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See The Light Again 2:260:00/2:26
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The Ring 3:100:00/3:10
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I'm Up 3:300:00/3:30
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Nothin' 3:100:00/3:10
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Alien 4:230:00/4:23
Bonnie Nicholls performs as a solo act on keys, singing covers from the '70s, '80s, '90s and 2000s, as well as standards and originals. Here's a sample setlist. You can often find her at local song circles hosted by Cathryn Beeks and as the song circle co-host at Mid-City Community Music.
She also performs as a member of Birds on a Train, an indie/folk band that plays covers and original tunes. With the Birds, she plays bass, keys, melodica, and guitar.
Bio
Bonnie Nicholls is a singer/songwriter based in San Diego, Calif. A content writer by day, she started writing songs for the all the usual reasons — creative expression and just plain ol’ angst. At night, she banged away on an old upright that had been in the family for more than a hundred years and produced her first song in 2019.
By the following year, Nicholls had bought a digital piano and even hosted a house concert, where she played some songs as the warm-up act. Then the pandemic hit. Confined to the house, with trips to the store and walks around the neighborhood her only outlet, she composed more songs. COVID-19 meant open mic nights were out of the question, so she did the next best thing: she held mini-concerts for a few friends and family members in their back yards.
She also started recording, and her debut EP, See the Light Again, is the result. The album touches on themes that women of a certain age experience: changing relationships, restlessness, reckoning with the past, and an exasperation with the state of the world. If it sounds dire, it’s not. Nicholls injects a sense of humor into her songs, through clever turns of phrase and a playful performance style.
Music
My first EP! The pandemic inspired two songs: “See the Light Again” and “Nothin’.” “Alien” tells the story of what it’s like when your partner radically changes. “The Ring” is about the emotional and monetary value we attach to inanimate objects. And “I’m Up” celebrates the strength of the human spirit while hurtling towards the end of life.
Dance of the Heart explores the challenges of a long-term relationship and how we negotiate the future.
Dance of the Heart
Bonnie Nicholls
Time Zone has a chill vibe that will incite the best of flashbacks.
Time Zone
Bonnie Nicholls
Events
Upcoming:
April 8, 2024: Co-host of monthly singer/songwriter listening circle at Mid-City Community Music, 7-8:30 p.m. Sign up via Meetup to attend.
May 18 , 2024: Guest bassist with Enter the Blue Sky, 3-5 p.m., at Carlee's in Borrego Spring.
June 1, 2024 (tentative): University Heights Garden Tour.
Past:
March 24, 2024: Adobe Falls Music house concert with Birds on Train and Mark Torpey, 2-4 p.m. $20 cover. Details on Facebook.
March 30, 2024: Guest bassist with Enter the Blue Sky, 3-5 p.m., Brew Spot Coffee, 5161 Lake Murray Blvd.
March 11, 2024: Co-host of monthly song circle at Mid-City Community Music 7-8:30 p.m. Sign up via Meetup to attend.
Feb. 12, 2024: Co-host of monthly song circle at Mid-City Community Music 7-8:30 p.m.
Oct. 7, 2023: Performing solo Saturday, 4 p.m., at Listen Local's 20-Year Anniversary (links to Facebook) in Ramona.
Sept. 16, 2023: Solo gig at South Park Walkabout on the South Bark Dog Wash patio, 6:30-8 p.m., 2037 30th St.
Sept. 5, 2023: Participant in Listen Local's Song Circle at Pamo Valley Winery tasting room in Ramona
June 17, 2023: Porch concert with Birds on a Train
June 4, 2023: Players on the Patio participant, 2-7 p.m., Lavender & Olive in Ramona
May 20, 2023: Private house concert
January 2023: Private house concert, La Mesa, with Birds on a Train
Oct. 3, 2022: Café Nights at National City Public Library, 1401 National City Blvd., National City, CA 91940
Nov. 5, 2022: Train Song Festival in Poway with Birds on a Train.
Aug. 27, 2022: Porch concert with Birds on a Train
June 18, 2022: Singer/Songwriter Showcase at Navajo Live
March 12, 2022: Livestream EP Release Party
Resources
Mixing Engineers: Christopher Hoffee, Chaos Recorders / Dave Michaels of Sanctuary Lab
Drums: Jules Stewart
Guitar: Ben Zinn
Viola: Jessica Barlow, Stella Strings of San Diego
Vocal Coaching: Carissa Renner, Bold Vocal Academy
Video: Cathryn Beeks, 1/2 Fast Foto and Film