Launchpad [Issue #20]
Nyco: By Mandana Beigi
Two (CD Fat Katz 23)

From the Windy City comes this 4-piece rock band with a great deal of classical sentiments and training. Ted Atkatz, the principal percussionist of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, founded the band while on a yearlong sabbatical from the CSO. He traded his drumsticks for a Gibson acoustic guitar and a Nord Keyboard to put a different spin on his musical energy. He wrote 12 songs and collaborated with the Chicago’s finest musicians including the trio who later joined him to form NYCO - Devin Staples (drums, vocals), Kells Nollernberger (bass vocals), and Dave Saenger (guitar).
Two is NYCO’s debut release and a solid effort by the band that took two years to write and record it. Produced by the Grammy Award-winner, Jim Tullio (The Band, Mavis Staples), the album is a perfect mix of classic rock and experimental sound. The arrangements are simple but catchy, especially in tracks such as “People We Know,” “Surrender,” and “Soda Can.” NYCO knows how to make the best of its classical, jazz/funk influences through a more contemporary approach and the soulful “English Song” is a great example of this unique fusion.

The album’s theme, as titled and depicted on artwork, is two people and the different states or directions that relationships go through. And although every tune somehow connects back to that theme, the band still manages to creative enough varieties in both melodies and lyrics to keep you hooked!

NYCO has developed a strong local following in Chicago and garnered significant attention from major radio stations that helped bring bands like Wilco and the Smashing Pumpkins into the mainstream. But whether or not NYCO is the type of band that could (or should) go mainstream is still questionable! They are melodic but not pop, classic rock but no fiery chords or solos, experimental but not too risky. All in all, they have a likeable sound that would be greatly appreciated by the indie-alternative scene.

Two
Fat Katz 23

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