Neycha, chosen along with 7 other bands, as New York City's best bands of 2002 in Time Out Magazine's "Best Bands Annual Round-up".
Neycha also named, 1 of 4 Soul Singers You Need to Know About", Trace Magazine, 10/2001
Not your typical southern belle. Not your typical only child. In fact, Neycha is nothing you'd likely expect by mere description, unless you were simply creative enough to imagine how a sanctified small town with more churches than banks, basement parties than baptisms and more early traumatic loss than most people 30 have experienced, would grow a little girl into an adult.
Today, Neycha is an accomplished singer, songwriter, performer and Transformational Counselor who writes, arranges and produces much of her own music. A true renaissance woman who moves outside the herd, Neycha's upbringing was cultivated and directed by a troop of equally audacious women. The southern belle has been singing, writing and performing since her childhood days in the Pentecostal choir. Exploring the piano as her first instrument, Neycha often created songs that entertained her, and as she adds today, probably saved her. Lyrically driven and emotionally provocative, the acid hip-hop dusted soul anthems for which Neycha is perhaps best known, are not your typical run of the mill songs. Rather, they are a blazing set of aggressive grooves that document the journey of the soul.
Neycha's first professional gigs were in Washington, DC with a band highly influenced by Prince, Jimi Hendrix and Sly and the Family Stone. The metropolitan area became the foundation for Neycha's diverse musical interest, which had always included soul, gospel, hip-hop, rock, and funk. Later, Neycha moved to NYC, where she was recruited by Village Voice writer, and Burnt Sugar lead man Greg Tate, to front one of his many "high art" music projects. This exposure provided baptism by fire. Performing and exploring the racy and progressive underworld of the NYC avant-garde music scene for a few years, Neycha emerged with her first self-directed band and a posse of musicians who'd played with Marianne Faithful, Peter Gabriel, Me'shelle Ndgeochello, Cassandra Wilson, and many others.
Neycha's bold introduction in 2001 with her debut release, the dirty side up, exploded on to the downtown music scene. Her often provocative live performances at CBGB, The Knitting Factory, Arlene Grocery, etc. and the critical acclaim of Neycha's genre defiant 2001 release gained national and international attention. At the height of this massive buzz in 2002, Neycha's long time beau and best friend was murdered. Devastated and in shock, Neycha returned to her VA hometown to deal with her profound grief. It was during this time that Neycha began writing on the piano songs that would eventually make up her current CD, white noise. The 13-song disc has been described as "gut wrenching", "fierce", and "where acoustic and electronic worlds collide laced with menacing beats and in your face brashness." Slated for release in summer 2005, this once again genre defiant 13-song disc continues to make Neycha a poster child for artist refusing to fit into a box who insist on blurring the lines. She is the ultimate crossfader.
The Albums...........
"the dirty side up"
"the dirty side up" wins runner up for Best Alternative Album in 2002, chosen out of 7,800 entries from around the world for the 3rd annual J P Folks Music Awards in Hollywood, California.
"the dirty side up" was among the Village Voice's 2001 Pazz and Jop poll for Best Albums.
"the dirty side up", released in 2001 continues to sell online creating exposure for Neycha worldwide with fans in Toronto, Vancouver, British Columbia, Paris, London, Switzerland, Denmark, Amsterdam, and throughout the United States.
The album is a sonic collage of agression, emotional vulnerability, self-introspection, and transcendence. Mugshot Magazine says, "it's the kind of record you take on a road trip or play at extremely loud volumes while getting ready to go out."
Neycha wrote or co-wrote all of the songs on her 2001 debut release, and produced over half the album's 11 tracks. The album hosts aggressive beats, heavy bass, psychedelic guitar, two turntables, cello and ambient keys that create the melodramatic playground that make up Neycha's musical family.
"white noise"
Neycha's follow-up album, "white noise" is slated for release summer 2005 along with a companion book. The album is a raw, intimate and unedited portrayal of what Neycha calls "the aftertaste of what faith denies". The record documents Neycha's painful journey through the grief and trauma of the murder of her long time beau and best friend in 2002.
IN HER OWN WORDS.....
"My creative process gives me a framework to enter into a dialogue with my emotional baggage..it is a process of consciousness. The song is like a gathering of sorts - a collection of thoughts and feelings, which against the backdrop of, I am able to contemplate the meaning of my life, of all life. In fact, I create as a result of my relentless need for perspective."
Stay tuned.
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