Pink Jams! Artist Showcase and Pin Release Party

Pink Jams! Artist Showcase - February 23, 2012

Event Details

Date: Thursday, February 23, 2012
Time: Live music starts at 4pm!

Featuring Live Performances By:

• 4pm - Nita Chawla
• 5pm - Adrian Krygowski
• 6pm - Ted Hovis and the Stolen Camaros
• 7pm - The Dreamscapes Project
• 8pm - Practically Einstein
• 9pm - AUTOGRAPHED GUITAR RAFFLE WINNER CHOSEN
• 9:15pm - Vagabond Union

An urban girl with a Southern heart and Eastern roots, Nita Chawla grew up in both a musical and cultured family. Since the age of 5, she began singing with her makeshift family Vontrap, with her Dad often accompanying her on tablas. At age 8 she started learning piano and picked up the acoustic guitar soon after.

A blend of adult contemporary, alternative, and pop, Nita’s early influences were singer-songwriters Tori Amos, Sheryl Crow, and Alanis Morisette. During her teens, she began to acquire a taste for rock acts like Garbage, U2, Coldplay, and pop sensations Madonna and Beyoncé. Nita's latest style is comparable to Adele and Colbie Caillat; her voice as smooth as dark chocolate with surprise hazelnuts found in her sharp staccatos and percussive outbursts. The only difference? She’s 100 % Indian.

In 2010, Nita launched a 5-song EP on iTunes and has been performing more than ever since then in both NYC and DC. She recently has been performing on a monthly basis at Bossa in Adam's Morgan, and has participated twice in “The 9 Singer-Songwriter Series,” a travelling showcase based out of D.C. featuring nine artists from various musical backgrounds. A short clip of her song “Forgive Me,” was included on the first season of NBC’s The Voice (2011) starring celebrity judges Christina Aguilera, Adam Levine, Cee Lo, and Blake Shelton.

For more information on Nita Chawla, visit: http://www.nitachawla.com/.

"Known for his innovative guitar playing, the DC-based singer songwriter plays his catchy, clever pop tunes." ~Washington Post's Going Out Guide

"What an awesome and inspiring experience to work with Adrian Krygowski. Totally prepared, professional and easy to work with. Can't wait to finish the album and for everyone to hear it." ~Ed Pettersen - Split Rock Records Nashville

"The music is a folk/alt country blend...reminds me of a young Jimmy Lafave. I bought his CD and I think you should, too." ~Stuck Inside of Knoxville

For more information on Adrian, visit: http://www.adriankrygowski.com/.

Soaring & unrepentant arena rock, transcendent acoustic ballads, deep and dark bass grooves - all punctuated with a hint of the blues. This is the unique sonic landscape created by Ted Hovis & the Stolen Camaros, hailing from the Washington DC area.

Featuring Ted Hovis on lead vocals/lead guitar, Mark Beeson on bass/vocals, Ted Dumas on drums, and Dick Busby on rhythm guitar/keyboards, they combine elements of modern rock, hard rock, blues, funk, electronic, and acoustic genres to create a sound that draws upon familiar sources yet occupies a space all its own.

The band was formed in mid-2011 in support of Ted's acclaimed solo album "Let It Shine", which has received overwhelmingly positive reviews across the US and Europe with two tracks receiving honors in the prestigious SAW Mid-Atlantic Song Contest. Critics have consistently compared the album's guitar driven, melodic sound to elite rock acts such as U2, Kings of Leon, Stone Temple Pilots, Soundgarden, and Led Zeppelin to name a few.

To learn more about Ted Hovis & The Stolen Camaros, please visit http://www.stolencamaros.com/.

With sites like VH1.com, pandora.com, and billboard.com now comparing the dreamscapes project to prominent bands like the Decemberists, Arcade Fire, and the Dave Matthews Band, its hard to imagine that a decade ago, when budding singer/songwriter Keith Center approached composition major Jeremy Rodgers about forming the band, that he promptly replied "No".

Although it took till 2006 to find its final line up, even Rodgers would admit that he never imagined the legion of loyal listeners which has followed this eccentric quintet since he reconsidered that fateful day. Fronted by 12-string acoustic guitar and cello, the addition of melodic bass grooves and world percussion makes it a struggle to define a genre narrower than "acoustic". Undaunted theScapes coined the name "folk-core" and have gone on to be called"…one of the most innovative bands to come out of the East Coast in the last decade." (Jim M., CWG Magazine).

With the bands last release however, theScapes began racking up statistics and accolades. Despite being free of almost all representation, over the next two years they preceded to play over 120 shows in 10 states, including headlining the legionary 930 club, sharing the bill with acts like Blues Traveler, Ok Go, Bowling for Soup, Pat McGee, Good Charlotte, and Steven Kellogg and the Sixers.

A staple on the DC scene for years (though the lineup has changed), Practically Einstein has toured everywhere from New England to New Orleans, as well as throughout parts of Europe, with trips upcoming to Prague and Copenhagen. PE recently released the single "Soldier Girl", a song dedicated to the women in the U.S. Armed Services. The song has appeared on the TV pilot "Young Adult" and has gotten airplay on numerous stations, including one of the most heard stations in the nation's capital, DC101.

A regular at such venues around DC/MD/VA as IOTA, Whitlow's, Shamrockfest, and the 9:30 Club, the guys also try to balance the local shows with tours whenever possible. So please ask about bringing PE to a venue near you! You can also often find the roving power duo of Brad and Smilin' Rob rocking their eclectic mix of originals and covers at countless local bars, parties, festivals, and Irish pubs.

PE's music incorporates such influences as '70's garage, '80's new wave, '90's alt-rock, and Americana from the '00s, but always ties it together with infectious pop hooks and bittersweet melodies. The guys all hail from elsewhere (including Jersey, Philly, and Detroit) but have bonded together to keep making music in the transient, turbulent landscape inside the Beltway.

For more information on Practically Einstein, visit: http://www.practicallyeinstein.com/.

The Vagabond Union is an Alternative Americana / Rock band based in the Carolinas consisting of Dave Hedeman, John Kenney, Dave Cannon and G. Malin Wagnon. Hedeman and Kenney met in college, and have since shared a mutual respect while pursuing other musical endeavors. Hedeman was the frontman for the southern rock band PuddleDuck, and Kenney and Cannon were the lead guitar player and drummer for the rock band Rotoglow.

Finally, the time has come for them to combine their talents and create a sound that rings true to their years of touring and traveling. Truth, guts, the American dream, and hard luck stories fuel their salt-of-the-earth songwriting style.

Sharing songwriting and lead singing duties in The Vagabond Union, Hedeman and Kenney, along with drummer/percussionist Dave Cannon, feel that they are finally in a place where they are completely comfortable and free musically. There are no expectations, no big dreams, and no record companies.

There is just one common goal: to make great American music.

To learn more about The Vagabond Union, visit: http://www.reverbnation.com/TheVagabondUnion.