A Local Favorite Must See – Zack Jones and the Tricky Bits

Rebecca Haviland is a Grammy awarding winning vocalist and multi- instrumentalist with extensive songwriting, performance & touring experience. She recently completed a year playing keyboards and guitar for multi-platinum selling pop artist Rachel Platten, which included television performances on Ellen and Good Morning America with performances across North America, Europe, Australia and Japan. Rebecca, the granddaughter of jazz musicians, got her start at a young age when her father started sneaking her into bars when she was 13 to sit in with her uncle’s band.
Her own band, Rebecca Haviland and Whiskey Heart, includes members Chris Anderson (Martin Sexton), Todd Caldwell (C S & N) & Kenny Shaw (Dispatch). They have performed in support of Roberta Flack, James McCartney, Rick Springfield, Martin Sexton and Chris Young. Their first album, released in 2012, received awards in the International Songwriting Competition and Unsigned Only Competition. Rebecca was also voted in Aquarian Weekly as one of the Top 10 must see bands of 2014.
Rebecca recently finished recording a new album with producer Don DiLego (Jesse Malin, Hollis Brown) at Atomic Sound in Brooklyn, which reflect Rebecca’s experiences on the road encompassing American roots music. The first single from those sessions “Bright City Lights” was released on November 15th 2017, with an album to follow in early 2018.

Audiences may recognize Zach Jones as the drummer for Sting, A Great Big World, Elle King, Secret Someones, and more, but with his new band, Zach Jones & the Tricky Bits, Jones steps to the front of the stage and reveals his talents as a singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer.

“Great Again” (The Tricky Bits’ first single) was written and recorded in one day at Ardent Studios in Memphis, TN. Jones and Tricky Bits guitarist/co-producer Oscar Albis Rodriguez booked time at the famed studio on a day off from touring with A Great Big World, and they were immediately inspired by the energy and history of the space. “Great Again” ultimately reflects the sound of some of Ardent’s finest – Big Star, Gin Blossoms, and R.E.M., not to mention Weezer and Crazy Horse – as well as the turbulent social and political climate during which the song was written. Jones teamed with Brooklyn-based animation and video production studio KALEIDA VISION to create the striking visual for the track, which is simultaneously entertaining and horrifying.

Zach Jones & the Tricky Bits will release their debut EP later this year.

A son of the moon. A butterfly bull. Nick Africano is a songwriter, multi-intrumentalist, band-leader, solo performer, producer, and experiments with watercolors and poetry. His style defies the confines of genre, and lives in the mysterious space of rock and roll, storytelling, and folk music. In an ether of contradiction. Lyrics often softly spoken, or soulfully crooned. His live performances are captivating and spontaneous, moving between acoustic guitar, resonator guitar, and piano.

The process of making this album so far has been incredibly special to me. It started in 2012 in the middle of promoting my previous record. After a couple major life changes, I put all else on hold and began recording this project. I felt a sense of urgency. It was something I needed to make. Along the way it wouldn’t have been possible without my amazing band and amazing friends. It was executively produced by myself with the help of two dear friends, recorded partly with our dear friend Eric’s guitar, Fancy, and performed and recorded with even more close friends right here in Brooklyn at Galuminum Foil Studio. I’ve felt an amazing sense of gratitude these past 2 years for the chance to make this work with such talented, passionate people.