Today, we sit down with Nic Andrea, a Los Angeles rock and roller whose journey is one of passion, dedication, and, through his own admission, a dash of darkness and boundless energy. 

Following his chart-topping debut blues single, "Whiskey Whispers," in 2021, Nic Andrea & the Verdict have taken center stage in L.A.'s music scene. Their latest project, "Jimi Come Home," a 5-song concept album with four dialogue tracks, delves into the mysterious departure of guitarist Jimi. This mix of fact and fiction releases on October 13th, 2023, accompanied by a short film of the same name on November 3rd. Check out our interview with Nic below!

Hi Nic, thanks for taking the time! You have a really exciting set of releases coming out over the next month or so. Tell me a bit about that.

Happy to! Nic Andrea & The Verdict is releasing a concept rock album called Jimi Come Home on October 13th and a film with the same name on November 3rd. The album is a 5-song EP with “rock and roll bones” both by design and organically from the veteran rock session musicians who play on it. The anticipation of a release is always a rush, but this one is on a higher level.

"Jimi Come Home" combines truth and fiction in a really interesting and surprising way. Can you talk about the creative process behind blending these elements?

I cannot decide if the album is a soundtrack for the film or the film is a visual depiction of the album. As you alluded to, the concept was born from a true event in 2018 when a bandmate walked out of practice in the middle of playing. Writing the title track was the easy part, of course, because it actually happened. I have a writer’s mind, one which takes a true event and creates the fictional story from “what ifs.” What if the seeds of this event were that Jimi had a bad childhood?

There is the inspiration for Motherless Soul. What if Jimi’s dysfunctional relationships with women led him into problems with the law? My Felony. What is the people in Jimi’s world had their fill of him? There is the genesis of “We Don’t Need You Anymore.” The last track “Epilogue for Jimi” is a retelling of the chapters in the title track and “We Don’t Need You Anymore” with a jazz fusion Steely Dan kind of vibe.

The album includes four short dialogue tracks, which is also not something you see a lot of. How do these dialogues contribute to the overall narrative, and what role do they play in the storytelling?

A great question. The dialogue tracks are meant to be the “salt and pepper” rather than the main course itself. The songs tell the story, the dialogue connects the dots in between. We were fortunate to enlist a network actress, Bonnie Root, to play Jimi’s girlfriend in the film and we used the audio of her performance for three of the album’s dialogue tracks. Because the concept is both about Jimi and the people he impacted, Bonnie skillfully adds a human element to further the story arc.

As a related aside, it is usual yes, but not unprecedented. I am a big Tarantino fan, and the Pulp Fiction soundtrack has tracks which excerpt Jules' “Ezekiel 25:17” dialogue and the memorable "Royale with Cheese" bit.

Part of this concept album, the central story really, is that one day Jimi mysteriously packed up his guitar and left the band without explanation. How did this real-life event become the catalyst for the imaginative tale you tell within the album?

When it happened, the other band members finished playing the song and we just looked at each other. Without a word being said, I could hear them all thinking in unison “what the Hell just happened?” I started writing the lyrics that night to process what happened.  Late at night, I called my buddy Rick Jones, himself a witness to the “Jimi Incident,” and we started developing it. A melody was elusive at first, but I was listening to The Eagles’ “One of These Nights” and I thought, “here’s the vibe.” I took it a step further and reversed the notes in the melody (not a copyright issue, I checked). 

Hum the melody to the words “Jimi Come Home” and then the melody to “One of These Nights” and you’ll see exactly what I’m talking about. The song sat in the drawer of my bedside table for a few years until a late-night conversation I had with the Verdict’s musical director Gary Swan. We were pondering how to tap into depth of rock from the 1970s and 1980s and I mentioned how much I loved Pink Floyd’s The Wall. In response, Gary asked me, “so, what’s the story you want to tell?” and the word “Jimi” immediately came out of my mouth before I could even think about it. From there, we were off and running.

You are doing something incredibly unique with this release, a short film release accompanying the album. Tell me a bit more about that.

We live in an unparalleled time for music creation because, one, people have wider access to recording technology and two, streaming outlets provide a platform that did not exist back in the days of recording contracts. With this democratization comes a new challenge for an artist to stand out from the fray. Releasing music in a way that people do not expect is one way to go. For me, it will always be about the music, but if the film provides an avenue for the music to be heard and expands its entertainment value, that is precisely the synergy we are after.

The combination of music and film is relatively uncommon in the music industry. What motivated you to pursue this multimedia approach, and how do you see it impacting the way your music is received?

In fact, modern musicians are film makers, probably without realizing it, because of music videos and social media content. If multiple music videos can work together, aided by character dialogue, it is not a huge conceptual leap to making a film. The essence of the concept album is to tell a story and a film adds a visual element towards the same purpose. It is less common today, admittedly, but on a grander scale, Tommy (1975), Pink Floyd- The Wall (1982) and Eddie and the Cruisers (1983) all involve a marriage of film and music.

Nic Andrea & the Verdict is referred to as one of L.A.'s "latest and greatest" rock bands. What sets your band apart from others in the rock music scene?

I’m chuckling because it sounds a little pretentious, does it not? I would start with the pedigree of the members. Guitarist Ricky Z tours with Chicago and is a Grammy winner. Gary Swan,  keyboards, played with Deep Purple and The Pointer Sisters. Bassist Eric Garcia toured with Bob Dylan. Drummer Lynn Coulter has played with just about everyone including the Drifters, the Coasters and Bo Diddley. I would without hesitation put their combined skill level up against any band.

For this very reason, I gave them an unusually wide latitude to mold and craft the songs during rehearsals. This process produced an authentic classic rock vibe and energy which transforms songs originally written as blues compositions. Utilizing the trumpet as a lead solo instrument, rather than as background, puts a defining and distinct signature stamp on our music.    

For fans eagerly anticipating the release of "Jimi Come Home" and the accompanying film, what can they expect in terms of the overall experience, and what do you want them to take away from it?

They can expect a project made for no reason other than the genuine passion of the people who created it and the driving desire to tell a story. If the audience can empathize with Jimi and recognize aspects of themselves either in the character or in the people he affected, we will have succeeded. As for the takeaway, we hope they rediscover the lost art of absorbing an album from start to finish and continue to do so in their future listening.

Jumping from artist to artist, streaming for less than a minute per song, has become too common. It robs the listener of immersion into the world of the album and the essence of what the artist is trying to communicate. That is why music started long ago and that should always be its best purpose.  

Is there anything else you’d like to add?

Yes, our sincere gratitude. There are well over one hundred thousand songs released each day, an actual number, so every time as a musician, you are afforded a chance to reach people about your music, it is a gift.

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