It’s that voice! That utterly amazing, mesmerizing, near transcendental voice!
But don’t take my word for it. I heard Go-Go Ray, drummer for the Danielle Nicole Band, saying the same thing, backstage on Saturday afternoon at the Greeley Blues Jam. In his words, “When you hear that voice, you just know.”
I, and he, are talking about the aforementioned Danielle Nicole, who along with bandmates Go-Go Ray and Brandon Miller (guitar and vocals), absolutely blew the doors off (I’m speaking metaphorically, because there were obviously no doors at this outdoor venue) with their high octane, nine-song, one-hour set early on this June evening.
Now I have an embarrassing confession to make. Cut me some slack here… this vulnerability thing is a bit awkward for me.
When I first listened to the album Wolf Den by Danielle Nicole – this would have been in late 2015 – I had no idea that Danielle Nicole was actually Danielle (Nicole) Schnebelen. It wasn’t until after the release of Danielle’s second solo album, 2018’s terrific Cry No More, that I figured out that this amazing “new” blues player and singer was the veteran singer and bass player from the Kansas City-based blues rock band Trampled Under Foot.
Danielle, along with brothers Nick (guitar and vocals) and Kris (drums and vocals), formed Trampled Under Foot way back in 2000. Between 2006 and 2013 they released five albums, including 2013’s Badlands, which reached number one on Billboard’s US Top Blues Albums chart, and won the Blues Music Award for Contemporary Blues Album of the Year in 2014.
Kris’ departure from the band in 2014 more or less signaled the end of the road for Trampled Under Foot. Though the band tried to move forward with a new drummer, it wasn’t meant to be. By 2015 all three of the Schnebelen siblings had moved on to other projects. In March of 2015, Danielle, now presenting as Danielle Nicole instead of Danielle Schnebelen, released a six-song EP, simply called Danielle Nicole. Six months later, she released her first full-length LP, Wolf Den.
Opting for quality over quantity, Danielle has released just two additional albums since Wolf Den. 2018’s Cry No More was lauded by critics, reached the number one spot on the Billboard Blues Albums Chart, and garnered awards for Danielle for female blues artist and bass instrumentalist.
(In fairness, she did release a live album between her freshman and sophomore studio releases.)
2024 brought with it the release of Danielle’s third studio album, The Love You Bleed. It’s her current tour, in support of the new album, that brought Nicole and company to the stage of the Greeley Blues Jam this past Saturday. (Danielle also played the Buffalo Rose in Golden on Friday night, however I wasn’t able to attend that event, because I was in Greeley covering the opening night festivities for the Blues Jam.)
Harkening back to the Trampled Under Foot days, the current three-piece Danielle Nicole Band is a classic blues rock configuration. Long time member Miller is absolutely stunning on guitar, and his chemistry with Danielle is palpable. And while Go-Go Ray is a relative newcomer, he is absolutely masterful behind the kit. His solo, during the set’s closing tune “Save Me,” is one of the best I’ve ever heard.
Here’s how good the band’s set was… theirs was the only set during the day/evening where the crowd rushed the stage. That’s not taking anything away from any of the other acts that performed on Saturday. Rather, it tells you how energized the crowd was, from the minute Danielle and company took the stage.
This was my (long awaited) first time seeing Danielle perform live. I say again, THAT VOICE! But there’s much more to her than “just” that. As her numerous awards confirm, she’s a fantastic bass player. As a rule, bass players are supposed to stand back and accept their role (along with drummers) of being the glue that holds everything together. I don’t think Danielle has any idea what it means to “stand back.” She’s right out front, ripping it up, rockstar posing with the best of them. And talk about personality! It’s obvious she loves what she’s doing, and she pulls everyone in the audience along for the ride, right along beside her.
Danielle’s set opened and closed with songs from the Cry No More album. “Pusher Man” was followed by “Hot Spell” to open the set, and an extended version of “Save Me” (which included Go-Go Ray’s amazing drum solo) closed it. In between were back-to-back to back tunes from The Love You Bleed… “How Did We Get To Goodbye,” “Fool’s Gold,” and “Head Down Low.” But perhaps the highlight of the set was the absolutely stunning “Take It All,” from the Wolf Den album. It’s a slow, moody, classic blues tune that begs you to close your eyes in order to fully absorb and appreciate (you guessed it) … THAT VOICE!
Story and photos by Rick Witt www.rickwittphotography.com
