by Brittney Corridean
At a little Tuscan restaurant located in Beverly, MA, musicians Dwight Ritcher and Nicole Nelson are enjoying an intimate time over the unique dish of gin pickles.
“There is the craziest full moon overhead,” Nelson says about the charming atmosphere. Currently, Dwight and Nicole are on tour with Puss ‘n Boots featuring Norah Jones and are thrilled to be performing with them.
“It’s been really exciting and fun to work with them,” Nelson states. “They’re so strong and talented. It’s like we’ve become soul sisters.”
Dwight and Nicole’s latest album, Shine On, was released just this past April. Originally, they started working on the album before Nelson appeared on the hit show The Voice, but decided to take a break from recording to take advantage of the tremendous opportunity. Being on the show was an incredible experience for her, but when all is said and done, they’re glad they waited to complete the album. When they finally returned to the studio, it was done with strong momentum and inspiration.
That wasn’t the beginning for Dwight and Nicole. They met in Boston a while back and had been friends for five years before making music together. They actually used to attend one another’s shows because they were such fans. As far as the creative/writing process goes for these two, they write their songs both independently and together.
“Sometimes we get too close to our own writing,” Ritcher says. “We typically don’t keep our sound to one genre either. It’s more like once we start working let’s just pick the best tunes.” Some inspirations that have been meaningful to their music are Billie Holiday and Louis Armstrong.
“I’ve just always been so fascinated by him,” says Ritcher in regards to his admiration for Louis. “He touched so many people.”
The duo has performed at both small and larger venues and honestly enjoy performing all different types of shows. To them, it keeps things interesting and they find all the places they’ve traveled to quite inspiring.
“It keeps us on our toes and brings out the different aspects of our music,” Nelson states. They recently just played at a conference at Martha’s Vineyard and were in Philadelphia last night with Puss ‘n Boots at the TLA. The duo will return on their own next month for a show at Tin Angel. Although they won’t have too much downtime while they are here, some things they would like to do are check out the art museum and catch up with an old friend who lives in this area.
For those who are not familiar with Dwight & Nicole, both are talented beyond words and have a sound that will give you goose bumps instantaneously. Nelson has a voice that could melt an iceberg and Ritcher’s guitar playing abilities could put any troubled mind at ease. This humble couple is truly talented. Right now, they’re just grateful to see the fruits of their labor in bloom.
