Nico Vega

Nico Vega

Nico Vega is a rock band from Los Angeles, United States, active from 2005. The group centres on singer Aja Volkman, with guitarist Rich Koehler and drummer Dan Epand in the line-up. A touring bass player, Jamilla Weaver, joins the band in 2012, but the group is known for not having a permanent bass player.

Background and line-up

The band forms in Los Angeles in 2005 and builds a reputation on live shows led by Volkman. Her voice is often compared with Janis Joplin, and her on-stage presence helps the band become a notable draw on the local concert circuit.

Recordings and releases

Nico Vega releases its debut EP, ChooseYourWordsPoorly, independently in early 2006. It then signs to MySpace Records for its second EP, No Child Left Behind, in 2007. The band’s first full-length album, the self-titled Nico Vega, appears in February 2009.

On that album, three songs — “So So Fresh”, “Wooden Dolls” and “Gravity” — are produced by Linda Perry, while the remaining tracks are produced by Tim Edgar. The album is mixed by Tchad Blake.

Live activity and wider recognition

The band’s profile rises after it performs three songs on Last Call with Carson Daly in 2009. It tours widely in the following years, supporting and sharing bills with Gavin Rossdale, Semi Precious Weapons, Neon Trees, Manic Street Preachers and Shiny Toy Guns in 2009; The Soundtrack of Our Lives, Metric, Sweethead, Saint Motel and Imagine Dragons in 2010; She Wants Revenge and Blondie in 2011; and Neon Trees in 2012.

The song “Beast” from the debut album is used in a trailer for the video game Bioshock Infinite in 2012, bringing renewed attention to the track.

Second album

The band’s second album, We Are The Art, is recorded in studios around Los Angeles and at Sonic Ranch Studios in Texas. It continues the group’s blues-leaning guitar rock sound and adds synths, and the title track is premiered in a video written and directed by drummer Dan Epand.