Fitzgerald's is hosting a Blues Fest June 10 featuring Nikki Hill, Nick Moss Band, and The Jimmys! Doors open at 7:00PM. The show begins at 8:00PM. Tickets are $20 at the club or can be purchased HERE. 21 and over.
NIKKI HILL (11 pm): Those who have seen Carolina girl Nikki Hill sing her ass off agree—this isn’t just another newcomer on the scene; this is a ‘whiplash’ moment. Where did this fireball come from? Why haven’t I heard of her before?
Hill and her band have been touring extensively following the independent 2015 release ‘Heavy Hearts Hard Fists" and debut album ‘Here’s Nikki Hill’, released in 2013. With a no-filter energy, and explosive live show, they deliver a sound that will make you believe in rock ‘n’ roll again! Nikki’s unique voice—with raw rock and soul dynamics mixed with the strength, passion, and honesty of blues shouters of the past—steers the driving guitar and a tight rhythm section to create a breath of fresh air with their fast forward approach to American roots music.
Nikki Hill’s self-titled, independently released EP in June of 2012 created a heavy and sudden international underground buzz that the band has traveled with across America and overseas to Europe and Australia. Those four tunes penned by Hill, combined with memorable live performances, have drawn a wide range of people from every avenue and musical taste to their shows. Her enthusiasm for music is simply contagious. One club advertisement will call Nikki “The Southern Fireball," “the New Soul Sensation," “amazing R&B Shouter,” and even “the new Queen of Rock n’ Roll."
NICK MOSS (9:30 pm): A star high school athlete sidelined by a serious kidney ailment, Nick Moss picked up the electric bass at the urging of his brother Joe, a budding blues guitarist, simply to pass the time. When he rose from his sickbed to sneak out and hear Little Charlie and the Nightcats, his course was set: The allure of performing was irresistible, and Nick resolved that night to become a musician. Although Moss tells it matter-of-factly, a deep appreciation notwithstanding, it is difficult not to read mythical, even mystical overtones into his story, particularly if you are among those who love music and understand its power to elevate, transform, and even save lives.
Mythical stories often involve as a central element a quest, and Moss’s true-life experience follows suit. Along the way, he played on records by Smith, Big Bill Morganfield, and Monster Mike Welch; produced and/or released albums for other Blue Bella artists including Cash Box Kings, Kilborn Alley Blues Band, Bill Lupkin, Gerry Hundt, and Matthew Stubbs; and produced the all-star Midnight Blues project on Magic Slim & The Teardrops for Blind Pig Records in 2008 — all in addition to the growth in his vision achieved over the arc of seven genuinely authentic blues albums, recognized by a total of 16 BMA nominations. It seemed reasonable for a restless artist, with nothing left to prove to purists, to wonder what other styles he could explore.
Nick is a gifted storyteller, a songwriter that takes his craft seriously and a musician with a daunting work ethic. He is a walking encyclopedia of blues and music knowledge, and his deep understanding of the genre shines on the new release From the Root to the Fruit (Blue Bella Records, 2016).
THE JIMMYS (8 pm): The Jimmys are what you get when you combine (A) the seasoned keyboard/Hammond organ talents of Jimmy Voegeli, long time member of Westside Andy/Mel Ford Band, (B) the drummer from The Georgia Satellites, (C) the four-piece horn section from Clyde Stubblefield's Band, and (D) the expertise of southern Wisconsin's finest bass guitar, and (E) the legendary blues guitarist Perry Weber on six-strings and vocals. The Jimmys aren't your typical blues band. With awards and reviews rolling in on their new album "Hot Dish" the Jimmys are primed for the world stage.