Jared James Nichols

Part Tennessee wildfire, part Wisconsin charm, part sheer physical force of a guitarist who plays like the guitar is both weapon and friend, Jared James Nichols hit the floating Thekla ship venue in Bristol like a blues rock tornado.

Clutching his heavily battered 1952 Gibson Les Paul, nicknamed ‘Dorothy’, after surviving being swept up in the recent storm, he is joined by drummer Ryan Rees and bassist Brian Weaver who conjure up a thick fog of raw, rock and blues power that draw comparisons to the power trios of the sixties, one solid engine room. No flash, no throwing shapes, just a strong and steady rhythm section.

Launching straight into “Easy Come, Easy Go”, the sound was immediate and huge. Nichols is famous for his unorthodox “pick-less” technique. He attacks the strings with his bare fingers, anchoring his hand and clawing at the instrument to extract a tone that is jagged, raw, and incredibly vocal.

In the opening tracks, including “Hard Wired” every flesh-to-string contact yielded pure soul and a spectacularly superb tone. This song is defined by a particularly wild improvised guitar excursion.

While Nichols’ six-string prowess might demand most of the attention, his superb gravelly singing voice shines in ‘Threw Me To The Wolves’, full of emotional grit. It is a track that allows the band to flex their dynamic range, dropping the volume right down to a whisper before slamming back in with a wall of fuzz.

Things take a turn for the grungier next with “Ghost” and “Pretend”, with face melting solos, which Nichols performs while wielding Dorothy like a deadly weapon. The first of these, written with Tyler Bryant, was delivered with a rhythmic ferocity and a swaggering groove. A song about struggling with insecurities and the internal voices of self-doubt that live rent free in your head.

With the second song “Pretend”, Jared’s voice landing softer while his hands continued to push the guitar into emotional overdrive. “Way Back”, from his 2017 album “Black Magic”, shifted the tone, letting the bluesier side of his style seep through.

Rice had been taken ill during the band’s set at KK’s Steelmlll a couple of days earlier. Unfortunately, he was struggling tonight and was unable to finish the set. He stood up from behind the kit and left the stage abruptly. Nichols and Weaver saw out the night without him and had to end the gig earlier than expected.

“Nails in the Coffin”, sounding even heavier without the drums behind him, the emotional weight filled the gaps where the skins would usually sit. Eventually the decision was made to cut the night short.

But then, in classic Nichols’ fashion, he came back out to the merchandise area, greeting every single person who wanted a photo, with a smile, chat, handshake, a moment. A modest, talented man, who truly values the connection he has with the people who come out to see him.

If you want passion, volume, and virtuosity, Nichols is the real deal. A multifaceted diamond of a talent. Can't wait for his return.