This is the Official Website of Never In Denver! Making jazz and indie music since high school, Chris and the Vega brothers ventured off to separate paths in college and finally reunited adding PA’s finest, Amanda, to the mix.
Never In Denver is intuitive and eclectic, with contemplative chordal and vocal structures woven through a shifting undercurrent of rhythmic response.
About the band
Mixing varying musical backgrounds with attentive understanding of musical lines and fluidity, Never In Denver has moved from a music hypothesis to a successful experiment.
Nucleo Vega was born first followed by his brother Posido Vega. With mutual challenging respect, Nuc and Posido grew into a dynamic drum&bass duo. Upon entering high school, the brothers met a young guitarist who had a uniquely mature ear. Chris Kennedy, from a young age, had influences that went beyond pop/rock. These three young men were immediately drawn to each others fresh talent, musical drive and genuine intellect. And so it began.
Chris was already attending Towson University when Amanda arrived. One song (Joni Mitchell’s “Both Sides”) for one concert was all it took for the two of them to realize the powerful musical chemistry.
Fast forward 4 years… Nuc and Posido are still brothers – Chris and Amanda are still working together.
In September of 2006, Amanda was called to do a jazz wedding gig with friends of Chris. She met Nucleo and Posido, intrigued by their musical conceptions. She jumped on an opportunity to form a band with the Vega’s and Chris.
What began as a musical hypothesis, 4 very different musicians creating a unique sound, became a successful experiment.
Amanda Olsavsky-vocals
Amanda’s roots in music run deep and are heavily influenced by her family. At an early age of two, Amanda began singing on stage with her mother’s family southern gospel group, and by high school was studying voice, competing in local festivals and national competitions.
Attending Towson University in Maryland, Amanda had the opportunity to study classical with Ah Hong from Peabody and jazz voice with Ruby Glover (Ruby has recently been recognized by the Smithsonian as a vocal staple in jazz). Upon Amanda’s 2004 graduation with a double degree in English and Music, she had already performed and recorded with various regional and national musicians – including Lenny Williams, pianist of the late Eva Cassidy. Last summer, she was a semi-finalist at the Billie Holiday competition at Baltimore’s renowned Artscape. Much of Amanda’s music work is found in the church, where she has taught voice, arranged choir pieces, directed adult and children choirs, performed and recorded under the direction of Bob Kauflin. Outside of music and the arts, Amanda, a former 5th and 6th grade teacher, is a national school liaison and the headquarters administrator for the American Students’ Fund, a non-profit, character education program.
Visit: www.myspace.com/amandajolsavsky
Chris Kennedy-guitar
Chris is a jazz guitar graduate from Towson University and is currently a staff composer at Clean Cuts Music. He has scored music for TV, radio, film, and video games. His music has appeared on the Discovery Channel, National Geographic, NBC, and the Weather Channel. He scored the independent film Charlie Obert’s Barn and also wrote the theme music for WYPR’s Maryland Morning. His score for The Last Ridge ran nationally on PBS. Chris has received awards from the Ad Club of Washington and the Songwriters’ Association of Washington. In addition to playing with Never in Denver, he performs with Tami D’Mar and Sandy Asirvatham.
Visit: www.myspace.com/chriskennedymusic and www.reverbnation.com/chriskennedyandfriends
Nucleo Vega-drum set
Nucleo Vega is an accomplished performer, educator, and author. He has a Masters in Jazz Performance from University of Maryland and his teachers include Mike Shepherd, Steve Fydik, Sean Rickman, Jeff Ballard, Dave Throckmorton, Ron Barnett, and Chuck Redd. Shortly after graduating college, Nuc was awarded the First Year Educator of the Year award in Howard County, Maryland. He went on to publish his first book at the age of 27: Mel Bay’sUnderstanding Groove for Drum Set, which was featured in Modern Drummer, Jazz Times, Drum Magazine, and Drummer Magazine. Understanding Groove was a finalist for Best Drum Book of the Year by Drum! magazine. Mel Bay’s Paradiddles Redfined for Drum Set was recently featured in Modern Drummer April 2010 and received rave reviews. He currently writes for the drum e-zine Percussion Sessions and has been a guest speaker for Teach for America.
Currently, Nucleo is a band director and professional drummer in the Baltimore/DC area. He organizes and runs jazz services, playing material from John Coltrane’s A Love Supreme album and tours with the award winning celtic/world ensemble, Harp 46, who has three albums in the top 10 of the World/New Age Billboards. Nuc performs with SAW-finalist jazz group Never in Denver, Eric Felten Jazz Orchestra, Mid-Atlantic Jazz Collegiate Orchestra, and members of D.C.’s military bands: Army Ambassadors, Navy Commodores, Army Blues, President’s Marine Band, and Naval Academy Jazz Band. He has shared the stage with Grammy Award winning musicians Chris Vadala, Steve Wilson, Michael Bowie, Al Petteway, members of the Afro-Bop Alliance, and jazz greats Scott Wendholt , John Toomey, Mike Pope, Loston Harris, and James King. In the church circuit, Nucleo has shared the stage with Dove award winning musicians Nichole Nordeman, Vickie Winas, and David Crowder and Telly and Praise Award winning group, Enter the Worship Circle. Nucleo has performed in major venues such the Kennedy Center, Wolf Trap, Blues Alley, and the Verizon Center and performed in festivals such as the East Coast Jazz Festival, Northwest Folk Life Festival, W.C. Handy Jazz Festival, Emergent, Bumbershoot Festival, Fourth of July Celebrations on the Mall in D.C., and the S.A.W. Awards. Nucleo is available to do clinics and workshops.
For more information, sound and video clips, visit his website: www.nucleovega.com
Posido Vega-bass
Posido began his career as a musician at the age of 16 when he bought his first bass guitar. Within two weeks, Posido was playing professionally and gigging consistently in the local Maryland scene. During his career, Posido has performed on several Pop’s concerts as Principal Bassist with The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, toured along the East Coast with the The Sandtown Children of Praise, performed rhythm guitar for the televised KBN Network Music Festival, and performed bass with celtic fusion band Harp 46 at Bumber Shoot, The Northwest Folk Life Festival, and Emergent Conferences.
Venues Posido has performed in, include The Myerhoff Symphony Hall in Baltimore, RFK Stadium, Camden Yards, The Baltimore Harbor, Disney World, The Seattle Center, The Expreience Music Project/Liquid Lounge, Jazz Alley in Seattle, and The Nashville Convention Center.
Visit: www.posido.net
