“Jimi Come Home” by Nic Andrea & The Verdict is a captivating blend of truth and fiction. The album’s inspiration stems from a mysterious incident when a guitarist abruptly left the band during a practice session, never to return. The rest of the album delves into Nic Andrea’s speculation about the demons Jimi might have faced and the potential impact of his actions on others.

In this interview spotlight, I chat with Nic about the new release, how being part of the LA scene shapes the music, some of the challenges of being an artist, and more.

Full Q&A along with links and music below.

Thanks so much for joining us! You’re about to release your new concept album Jimi Come Home. For first time listeners, what would you compare this album to sound wise, and what would you tell someone who has never heard your music before?

The pleasure is ours! We consider them influences more than comparisons and they vary by song. In the title track, there are shades of Gerry Rafferty/Baker Street alongside orchestral portions reminiscent of Guns ‘N Roses’ November Rain. My Felony channels The Rolling Stones, spiritually, and Lynyrd Skynryd’s Gimme Three Steps lyrically.  Motherless Soul is what might happen if The Doors covered a song like Chris Isaak’s Wicked Game. We Don’t Need You Anymore has Santana influences. Epilogue for Jimi embodies the rock-jazz fusion feel that Steely Dan pioneered. A listener may experience the phenomena of “false familiarity”- a feeling that these songs have always existed while, in reality, they are new. This reflects the important difference between a band with a retro vibe and a cover band.

You’re an LA based rock band and the city has a rich and competitive history.  How has being part of this scene shaped your sound and career as a musician?

To expand your question momentarily- LA has two home grown local products, one is film and the other is rock. In this project, we get to do both so it’s very LA! More directly to your question, we take great pride in carrying on the banner of LA rock which dates back to The Byrds, The Doors and The Eagles and continued by Van Halen, Motley Crue and Guns N’ Roses, just to name a few. Just now, I found myself starting to list them all through the present but I don’t think we have that kind of space! On a more subliminal level, our music is driven by the same sights and sounds that stimulated  waves of legendary LA musicians who came before us. To give you just one example, my lunchtime walks at work take me  past the bridge in MacArthur Park that inspired Anthony Kiedis to write “Under the Bridge” for the Red Hot Chili Peppers. The cover of my 2022 solo album, “Blues @ Dark” shows me drinking on a park bench about twenty yards from the same spot and my own personal connection to that area is explored in the “Missus 2nd Place” track.  Paradoxically, LA is the most populous, lonely place in the world. Equally so,  LA is laid back while simultaneously having a frenzied undercurrent of sights and sounds. It is no coincidence that LA artists, ourselves included, have tapped into LA’s unique, and often polarizing, stimuli in creating their music

What about this project makes you most proud? Was there a specific goal you were trying to accomplish with this release?

We achieved a rare symbiosis between the songs and the story with neither predominating the other. A concept album requires a special alchemy that is difficult to execute. The tracks need to be able to each stand on their own independently while seamlessly melding into the story arc. It is distressingly easy to lose this precious balance. Pink Floyd’s The Wall is the gold standard in this regard although there are many other concept albums deserving honorable mention. Our goal was to tell the captivating saga of “Jimi” in a thought-provoking manner without sacrificing the musical content. 

“Jimi Come Home” will be accompanied by a short film, which is so fun! Why did you feel this was an essential part of the storytelling process and what can we expect to see from it?

Fun, it was! However, the film is not necessarily essential to the storytelling. Throughout the project, we’ve wrestled with whether the album is the soundtrack, or the film is the visual manifestation of the album. In the end, both are true. Either one could exist without the other. Some people want to read the novel, some people want to go see the movie and some people enjoy both. I hope that the film puts faces and voices to the characters for people who are more visual. If you enjoy seeing music performed, the film also supplies that element. As an added bonus, the outtakes at the end provide a behind-the-curtain glimpse of the production, which is something I personally enjoy in other films. 

Longevity in the music industry can be challenging, but through multiple successes throughout your career (and in LA no less!) you’ve really shown your staying power. What do you attribute that to?  

Compared to my bandmates in The Verdict, I’m younger and more of a relative newcomer so I will direct the question to them. They have a combined 160 years as professional musicians.  There’s only one way to achieve that- talent combined with a love of the calling.  We had to take a break from recording because Ricky Z (guitar) was on the road with Chicago. He also has a Grammy! Gary Swan (keyboards) has played with everyone from Deep Purple to The Pointer Sisters. Eric Garcia (bass) is multi-dimensional and most notably played on the road with Bob Dylan. Lynn Coulter (drums) has a list from his past which includes The Drifters, The Coasters and Bo Diddley. What we have assembled is tantamount to a “super group” with long tenures in the business who know how to take the songs to the next level. 

What was the last song you listened to? Favorite all-time bands/artists?

I was just at a benefit concert and heard a great Fleetwood Mac tribute band, Gypsy Rose, play the iconic hit, Go Your Own Way. My favorite all-time bands include The Rolling Stones, The Eagles, The Doors, The Police/Sting, Steely Dan, AC/DC, Bob Seger, Tom Petty,  Robert Palmer, Dire Straits and Rod Stewart. That’s the rock list which comes immediately to mind. I also have a treasured jazz vinyl collection of legendary trumpet players Chet Baker, Miles, Dizzy, Lee Morgan, Freddie Hubbard and Donald Byrd.

Looking ahead, what are your goals and aspirations as Nic Andrea & the Verdict, both in terms of music releases and your impact on the music industry?

This may seem a bit generic, but the goal is to reach and connect with as many people as possible. If we reach a million, we won’t be happy until it’s ten million, and then ten times that. The well-known philosophical question is whether a tree falling in the forest makes a sound if there is no one there to hear it. Music does not exist without the listeners. Until it reaches the ear and then is transmitted to the brain, it’s just sound waves. The impact we’d like to have on the music industry is a return to the memorable melodies and energy which rock music has lost in recent years. It stopped being fun, which is why people still shell out big bucks to see the older bands like the Stones and Guns N’ Roses. At the same time, no genre can stand still. The Verdict will use the retro energy and elements of classic rock as the foundation, but the music will also blend blues, jazz, Latin and whatever fits the piece. The industry has become too segmented where each artist must fit into a designated genre “box.” In contrast, no one tells a painter to only use watercolors or not to sculpt. People flock to restaurants that meld the cuisine of different cultures. If it works, the artist should be free to use it.

Where is the best place to find you and stay connected?

I recommend looking up my YouTube channel (and please subscribe).

I appreciate Your time. Want to say or plug any other projects before we part ways? 

Thank you, we appreciate the opportunity! We have Jimi Come Home out October 13th and another album tentatively for release in April 2024.  It is the “part 2” to our May 2023 EP, A Night at the Wrecking Yard, Pt. 1.