Nikki DeCaires: News

Just a quick note to let everyone know that I've added five clips from a live album with renowned Seattle accordionist Bonnie Birch, recorded this past summer at a private event. It was my first gig after a serious bout of laryngitis, but the sound quality is pretty good and I wanted to share some of what I've been doing with Bonnie this past year or so!

Love and kisses to all,

-Nikki

Wow, I can't believe this is the first time I'm writing here all year... and it's almost May already!

So far this year I've been lucky enough to spend time in Paris, San Francisco, and Hawaii (just last week). Even though none of those places were new to me, I feel like I was able to view them through fresh eyes and draw musical and spiritual inspiration from them. I'm very excited about making even more discoveries as I prepare to record my first solo album!

I'm still planning to record this summer, but my style has been changing and developing even very recently, so I can't truly say what the album will consist of. I do know it will strongly reflect my love of jazz, Bossa Nova, and Hawaiian music, though I can't rule out the possibility of some soul and R&B influence as well. I'm also really moved by the Latin rhythms of the salsa band I've been working with this year, though exactly how to combine all of those styles still eludes me...

Anyway, a big Mahalo again to all who have continued to support my live performances here in Seattle. It means more to me than you could possibly know.

A hui hou!

-Nik

Can't believe I've let so much time go by between entries - BAD Nikki! Still, it has been an exceptionally crazy time, as I'm about to explain...

Things have really exploded musically in the past few months, which has been both a blessing and a curse. A blessing in that it's immensely enjoyable, and a curse in that there never seems to be enough time for everything!

Between working full-time teaching high school and gigging several times per month (sometimes per week!), I had to take a hiatus from my voice studio for a couple of months. However, I am happy to report that I will be back to taking on a very limited number of students beginning in December... YAY!

Now, I will concentrate on meeting all of my commitments in addition to my latest project... arranging music for my debut album, which will hopefully come out in mid-2008. This will be the culmination of many, many years of hard work spent finding my voice (both literally and figuratively), and will hopefully be just the beginning. I'm so excited to get into the studio!!!

To all of you who are local and have supported my various projects with your presence and encouragement, I thank you, and I HEART you. Please continue to come out and support live music! And for those of you who live farther away, I can't wait to get a copy of the album in your hands. I hope you will love it and share it with everyone you know.

LOCALS: Look for an announcement in the next couple of months for a very special concert, where I will being together a gaggle of fantastic musicians to raise money for a very special cause - my album! (Hey, I'm a teacher, so it's definitely a charitable cause...) Non-locals are definitely encouraged to "participate" as well. :)

Much love and aloha to all of you. Keep in touch, please!!!

-Nik

Summer is FINALLY here, officially, and we're starting to feel it in Seattle (at least sporadically). Life is good!

So, there are a couple of new things to report: First of all, I'll be working as a high school French teacher starting in the fall, which has been a dream of mine for a long time. I've been to the school a couple of times now and have been very impressed so far with the staff and curriculum; I think this will be a great opportunity.

As far as music goes, I've just recently started with a new band called "Rhythm Syndicate", which is a big Cuban and World dance music band with a 4-piece horn section (my favorite!). I'll be sitting in with them on July 13th for a few numbers, then my first official gig is on August 3rd. Please see the calendar for details.

I'm also singing with the lovely Seattle accordionist Bonnie Birch and her band for some upcoming dates... it's mostly classic French repertoire (from opera to folk to jazz), with some world and standards thrown in for good measure. It's been a lot of fun so far; hope some of you locals can make it out to a show or two this summer!

Lastly, in my personal life, things couldn't be better. I'm having a ball and trying to enjoy every moment of every day, which is the best advice I could ever give anyone. Lots of wonderful friends and family surround me every day, and I couldn't be luckier or more grateful for all of the blessings in my life!

Peace and love,

-Nikki

Well, it's been a long haul but I am FINALLY graduating from college in just a few weeks - and on my birthday, too!

I hope that you locals can join me at Egan's on June 8th for a celebratory jazz gig, and of course, all are invited to attend the graduation at Qwest Field on the 10th at 9:30am - not like it's gonna fill up or anything.

Anyway, there are many exciting changes in the air, but I will get into all of that more later. Hope everyone is doing wonderfully and enjoying the beautiful weather! Those of us in Seattle have definitely earned it...

Love to all!

-Nikki

I can't believe it's been so long since I updated my web site... Thankfully, graduation is only a few short months away, and then I can focus more on keeping in touch!

As you can see, I have a few upcoming gigs scheduled this winter and spring, which I hope you locals will all be able to attend. My band and I will definitely be getting out there a lot more this summer, once I have my degree in hand and am no longer required to spend most of my time hitting the books.

Thanks to all of you for your continued support and encouragement throughout the past few months, especially my close friends and family who have been there with me through thick and thin. Here's to new beginnings in 2007 - I, for one, am looking forward to a fresh start!

Hau'oli Makahiki Hou,

-Nikki

Hey,

I just added some live stuff we did back in Texas to my web site under "Music" - check it out! The musicians I played with back at UNT were all phenomenal; I was definitely very spoiled in that regard.

For music news here in Seattle, the demo is finally ready to be shopped in a few weeks - there were some snafus with the printing company I was going to be using, but it's forced me to become even more independent and do all of these technical things myself!

Here's the new myspace page:

www.myspace.com/nikkideemusic

Played a great gig a few weeks ago at the World Trade Center with Sven and Carrie - such a treat to play music with my family. It went over really well, and all of the preparations for it reminded me of how much I love Hawaiian music and want to integrate it into my overall sound.

I've found several fantastic percussion and bass players ready to come on board with Kiko and me, and I'll probably talk to more guitarists and pianists as well just so I'm never dependent on just one musician. This has been a summer of tremendous growth, artistically and personally, and I'm really excited to put all of it to good use in the near future.

I'll let you all know when we're playing again. Thanks for your love and support!

-Nikki

Just a quick note to let you all know that I'm back on the bandwagon, having recently completed a bossa nova demo with a fantastic guitar player named Kiko Freitas (AND being nearly done with Spring quarter at Seattle U!).

Any gigging I do this summer will most likely be focused in the bossa nova circuit, so those of you who are local should definitely get on my mailing list if you haven't done so already. There's a place to do that right here on my web site.

Other than that, I hope everyone is well and happy and enjoying the beginnings of what promises to be a blissful summer. Love to all!

-Nikki

P.S. - Half of the demo is sung is Portuguese, but lyrics and translations can be found online if you're interested. Enjoy!

Blossoms and budding leaves abound in Seattle, and I couldn't be more thrilled. They're certainly no guarantee that the rain has stopped for good, but at the very least they serve as a reminder of new beginnings and of a hope for many beautiful days ahead... eventually!

In that spirit, I'm preparing for the spring firstly by finishing up winter quarter at Seattle U, and also by working to balance out my spring schedule so I can do as much gigging as possible in the coming months. I'll be sending out email announcements for those, so there's no need to keep checking back (unless you just LOVE my web site so much that you just can't help yourself!). :)

Love and aloha to all...

-Nikki

For those of you who keep up with my site and have asked me why I haven't updated my news in a while... my apologies, and this one's for you! :)

Things have been incredibly busy since I arrived back in Seattle just over a month ago. I almost immediately started back to school full-time at Seattle University to complete my degree in French, and wouldn't you just know it - my teaching business exploded right at the same time!

So needless to say, between those two major time-stealers (both of which I love, by the way) AND preparations for hitting the gig scene again - including improv lessons with Seattle's top jazz singer, musician-hunting, market research, and general schmoozing and boozing - I haven't really had time to make sense of it all. Add to that my (feeble) attempt to maintain some semblance of a life, particularly keeping up with family, friends, boyfriend, and cat... well, it's certainly been an eventful 2006 thus far.

However, I will try not to be so neglectful of my "journal" from now on, just so y'all can keep tabs on me. I'm planning to take the summer off from school to record my album, and will certainly keep everyone posted on that front. Mid-terms are this week and next, and with the quarter going by so fast, I don't expect to be doing any public gigs before Spring.

Meanwhile, I send my aloha to all, and please keep the emails coming! I love hearing from you...

-Nikki

Wow - only one full day left in Rome (tomorrow). Where have the past 6 weeks gone?

I have definitely made up for lost sick time in the past couple of weeks - the nightlife in Rome runs later than it does in the States, but other aspects of it are (un-)remarkably the same. Frankly, I much preferred the time I spent exploring cathedrals, ruins, museums, and even just chatting up the baristas and shopkeepers I've come across.

My Italian ability increased dramatically about 2 weeks ago, seemingly overnight! While it's still fairly awful in most respects, at least the awfulness flows more freely than before. :) The best part is being able to understand nearly everything I hear, in person or on TV - I didn't expect that to happen within a month! In some cases, I've even been mistaken for an Italian - that is, until the conversation graduated to something beyond pleasantries and the weather...

Anyway, I'm VERY excited about returning to the States in a couple of days. My flight leaves at the crack of dawn, and I'm still weighing the various transportation options... being on my own this time makes the weight of my luggage a much bigger issue than before, when I had the boyfriend as my own personal porter!

I send my love to all. Ci vediamo dopo!

-Nikki

Well, I leave Italy 2 weeks from tomorrow morning, and it will be fantastic to touch down on American soil again! I've really loved it here for the most part, but unfortunately my course has taken up so much of my time that most days it feels as if I'm not even in Italy at all... Part of that feeling is also due to the fact that I've been almost a shut-in since last week, due to a terrible chest cold which I'm just now getting over! :(

In any case, I'm definitely planning to make up for lost time in the next 2 weeks, and enjoy the heck out of the rest of my time here. I've met some really terrific people who I'll be able to spend more time with (now that I'm healthy!), as well as some great music contacts who may come in handy when my album is finished and I'm ready to tour Europe!

More on all that later... love to all!

-Nik

Ciao a tutto!

So far it's just been one amazing sight or adventure after another... from our first couple of days exploring ancient Rome, to a long weekend in beautiful and stylish Florence, to the past several days back in Rome. We've probably covered dozens miles on foot through countless historic monuments & picturesque scenery the likes of which I've personally never experienced (and I've been around, baby!).

A Firenze (in Florence) - the Duomo, Campanile, Ponte Vecchio, etc. A Roma (in Rome) - the Roman Forum, Colosseum, Palatine Hill, Pantheon, Vatican & St. Peter's Basilica, Spanish Steps, countless Piazzas, churches, and intimate neighborhoods I've grown to love (especially Trastevere, southwest of the city center). I'm speaking Italian daily and loving it, though I'm very grateful for the remaining weeks of practice, which I desperately need! :)

The people here are mostly a delight, with the exception of the "motorini" (the folks on motorcycles and mopeds whose sole purpose in life seems to be mowing down pedestrians). Can't complain about the food so far, to be sure - caprese, bucatini, saltimbocca, pizza del forgno a legna, carciofi alla romana, bruschetta, stracchino - che bella!

I want everyone to know how much I appreciate your continued support and the wonderful comments so many of you have left in my guest book. I'm really looking forward to seeing you locals at my gigs when I get back to Seattle, and I will try and update this section weekly so please keep checking back when you're able. More info on my debut album, gig schedule, etc. upon my return - I promise!

Grazie ed a dopo,

-Nik

I'll be in Rome for the rest of the year... Ciao, Italia!

Please check back after the New Year for concert dates in Seattle, as well as info regarding my debut jazz album (hopefully to be released in 2006).

Arrivederci! :-)