Release | Label | Band |
|---|---|---|---|
| Get the Silver | 1996 | Killing Floor Records | Madfly |
| White Hot in the Black | 1998 | Blackheart/MercuryRecords | |
| Comes with the Fall | 2000 | DVL | Comes with the Fall |
| Program the Dead | 2005 | Universal Records | Program the Dead |
| Ginger | 2007 | Sippy Cup Records | |
| Sticks & Bricks | 2007 (extended play) | ||
| Calling the Snakes | 2008 (extended play) | ||
| Dead in the City Basements: Live | 2008 | ||
| Poison Arrows | 2009 | Full Breach Kicks | Poison Arrows |
| It's OK to Like Biters | 2010 | Underrated Records | The Biters |
| Dirty Pollyanna | 2010 | Sippy Cup Records | Dirty Pollyanna |
| Tell Angela | 2011 | ||
| Last of a Dying Breed | 2012 | Pipeline Records | The Biters |
| Take My Hand (single) | 2013 | Institution Records | Brooklynn |
| Take My Hand (music video) | 2013 | ||
| Indigo (7" A-side) | 2014 | The Biters | |
| Brooklynn (debut EP) | 2014 | Brooklynn | |
| Starbenders (debut EP) | 2014 | Starbenders | |
| Free 2 B (EP) | 2015 | Brooklynn | |
| Friends (music video) | 2015 | ||
| What I Need (music video) | 2015 | ||
| Powder (7") | 2015 | Starbenders [10] | |
| Powder (music video) | 2015 | ||
| Brake (single) | 2015 | ||
| Paper Beats Rock (single) | 2015 | ||
| Blood (single) | 2016 | ||
| Heavy Petting | 2016 | ||
| So High (single) | 2016 | ||
| Far From Heaven (single) | 2017 | ||
| Down and Out (single) | 2017 | ||
| 1969 (single) | 2017 | ||
| Julian (EP) | 2017 | ||
| Japanese Rooms (EP) | 2019 | ||
| Death By Amplifier (single) | 2019 | ||
| London (single) | 2019 | Sumerian Records | |
| Holy Mother (single) | 2019 | ||
| Love Potions | 2020 | ||
Alice in Chains is an American rock band from Seattle, Washington, formed in 1987 by guitarist and vocalist Jerry Cantrell and drummer Sean Kinney, who later recruited bassist Mike Starr and lead vocalist Layne Staley. Starr was replaced by Mike Inez in 1993. William DuVall joined the band in 2006 as co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist, replacing Staley, who had died in 2002. The band took its name from Staley's previous group, the glam metal band Alice N' Chains.
Layne Thomas Staley was an American musician, songwriter and the original lead singer of the rock band Alice in Chains, which rose to international fame in the early 1990s as part of Seattle's grunge movement. He was known for his distinctive vocal style and tenor voice, as well as his harmonizing with guitarist/vocalist Jerry Cantrell. Staley was also a member of the glam metal bands Sleze and Alice N' Chains, and the supergroups Mad Season and Class of '99.
Sean Howard Kinney is an American musician, best known as the drummer and co-founder of the rock band Alice in Chains. Kinney also founded the short-lived supergroup Spys4Darwin, and has collaborated with other artists such as Johnny Cash and Metallica. He played drums for his Alice in Chains bandmate, Jerry Cantrell's first solo album, Boggy Depot (1998). Since 2009, Kinney has been co-owner of the Crocodile club in Seattle. He was a guest drummer on NBC's Late Night with Seth Meyers in September 2018. Kinney has earned nine Grammy Award nominations as a member of Alice in Chains.
Michael Allen Inez is an American rock musician best known for his role as the bassist of Alice in Chains since 1993. He is also recognized for his work with Ozzy Osbourne from 1989–1993. Inez has also been associated with Slash's Snakepit, Black Label Society, Spys4Darwin, and Heart. He is of Filipino descent. Inez has earned seven Grammy Award nominations as a member of Alice in Chains.
Bevan Davies is an American musician best known as the drummer for the groups Still Rain, playing in the band Gibraltar right out of high school. Madfly, Comes with the Fall and Danzig while he is currently a member of MonstrO, a group he formed with former members of Bloodsimple and Torche. Previously, Davies had also been a touring drummer for Jerry Cantrell, Static-X, Engelbert Humperdinck, Cardboard Vampyres, The Mercy Clinic, Invitro and Bloodsimple.
William Bradley DuVall is an American musician best known as the current co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist for the rock band Alice in Chains. He joined Alice in Chains in 2006, replacing the band's original lead singer, Layne Staley, who died in 2002, and shares vocal duties with guitarist/vocalist Jerry Cantrell. DuVall has recorded three albums with the band: 2009's Black Gives Way to Blue, 2013's The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here, and 2018's Rainier Fog. DuVall won an ASCAP Pop Music Award for co-writing the song "I Know" for Dionne Farris in 1996 and has earned three Grammy Award nominations as a member of Alice in Chains.
Comes with the Fall is an American rock band from Atlanta, Georgia formed in 1999. Since 2001, the lineup has been composed of William DuVall, Adam Stanger (bass), and Bevan Davies. Nico Constantine was the band's second guitarist before departing in 2001. They served as Jerry Cantrell's backing band in support of his solo album Degradation Trip in 2002, while DuVall joined Alice in Chains as lead singer during the band's reunion concerts in 2006, becoming an official member in 2008.
"Nutshell" is a song by Alice in Chains that originally appeared on the band's 1994 extended play Jar of Flies. The band played it on MTV Unplugged in 1996, and this rendition of the song was included on the compilation album Music Bank (1999), as well as The Essential Alice in Chains (2006). Since 2011, guitarist/vocalist Jerry Cantrell dedicates "Nutshell" to Alice in Chains' late original members Layne Staley and Mike Starr during the band's concerts.
Black Gives Way to Blue is the fourth studio album by the American rock band Alice in Chains, released on September 29, 2009, on the 17th anniversary of the release of their second album, Dirt. It is their first record without original lead singer Layne Staley, who died in 2002, and their first album with new vocalist and rhythm guitarist William DuVall sharing vocal duties with lead guitarist/vocalist Jerry Cantrell, who sings lead vocals on most of the songs. The title track is a tribute to Staley featuring Elton John on piano. This is the first Alice in Chains album released on Virgin Records and their first venture away from Columbia, who handled all of their previous releases. The album debuted at No. 5 on the Billboard 200, and was certified gold by the RIAA on May 26, 2010, with shipments exceeding 500,000 copies in the U.S. and over 1 million copies sold worldwide. The track "A Looking in View" was the first song from the album that was made available for purchase via digital download in June 2009, and despite not being the first official radio single, Rock stations started playing the song and it peaked at No. 12 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. The singles "Check My Brain" and "Your Decision" reached No. 1 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, while "Lesson Learned" reached No. 4. "Check My Brain" was also the band's first No. 1 song on the Alternative Songs chart, and on the Hot Rock Songs chart, and it also reached No. 92 on Billboard's Hot 100, becoming the band's first single to appear on the chart. "Check My Brain" and "A Looking in View" were both nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance in 2010 and 2011, respectively. Black Gives Way to Blue won Revolver magazine's Golden Gods Award for Album of the Year in 2010.
Eugene Richard O'Connor, better known by his stage name Cheetah Chrome, is an American musician who achieved fame as a guitarist for Rocket from the Tombs and the punk rock band Dead Boys.
Nick Pollock is a Seattle-based singer, guitarist, and songwriter best known for his work with the grunge band My Sister's Machine. He has also played in various bands with other notable musicians, including Alice in Chains singer Layne Staley and Queensrÿche guitarist Michael Wilton. He graduated from Lindbergh High School in 1986.
MonstrO was an American rock band composed of drummer Bevan Davies, guitarist Juan Montoya, singer/guitarist Charlie Suarez, and bassist Kyle Sanders.
Tommy Henriksen is an American musician from Port Jefferson, New York, best known for his work as a guitarist, bassist and songwriter with Alice Cooper, Hollywood Vampires and German metal band Warlock. He has also fronted punk rockers P.O.L. and released several albums as a solo artist. In addition, Henriksen is a songwriter, arranger, producer and mixer who has worked with artists such as Lady Gaga, Meat Loaf, Lou Reed, Halestorm, Kesha, and Daughtry. Henriksen is currently based out of Zurich, Switzerland where he lives with his family.
Comes with the Fall is the debut studio album by American rock band Comes with the Fall. It is the only album they recorded as a quartet with second guitarist Nico Constantine, who was also a member back when the band was known as Madfly. The album was recorded in Atlanta, Georgia, before the group relocated to Los Angeles, California, and released through William DuVall's DVL Records.
The Year Is One is the second studio album released by American rock band Comes with the Fall. Guitarist Nico Constantine amicably parted ways with the band before recording began to pursue other interests, however, he is credited for co-writing the music to the opening track "Murder Scene". This is the first album Comes with the Fall recorded as a trio, which has been the lineup ever since.
Adam Stanger is an American musician best known as the bassist for the band Comes with the Fall. The Year is One, the band's second album, was released in 2001 to positive reviews. The following year, Comes with the Fall were announced to be Jerry Cantrell's opening and backing band for his tour in support of Degradation Trip, Cantrell's second solo album. Comes with the Fall toured with Cantrell throughout 2002, while they released a live album, titled Live 2002, the same year. A live DVD Live Underground 2002 towards the end of the 2003 and they planned to record and release a new album by 2004.
Madfly was an American glam rock band from Atlanta, Georgia, formed in 1996. Its members were William DuVall, Nico Constantine (guitar), Jeffrey Blount, and Bevan Davies (drums). They recorded and released two albums, Get the Silver and White Hot in the Black, before changing their name to Comes with the Fall, following the departure of Jeffrey Blount in 1999.
No Walls was an American hard rock band from Atlanta, Georgia, formed in 1988. Its members were William DuVall, Hank Schroy, and Matthew Cowley (drums). The band released one self-titled album in 1992 through Full Moon Records; it was recorded at Electric Lady Studios under the mentorship of songwriter Vernon Reid.
Starbenders are an American rock band from the suburbs of Atlanta, Georgia. The group was formed in 2013 when lead singer and guitarist Kimi Shelter contacted her former bandmate Aaron Lecesne about doing a new project. After adding guitarist Kriss Tokaji and drummer Emily Moon, Starbenders were subsequently signed to former Lady Gaga music director/guitarist Nico Constantine’s label, Institution Records. With Constantine serving as their producer, the band has released three EPs, one full-length, one 7-inch, and six singles on Institution Records and two singles and one full-length on Sumerian Records.
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