sturgis58

Sturgis Nikides is a recording artist with a unique lyrical vision and a hauntingly beautiful sound that breaks the genre barrier. Some call it blues, others call it alternative country, and some just hear good old rock and roll. No matter how they describe it, they all agree on one thing : it sounds fantastic. Sturgis has had an impressive career as a singer/songwriter, as a guitarist, and as a budding producer. He began playing the guitar in 1965, after seeing The Beatles at Shea Stadium. He made his first professional appearance in 1969 and by the mid 70's he was lauded as one of the best guitarists in NYC's burgeoning underground punk rock explosion; playing sold out shows at Max's Kansas City as lead guitarist in the legendary Neon Leon Band and The SHARP, and unbelievable as it now seems, backing Nico at the Squat Theater, right down the street from the historic Chelsea Hotel . In 1979, thru the auspices of bandmate Joe Bidewell, he aced an audition with John Cale (co-founder of the Velvet Underground, with Lou Reed). Shortly afterward, he made his vinyl debut on the 7" single "Ready for War" (Spy/IRS Records). He made his major label debut in 1980 with John Cale's "Honi Soit", on A&M records.
Continuous recording and touring followed in the ensuing years. Sturgis has appeared onstage with Sterling Morrison (Velvet Underground), Kevin Ayers (Soft Machine), and Chris Spedding, among many others.
Needing a change of scenery, he moved to Miami in 1989. When his critically acclaimed band Voidville split in 1991 he decided to move in a new direction : Producing other artists, composing instrumental music for film and TV, and recording solo for the first time ever.  A prolific songwriter, Sturgis had never sung any of his own songs, preferring to leave the honors to various bandmates over the years. Sturgis released his critically acclaimed self produced solo debut, Man Of Steel in 2004.
After an exhaustive search for the perfect partners in crime, 2008 finds him returning to the arena with a new band, and very soon, a new CD. Stay tuned!