Nico Constantine is an American music director, producer, and guitarist, known for his work with Lady Gaga, Biters, Program the Dead,[1] Comes with the Fall,[2] and Madfly.[3] He is the founder of Institution Records.
Nico Constantine | |
|---|---|
 Nico Constantine with guitar | |
| Background information | |
| Genres | Rock and Roll, indie, pop |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, songwriter, producer, music director |
| Instrument(s) | Guitar |
| Years active | 1996–present |
| Website | institutionrecords |
Biography edit
Madfly and Comes with the Fall edit
In 1996, Constantine joined Madfly in Atlanta, Georgia, along with singer-guitarist William DuVall, drummer Bevan Davies, and bassist Jeffery Blount. In 1998, Joan Jett signed Madfly to Blackheart/Mercury Records. After releasing White Hot in the Black,[2] the band left Blackheart/Mercury, and reformed as Comes with the Fall in 1999, with Adam Stanger replacing Jeffery Blount on bass.[2]
Comes with the Fall recorded their self-titled album in Atlanta,[4] a year later, before relocating to Los Angeles, California,[2] catching the attention of Alice in Chains guitarist Jerry Cantrell. Their self-titled album was released the same year through DuVall's DVL Records.[2]
Constantine amicably parted ways with Comes with the Fall during the first leg of the Degradation Trip tour,[5] however, some of his writing would appear on their later studio releases, The Year Is One, The Reckoning and Beyond the Last Light. DuVall thanked Constantine along with the rest of the founding members of Comes with the Fall within the liner notes of Alice in Chains' 2009 album Black Gives Way to Blue.
Program the Dead edit
After leaving Comes with the Fall, Constantine went on to form the band Program the Dead, along with vocalist Matt Koruba, drummer Dave Murga, and bassist Johnny McClay (later replaced by Tom Kafafian). Program the Dead was signed to Universal Motown by Andrew Kronfeld six months after forming. The band toured extensively throughout the United States, Canada and the UK sharing the stage with such bands as HIM, Mindless Self Indulgence, and the Bloodhound Gang.[6][7]
Lady Gaga edit
In 2006, Constantine played guitar on Lady Gaga's planned album release for Island Def Jam. In 2009, he served as Lady Gaga's music director and lead guitarist, assembling her first live band for her World Tour 2009 of the Fame Ball[8] throughout Europe, Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Israel and the United States. He also served as Gaga's music director and guitarist for her performances on Dancing with the Stars, the BBC Glastonbury Concert, the Isle of MTV Malta Special, Australia's Live at the Chapel, and many European TV specials.
Institution Records and Production career edit
In 2013, Constantine founded Institution Records,[9] working with bands such as Biters, Starbenders, Rosegarden Funeral Party, and Brooklynn.
Discography edit
| Title | Release | Label | Band |
|---|---|---|---|
| Get the Silver | 1996 | Killing Floor Records | Madfly |
| White Hot in the Black | 1998 | Blackheart/MercuryRecords | |
| Comes with the Fall | 2000 | DVL | Comes with the Fall |
| Program the Dead | 2005 | Universal Records | Program the Dead |
| Ginger | 2007 | Sippy Cup Records | |
| Sticks & Bricks | 2007 (extended play) | ||
| Calling the Snakes | 2008 (extended play) | ||
| Dead in the City Basements: Live | 2008 | ||
| Poison Arrows | 2009 | Full Breach Kicks | Poison Arrows |
| It's OK to Like Biters | 2010 | Underrated Records | The Biters |
| Dirty Pollyanna | 2010 | Sippy Cup Records | Dirty Pollyanna |
| Tell Angela | 2011 | ||
| Last of a Dying Breed | 2012 | Pipeline Records | The Biters |
| Take My Hand (single) | 2013 | Institution Records | Brooklynn |
| Take My Hand (music video) | 2013 | ||
| Indigo (7" A-side) | 2014 | The Biters | |
| Brooklynn (debut EP) | 2014 | Brooklynn | |
| Starbenders (debut EP) | 2014 | Starbenders | |
| Free 2 B (EP) | 2015 | Brooklynn | |
| Friends (music video) | 2015 | ||
| What I Need (music video) | 2015 | ||
| Powder (7") | 2015 | Starbenders[10] | |
| Powder (music video) | 2015 | ||
| Brake (single) | 2015 | ||
| Paper Beats Rock (single) | 2015 | ||
| Blood (single) | 2016 | ||
| Heavy Petting | 2016 | ||
| So High (single) | 2016 | ||
| Far From Heaven (single) | 2017 | ||
| Down and Out (single) | 2017 | ||
| 1969 (single) | 2017 | ||
| Julian (EP) | 2017 | ||
| Japanese Rooms (EP) | 2019 | ||
| Death By Amplifier (single) | 2019 | ||
| London (single) | 2019 | Sumerian Records | |
| Holy Mother (single) | 2019 | ||
| Love Potions | 2020 |
References edit
- ^ Haught, Lori. "Program the Dead breathes some life into rock n' roll". Downtown Express. Retrieved April 5, 2011.
- ^ a b c d e Prato, Greg. "Comes with the Fall Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved October 28, 2010.
- ^ Band History Archived July 22, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Rosen, Steven (September 25, 2009). "Alice in Chains: 'We All Have Very High Standards For Ourselves'". Ultimate Guitar Archive. Archived from the original on August 19, 2010.
- ^ Nico
- ^ Introducing William DuVall
- ^ Comes with the Fall News
- ^ "VOX Artists | Nico: On the Go go with Lady Gaga". www.voxamps.com. Archived from the original on October 1, 2009.
- ^ "Institution Records". institutionrecords.world. Retrieved May 24, 2018.
- ^ "starbenders albums and discography | Last.fm". Last.fm. Retrieved May 25, 2018.
External links edit
Media related to Nico Constantine at Wikimedia Commons