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Kivel Records Artist NICKOLOFF Brings ENVY to Leesburg Bikefest DOWNTOWN GATOR HARLEY STAGE

Kivel Records Artist NICKOLOFF Brings ENVY to Leesburg Bikefest DOWNTOWN GATOR HARLEY STAGE

Apr 27, 2:00pm - Apr 27, 4:00pm

TBACHECK IT!!!
So, as we close 2023. We do it with pride. As this was a banner year, one that was also our 25th Anniversary. We couldn't feel more accomplished. So, to show you that we are not slowing down and resting on our laurels. We are going to give you a sneak EAR peek of an upcoming release for 2024. Who may you ask? Well, how about before you crank this bad boy, you help us publicly welcome to the Kivel Records family, a band that we are very happy to bring on board. A band of not only talented musicians, but actual fans of the genre as well. Hailing from Florida, NICKOLOFF.
This 5-piece FL act's debut album, ENVY will drop on Valentines Day 2024. The Heart will want what it wants, and all will ENVY!!
So how bout we sample some of the ear candy? Nickoloff "Back Where I Belong".
Nickoloff vocalist, John had this to say;
From the first phone conversation I had with John, in regard to the band and our material, I knew we were home. Musically, we are on the same page. He loved what we sent over, and I am a huge fan of the label. We look forward to being able to call ourselves - KIVEL RECORDS RECORDING ARTIST, NICKOLOFF! We appreciate this opportunity to take our vision to a much greater audience with Kivel Records. Thank you for bringing NICKOLOFF into the family.
NICKOLOFF is:
John Nickoloff
Reg Monsanto
Mark McManus
John Bigwood
Kevin Smith
NICKOLOFF "Envy" February 14th on Kivel Records... See MoreSee Less

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Kivel Records Recording Artist NICKOLOFF Brings ENVY to Finn's Beachside Pub in 2024!

Kivel Records Recording Artist NICKOLOFF Brings ENVY to Finn's Beachside Pub in 2024!

May 11, 7:30pm - May 11, 11:30pm

Finn's Beachside PubFlagler Beach, FL32136 Map

CHECK IT!!!
So, as we close 2023. We do it with pride. As this was a banner year, one that was also our 25th Anniversary. We couldn't feel more accomplished. So, to show you that we are not slowing down and resting on our laurels. We are going to give you a sneak EAR peek of an upcoming release for 2024. Who may you ask? Well, how about before you crank this bad boy, you help us publicly welcome to the Kivel Records family, a band that we are very happy to bring on board. A band of not only talented musicians, but actual fans of the genre as well. Hailing from Florida, NICKOLOFF.
This 5-piece FL act's debut album, ENVY will drop on Valentines Day 2024. The Heart will want what it wants, and all will ENVY!!
So how bout we sample some of the ear candy? Nickoloff "Back Where I Belong".
Nickoloff vocalist, John had this to say;
From the first phone conversation I had with John, in regard to the band and our material, I knew we were home. Musically, we are on the same page. He loved what we sent over, and I am a huge fan of the label. We look forward to being able to call ourselves - KIVEL RECORDS RECORDING ARTIST, NICKOLOFF! We appreciate this opportunity to take our vision to a much greater audience with Kivel Records. Thank you for bringing NICKOLOFF into the family.
NICKOLOFF is:
John Nickoloff
Reg Monsanto
Mark McManus
John Bigwood
Kevin Smith
NICKOLOFF "Envy" February 14th on Kivel Records... See MoreSee Less

37 interested  ·  9 going
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Kivel Records Recording Artist NICKOLOFF Brings ENVY to American Legion Post 359 Titusville in 2024!

Kivel Records Recording Artist NICKOLOFF Brings ENVY to American Legion Post 359 Titusville in 2024!

Jun 1, 12:00pm - Jun 1, 4:00pm

American Legion Post. 3597260 S US Highway 1Titusville, FL32780 Map

CHECK IT!!!
So, as we close 2023. We do it with pride. As this was a banner year, one that was also our 25th Anniversary. We couldn't feel more accomplished. So, to show you that we are not slowing down and resting on our laurels. We are going to give you a sneak EAR peek of an upcoming release for 2024. Who may you ask? Well, how about before you crank this bad boy, you help us publicly welcome to the Kivel Records family, a band that we are very happy to bring on board. A band of not only talented musicians, but actual fans of the genre as well. Hailing from Florida, NICKOLOFF.
This 5-piece FL act's debut album, ENVY will drop on Valentines Day 2024. The Heart will want what it wants, and all will ENVY!!
So how bout we sample some of the ear candy? Nickoloff "Back Where I Belong".
Nickoloff vocalist, John had this to say;
From the first phone conversation I had with John, in regard to the band and our material, I knew we were home. Musically, we are on the same page. He loved what we sent over, and I am a huge fan of the label. We look forward to being able to call ourselves - KIVEL RECORDS RECORDING ARTIST, NICKOLOFF! We appreciate this opportunity to take our vision to a much greater audience with Kivel Records. Thank you for bringing NICKOLOFF into the family.
NICKOLOFF is:
John Nickoloff
Reg Monsanto
Mark McManus
John Bigwood
Kevin Smith
NICKOLOFF "Envy" February 14th on Kivel Records... See MoreSee Less

20 interested  ·  11 going
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Share on Facebook CHECK IT!!! So, as ...Share on Twitter CHECK IT!!! So, as ...Share on Linked In CHECK IT!!! So, as ...Share by Email CHECK IT!!! So, as ...
Kivel Records Recording Artist NICKOLOFF Brings ENVY to The First Turn in 2024!

Kivel Records Recording Artist NICKOLOFF Brings ENVY to The First Turn in 2024!

Sep 20, 11:00pm - Sep 20, 11:15pm

First Turn Bar N Grillus1Port Orange, FL32127 Map

CHECK IT!!!
So, as we close 2023. We do it with pride. As this was a banner year, one that was also our 25th Anniversary. We couldn't feel more accomplished. So, to show you that we are not slowing down and resting on our laurels. We are going to give you a sneak EAR peek of an upcoming release for 2024. Who may you ask? Well, how about before you crank this bad boy, you help us publicly welcome to the Kivel Records family, a band that we are very happy to bring on board. A band of not only talented musicians, but actual fans of the genre as well. Hailing from Florida, NICKOLOFF.
This 5-piece FL act's debut album, ENVY will drop on Valentines Day 2024. The Heart will want what it wants, and all will ENVY!!
So how bout we sample some of the ear candy? Nickoloff "Back Where I Belong".
Nickoloff vocalist, John had this to say;
From the first phone conversation I had with John, in regard to the band and our material, I knew we were home. Musically, we are on the same page. He loved what we sent over, and I am a huge fan of the label. We look forward to being able to call ourselves - KIVEL RECORDS RECORDING ARTIST, NICKOLOFF! We appreciate this opportunity to take our vision to a much greater audience with Kivel Records. Thank you for bringing NICKOLOFF into the family.
NICKOLOFF is:
John Nickoloff
Reg Monsanto
Mark McManus
John Bigwood
Kevin Smith
NICKOLOFF "Envy" February 14th on Kivel Records... See MoreSee Less

13 interested  ·  8 going
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Share on Facebook CHECK IT!!! So, as ...Share on Twitter CHECK IT!!! So, as ...Share on Linked In CHECK IT!!! So, as ...Share by Email CHECK IT!!! So, as ...
Kivel Records Recording Artist NICKOLOFF Brings ENVY to First & Last Tab in 2024!

Kivel Records Recording Artist NICKOLOFF Brings ENVY to First & Last Tab in 2024!

Sep 28, 8:00pm - Sep 29, 12:00am

The First & Last Tab Food & Spirits3602 NE 8th PlOcala, FL34470 Map

CHECK IT!!!
So, as we close 2023. We do it with pride. As this was a banner year, one that was also our 25th Anniversary. We couldn't feel more accomplished. So, to show you that we are not slowing down and resting on our laurels. We are going to give you a sneak EAR peek of an upcoming release for 2024. Who may you ask? Well, how about before you crank this bad boy, you help us publicly welcome to the Kivel Records family, a band that we are very happy to bring on board. A band of not only talented musicians, but actual fans of the genre as well. Hailing from Florida, NICKOLOFF.
This 5-piece FL act's debut album, ENVY will drop on Valentines Day 2024. The Heart will want what it wants, and all will ENVY!!
So how bout we sample some of the ear candy? Nickoloff "Back Where I Belong".
Nickoloff vocalist, John had this to say;
From the first phone conversation I had with John, in regard to the band and our material, I knew we were home. Musically, we are on the same page. He loved what we sent over, and I am a huge fan of the label. We look forward to being able to call ourselves - KIVEL RECORDS RECORDING ARTIST, NICKOLOFF! We appreciate this opportunity to take our vision to a much greater audience with Kivel Records. Thank you for bringing NICKOLOFF into the family.
NICKOLOFF is:
John Nickoloff
Reg Monsanto
Mark McManus
John Bigwood
Kevin Smith
NICKOLOFF "Envy" February 14th on Kivel Records... See MoreSee Less

8 interested  ·  7 going
View on Facebook
·Share
Share on Facebook CHECK IT!!! So, as ...Share on Twitter CHECK IT!!! So, as ...Share on Linked In CHECK IT!!! So, as ...Share by Email CHECK IT!!! So, as ...

The Next Best Thing To Watching Us Live Is Watching Online

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Nickoloff Band Bios

with John Nickoloff

Vocals

Guitars & Vocals

Bass & Vocals

Drums & Vocals

Guitar

Nickoloff Is Proud To Share The Stage With:

  • EXILE
  • GREGG ALLMAN
  • LITA FORD
  • SKID ROW
  • SLAUGHTER
  • THE DRIFTERS
  • STARSHIP-FEATURING MICKEY THOMAS
  • KEEL / RON KEEL / IRONHORSE
  • THE BYRDS
  • 38 SPECIAL
  • MOLLY HATCHET
  • COLD
  • JIMMY'S CHICKEN SHACK
  • JOAN JETT
  • SURVIVOR
  • STRANGER
  • DIERKS BENTLEY
  • EDDIE MONEY
  • BAD COMPANY SINGER BRIAN HOW
  • WARRANT
  • STEPPENWOLF
  • BTO
  • BO BICE
  • BLESSID UNION OF SOULS
  • THE FIXX
  • LYNCH MOB-FEATURING GOERGE LYNCH FROM DOKKEN
  • BLACKFOOT
  • JIM DANDY

Grab Your Favorite Gear At Our Next Show!

If you would like to place an order online please purchase through my Venmo Account Here. Cash, Check, Venmo and Credit Card are accepted at all shows.

What U Hear Is What U Get

5 Song CD
$5 at Events/$7 Shipped

Get Out Of My Way

5 Song CD
$5 at Events/$7 Shipped

Somebody's Got To Be Me

10+ Song CD
$10 at Events/$12 Shipped

...Is What It Is

10+ Song CD
$10 at Events/$12 Shipped

All Shirts

Nickoloff
$20 at Events/$25 Shipped

Hats

Nickoloff
$20 at Events/$25 Shipped
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Our advice is... TURN IT UP!

[email protected]
(386) 453-9313
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© 2023 Nickoloff
Website Design By: Fins Up Marketing

with John Nickoloff

Song by Song

Singer John Nickoloff says his band makes “quality, catchy, middle-of-the-road rock songs that make you smile, dance, cry, drive faster, think about your past and-or your future. Our songs have even saved lives. THAT’S NO JOKE! I’m very proud of the songs I’ve had the pleasure of being a part of writing.”

Here John talks about some of his favorite original songs:

* “Get Out of My Way” – “This song is an all-out attack. This gets the crowd going right from the start. DON’T YOU WANNA LIVE . . . It’s truly special when the people in the crowd are singing your song back to you, with you and for you. GET OUT OF MY WAY, COMING THROUGH! What a special song!”

* “Back Where I Belong Again” – The crowd sings this song back to us and along with us. This was written by Reg Monsanto and I for the RainLord reunion show in 2014. Easy song to write, as it’s all about celebrating the band, the fans and the almighty stage. I used a ton of the old RainLord song titles in writing the lyrics to this song. The crowd, no matter if it’s the first or hundredth time they’ve seen us, are singing COME BACK, COME BACK, COME BACK, COME BACK . . . I’M HOME . . . BACK WHERE I BELONG. So awesome!”

* “Real Life” – “This is one of the crowd favorites. The lyrics and the music are both emotional and inspirational. One of my favorite songs I’ve had the pleasure of writing lyrics to and singing. Mark McManus and I created a real treasure here. CAUSE IT’S REAL LIFE AND YOU DON’T KNOW HOW IT ENDS . . . DON’T LET THE MIGHT HAVE BEEN, SHOULD HAVE BEEN, WOULD HAVE BEEN, COULD HAVE, BE YOU!”

* “I Like It” – Reg Monsanto penned this song 10 years ago. When I heard it, I approached him about me doing this with Nickoloff prior to Reg and I working together in Nickoloff. Ten years later, we tweak it a bit, and breathe new life into this. People love this song! It has such a swagger. It’s almost as if Reg wrote this song for me. I love performing this song, we as a band love performing this song, and the crowd, big or small. not just LIKES it — THEY LOVE IT!”

“There are so many more original songs I could speak about,” Nickoloff says. “We have right now about 13-15 we pull from and play, and we have such a huge catalog of original songs to pull from that we’ll be adding in the not-too-distant future. Not to mention all of the new songs we’re writing and recording. WATCH OUT!”

Here’s a glimpse at some of the band’s favorite songs to cover:

  • Thin Lizzy – “Jailbreak”
  • Poison – “Look What the Cat Dragged In”
  • Bon Jovi – “It’s My Life”
  • Velvet Revolver – “Slither”
  • Sammy Hagar – “I’ll Fall in Love Again”
  • Billy Idol – “Rebel Yell”
  • Tonic – “If You Could Only See”
  • Men At Work – “Who Can It Be Now”
  • Deep Purple – “Smoke on the Water”

Vocals

John Nickoloff

To discover the roots of John Nickoloff’s rock ’n’ roll swagger as the singer-frontman of the band that bears his name, you have to go back – way back to his days growing up in Indianapolis just 10 minutes from that city’s world-famous speedway.

Inspired by Kiss and Van Halen, Nickoloff joined his first band, Strutter. Then came a name change.

“We actually called ourselves Lust at my Catholic school,” Nickoloff says.

If that didn’t make the nuns squirm, Nickoloff’s band had more rock brazeness to deliver.

“We were going to play our first show ever, the talent show in my freshman year at Cardinal Ritter High school in Indianapolis,” Nickoloff recalls. “We got up and played, of all things, ‘All Hell’s Breakin’ Loose’ by Kiss (laughs). We were a huge hit. So stupid! But it was memorable.”

Nickoloff moved to Florida in 1985 with his family, and there he encountered “probably my biggest influence,” he says: The country band Sawyer Brown with its manic frontman, Mark Miller. “He’s the first one I ever saw get off the stage and get into the crowd,” Nickoloff says. “He was great. My other biggest influence was seeing INXS at the Ocean Center in Daytona Beach (in 1991). I had seen some cool concerts at that point, but I had never seen one where the aisles were filled with people dancing.”

In 1994 Nickoloff serendipitously met guitarist Reg Monsanto (see Reg’s bio for more on that story), and their band RainLord was born.

Crafting original, macho, swagger-filled rock, power ballads and guitar-pumped pop rock that would give Bon Jovi, Kiss and Journey a run for their money, RainLord released CDs and became a torrid presence on the Central Florida music scene. The band played incessantly at regional clubs, was a fixture at Daytona biker festivals and the summer concert season at the Daytona Beach Bandshell, and opened for just about every name-brand rock band that toured through the area.

The band amicably dissolved in 2000 as Monsanto wanted to down-shift and spend more time with his wife and children, while Nickoloff still desired to ride the rock ’n’ roll beast. Monsanto formed the aptly named Low Profile and gigged at a less manic pace than the RainLord days, and later he went solo when he discovered “a lot more clubs just wanted an acoustic guy in the corner.”

Meanwhile, John fed his rock jones in such post-RainLord groups as Snakeskin Parade, Naked Rachel and the first incarnation of Nickoloff.

RainLord played a 20th reunion gig in 2014 at the Bandshell with all four original members, and the quartet even wrote new songs for the occasion. Nickoloff and Monsanto discovered the rock ’n’ roll chemistry of their early days was still smoldering, and a second RainLord reunion went down in 2015, but with them as the only founding members. Talk of a full-fledged RainLord revival “fizzled” – to use Nickoloff’s word – and he and Monsanto realized, as the guitarist puts it, that the 2014 reunion “was the best way to put the epilogue at the back of the book.”

Subsequently, Nickoloff occasionally guested with Monsanto at his gigs, but the singer-frontman virtually stopped rocking for three years as he and his wife Stephanie poured their time and efforts into building a new home.

Then came the summer of 2020 with its pandemic lockdown, and Korky Butto, a drummer friend, “was always calling me saying ‘Hey, what are you doing? You need to be doing this. You’re a rock star. You need to be out playing,’ ” Nickoloff recalls. “So he pulled me in and I’m like ‘I’ll give it a shot.’ ”

The Nickoloff-Monsanto partnership was reborn in the band John Nickoloff & The Rear View Mirror in the summer of 2021. The rock ’n’ roll universe shape-shifted yet again, and in early 2023 a new lineup of vocalist John Nickoloff, guitarist Reg Monsanto, bassist John Bigwood and drummer Kevin Smith emerged, rechristened and revitalized as the band Nickoloff.

It’s been a long, strange trip since that day Lust rocked that Catholic high school in Indianapolis, with the past decade seeing Nickoloff take as much time off from rock ’n’ roll as giddily strutting through its trenches. So, what was the inspiration-motivation to fill up the gas tank again, rev up the engine and charge full throttle back into the arena?

“Plain and simple, I LOVE THIS!” Nickoloff says. “I’ve missed this. I thrive on this. There’s a team here that’s bought into the whole thing. The songs, the image, and all that goes along with it. It doesn’t hurt that we all get along great! I need to be doing this. It keeps me sane.”

As for rechristening the band as Nickoloff . . .

“The name recognition was huge in that decision,” the singer says. “John Nickoloff, John Nickoloff & The Rear View Mirror . . . Blah Blah Blah . . . . It all keeps coming back to NICKOLOFF. The logo was there, a lot of the songs were there. What was the point of all of the other stuff? We could have created a whole new name, but why? The WHY was the key to reach a bit into the past and grab the future.”

Past, present, future . . . Nickoloff admits he’s changed since his early days of commanding a rehearsal room and prowling a stage.

“I’d like to think I’m a bit more calculated in my decision-making for the band and in general,” he says. “I’d also like to think that I’m a bit less of an ass than I used to be. I think I got caught up in it in my 20’s and was a little more than difficult to deal with outside of the band life. I still have my impulsive moments, but I think more before I do.

“In my 20’s, in our rehearsal room in the early days of RainLord, we were auditioning drummers and a guy went to the bathroom and when he came out I asked him if it was going a little slow for him. When he replied yes, I immediately told him to pack his s@@t and get the f@@k out. Not anymore.”

Yet, Nickoloff says, in many ways his inner rocker – and the ways that inner rocker comes alive onstage – hasn’t really changed.

“I still have the same drive,” he says. “I still have the same dreams of making it. I still have the same energy and stamina onstage that I had in my 20’s. I still don’t drink, smoke and have never done a drug in my life. NEVER have I even smoked a joint, weed or whatever they call it now. I’m not all that different than I was then.”

As he and his bandmates are about to ascend a stage for a live gig, “I’m never nervous,” Nickoloff says. “I’m reading the room. I’M READY TO ENTERTAIN!”

At the conclusion of a show, he adds, he and the band “hope that you’ve been thoroughly entertained, you’re smiling, that you were able to forget about anything negative going on in your world for the last however long we were together, and that you can’t get our original songs out of your head. See you the next time . . . TELL YOUR FRIENDS.”

In 1965, The Who famously sang “Hope I die before I get old” in their song “My Generation.” Almost 60 years later, The Who are still touring with Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey in their late 70s. Likewise, Nickoloff is ready to, as he says, “grab the future.”

“In the past year I’ve been compared to Rod Stewart, Mick Jagger and Elvis,” he says. “With the exception of Elvis, the other two are still kicking ass. Kiss is still out there, Sammy Hagar is still out there and Elvis, long gone, is still the KING! I’ll be here in 20 years! Come see me!”

Guitars & Vocals

Reg Monsanto

Ask Nickoloff guitarist Reg Monsanto about his musical influences while growing up in Queens, N.Y., and he’ll reply with a familiar lineup of the big guns: Led Zeppelin, Beatles/Wings, Aerosmith, Boston, Eagles, Black Sabbath.

But those rock icons weren’t the first ones to alter Monsanto’s musical DNA. That honor went to . . . a nun?!

“My fifth-grade teacher was a guitar-playing nun, Sister Judith,” Monsanto says. “She was looking to put a youth musical group together and needed guitar players. I volunteered but told her I did not have a guitar nor knew how to play. She said, ‘If you can get a guitar, I will show you how to play.’ I begged my parents for a guitar that night.

“My dad was able to pick up a used acoustic and my lessons with Sister Judith began. Showing a new intense passion for music, my mom bought me my first three record albums: Boston’s first album, the Eagles’ ‘Hotel California’ and Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Rumors.’ After I listened to these, I knew I wanted to learn more than church songs.”

Monsanto’s formal education and musical education comingled again several years later.

“My high school had a big-brother/little-brother program, so as a ninth grader I was buddied-up with a 12th grader who just so happened to play lead guitar in a local rock band,” Monsanto says. “When he found out I could play, he invited me to play a few songs with them at a school dance. So I did — and I killed it. I became a ninth-grade hero and the feeling on stage was a thrill that I got addicted to.”

During his senior year of high school, in 1982, Monsanto “began writing songs by putting my poems to music,” he says. “My friends and I all played guitar and finally thought we were ready to start a hard rock band. This was when Ozzy, Judas Priest and Iron Maiden were on fire.”

He and his friends – a guitarist and bassist – recruited a vocalist and drummer and formed Avalanche.

“Bad ass name, no?,” Monsanto says. When the singer’s step-dad became their manager, the band changed their name to Martyr.

“We rehearsed non-stop, played private parties, won a few battle-of-the-bands, put out an EP of my songs and were invited to meet with record execs in New York City,” Monsanto says. “We got rejected by every single one, as we didn’t have a ‘hit song.’ ”

Martyr broke up soon after, but Monsanto answered an ad by a band seeking a guitarist, and he joined Grand Passion, a Long Island rock/pop group.

“We played more dance rock than hard rock to keep up with the mid-80s trends, and my original songs also leaned toward the more melodic,” he says. “We put out an EP — seemed like that was the thing to do, huh? — and garnered a pretty decent following all over Long Island. A highlight was performing at a skate park’s grand opening which featured a demonstration by Tony Hawk. That show made me realize that THAT is what I wanted — big events on a big stage, not late-night gigs in small seedy bars.”

Soon after, Monsanto’s life and musical fortunes changed dramatically, thanks to his marriage, a move to Florida and, in a twist of fate as strange as that guitar-playing nun . . . a rock band of Smurfs?!

“After I got married in 1992, my wife Katie and I decided to take my parents up on their offer to buy their vacation home in Palm Coast, Florida,” he says. “In 1993, happy at my job and married life, I thought my band playing days were over. I had a collection of band Smurfs that I kept on my desk when a co-worker noticed and asked if I played an instrument. I shared that I played guitar and had been in bands growing up.

“He asked if I wanted to jam, since he had met a few guys who were looking to put a band together. I declined, as — I thought — I had retired. He said, ‘We’ll just jam, no pressure.’ I reluctantly agreed and you guessed it, one of the guys was John Nickoloff. We jammed, it clicked and we formed Alliance.”

As during his earlier band days, the new group rehearsed incessantly, played private parties and small bars, then bumped into another Alliance and had to change their name. Nickoloff, Monstanto and bandmates rechristened themselves RainLord.

With lead singer Nickoloff commandeering the stage like a manic buccaneer, and Monsanto’s guitar alchemy combining equal parts firepower and melody a la Neal Schon and Richie Sambora, RainLord conjured original rock in the Bon Jovi, Kiss and Poison mode, including such macho, lusty rockers as “One Night Stand,” “Black Widow” and the kinky “Lady Don’t Know,” the power ballad “All My Life” and the Journey-worthy pop-rock song “First Love.” The band occasionally and bravely wandered into other musical realms, as with “Call Down the Rain Lord,” which fused a brooding, gothic vibe and Allman Brothers-style Southern rock in a tale of a guy haunted by past love.

“We played all over Florida, enjoyed some regional success with two CDs worth of original music, and opened for almost every national act coming through the Daytona area,” Monsanto says. “Again, big events on big stages were our calling card, and in Daytona that meant Bike Week and Biketoberfest. We played a steady schedule of dates for nearly 10 years and even got radio play on a local pop station!

“But without a ‘hit song’ to our name, we were limited to regional notoriety,” he says, and the band amicably called it quits after their 10th anniversary.

However, “John and I remained close friends and continued writing and performing together with our side projects until we formally put RainLord back together for the 20th anniversary show in 2014,” Monsanto says.

A full-fledged, ongoing RainLord reunion didn’t happen “as was hoped,” he says, but the Nickoloff-Monsanto musical partnership continued with the pair “writing and doing spot gigs over the next few years until we officially reformed as Nickoloff in 2020.”

Monsanto says his three favorite cover songs performed by Nickoloff are Bon Jovi’s “It’s My Life,” Velvet Revolver’s “Slither” and Billy Idol’s “Rebel Yell.”

As for the band’s original music, he describes it as “fun,” “danceable,” at times “edgy” and at times “intimate.”

“The atmosphere and the vibe always make you feel like something fun is about to happen,” Monsanto says. “Some of the songs, covers and originals, have lyrics that are suggestive, and that adds to the fun! Many of the original songs were written from a very personal perspective and that drags you deeper into the Nickoloff experience.”

Likewise, the band’s live shows are “fun, high energy, engaging, intimate,” Monsanto says. “John’s forte is his command of a crowd and how he gets them involved. It helps that the original songs have sing-along parts where the audience can join in. John feeds off the energy of the audience, and you can see it and feel it when the dance floor is packed and he’s dancing with them!”

Bass & Vocals

John Bigwood

If Nickoloff ever decides to cover Bach or Beethoven, the band can turn to their bassist, John Bigwood, for guidance.

“As a kid, I learned music playing cello, violin and piano,” Bigwood says of his younger days growing up in Worcester, Massachusetts. It was Mr. Smith, his music teacher at Columbus Park Elementary, “who got me started playing music,” Bigwood says.

But sometime later Bigwood rolled over Beethoven and told Tchaikovsky the news: His musical heart was being shaken, rattled and rolled by the likes of The Who, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, “blues-influenced music” and the early J. Geils Band, who had formed in 1967 in Worcester.

“I played my first live gig in 1985 at a New Year’s Eve party,” says Bigwood, who also sings and plays acoustic guitar.

After moving to Daytona Beach, where he’s been working in the commercial painting business for 25 years, Bigwood played with the band Boneroller from 1992-1996, frequently gigging at the Main Street Pier. During his tenure with Back of the Bus from 2000-2008, the group served as the house band at Marker 32, along with some Main Street Pier gigging. During his stint with the band Queens Ransom from 2013-2015, Daytona’s famous Boot Hill Saloon was a favored venue.

From 2015-2021, Bigwood played with the Not Brothers Band, who were “a corporate event band, not so much anything bar-related,” he says. “We played Rockefeller Gardens (the riverside park in Ormond Beach) every year for their July 4th celebration and-or their Summer Sounds series.” The group also served as the all-star band for the radio station Rock of Daytona 104.7.

Bigwood joined Nickoloff in 2021.

On the cover-song side of the street, Bigwood says his favs to play with Nickoloff are Men at Work’s “Who Can It Be Now” (“love the vocals and catchy rhythms”), Velvet Revolver’s “Slither” (“because it rocks”), and Deep Purple’s “Smoke on the Water” (“a fun classic to play”).

Nickoloff’s original music, Bigwood says, “is pure fun, high energy and very catchy lyrics and choruses. Just fun to play. The songs are well thought-out and written.”

When Nickoloff takes it to the stage, “We’re all well-prepared,” Bigwood says. “The funnest part about a Nickoloff concert is playing the original songs and watching all the people sing the songs with John and the band. The lights, the PA, all the different professional sound guys we have used makes the whole experience great. John makes everyone around him better.”

Drums & Vocals

Kevin Smith

Forgive Nickoloff drummer Kevin Smith if he was a bit distracted when he played his first gig in 1998 with his first band, DeepSlick, at a hotel lounge in DeLand, Florida.

“As if I wasn’t nervous enough, I remember it was hard to concentrate because a particular group of very nice people rented out the entire hotel — and most of them didn’t seem to like to wear clothes,” says Smith, who was 33 at the time. “My parents were there and they stuck it out the entire show. They were not going to miss my first gig. It was a fun yet awkward experience to say the least.”

Growing up in Daytona Beach, Smith was in his late teens when he attended his first two concerts: Ozzy Osbourne in 1981 and Black Sabbath (with Ronnie James Dio) in 1982.

“I knew then that I wanted to be in a rock band,” he says. “I could never seem to be able to play the guitar, so I bought my first drum set at the age of 20, in 1985.”

The self-taught drummer was greatly influenced by Vinny Appice of Dio and Black Sabbath. “I still incorporate his groove and fill style into my playing,” Smith says. He also learned to play by drumming along to cassettes of such artists as AC/DC (with drummer Phil Rudd), Night Ranger (Kelly Keagy), Accept (Stefan Kaufmann), Triumph (Gil Moore) and others.

He and three close friends from his neighborhood — one played guitar, one played bass and one played keyboards, and all were “straight up beginners” — eventually formed DeepSlick.

As DeepSlick was in rehearsals before its first gig, Smith and his bandmates met John Nickoloff and the members of his then-current band, RainLord.

“It was around 1997, and our respective bands were rehearsing in the same storage unit complex,” Smith says. “RainLord was already playing out and had released their debut album. John heard us play a Little River Band song, ‘Take It Easy on Me,’ and he came over and asked us if we would play it again. He was intrigued by our harmonies. I remember John gave us all a copy of the RainLord CD and I made the guys autograph it.

“We would run into each other every now and then throughout the years, brief interactions. It was always pleasant and we had a mutual respect for each other. We stayed connected through social media where I became a fan of his music.”

After tenures with DeepSlick (1998-2005) and Silk ’n Steel (2005-2009) playing clubs and special/city/corporate-sponsored shows throughout the Daytona area, Smith “took a brief retirement from performing in 2010 — and that ended up lasting 12 years,” he says.

In January 2022, Smith got an email from John asking if he knew any drummers available for his soon-to-be relaunched band. Smith told Nickoloff he would ask around, but John was puzzled that Smith didn’t express an interest in joining Nickoloff.

“I politely told him that I hadn’t played in 12 years and didn’t even own a kit,” Smith recalls. “He said he didn’t care, and that I’m probably still better than a lot of the drummers around.”

John said he would supply a drum kit to audition with and, Smith says, “I nervously accepted the invitation. The truth is, if anyone other than John Nickoloff asked me to come out of retirement, I probably would have said no. It was an added bonus that Reg Monsanto was in the band also, and that might have been the kicker. I had never met Reg, but I knew his work with John from local legends RainLord.”

Smith rented a drum kit and showed up at the audition after a few days of practice.

“After day one I wasn’t sure if I could still play,” he says. Over the next several weeks, Smith learned 12 songs including four Nickoloff originals. But he didn’t get the gig – John decided to go with another drummer, and the revitalized Nickoloff band played a run of Bike Week dates in March 2022.

Several weeks later Smith got a text from John asking if he still wanted the gig.

“I told him absolutely, and I bought the kit I was renting,” Smith says. “My first show with Nickoloff was in May of 2022. One of the best decisions of my life. You only live once — and I’m having a blast!”

Curiously, Smith’s new gig landed him beside a more current musical influence: John Nickoloff himself.

“John is an accomplished drummer, and he plays drums on most of the material on his albums,” Smith says. “John has a particular style that is very different than how I played in my previous bands. Open hi-hat, quarter notes on the hats and kick. Not only did I have to learn his setlist and arrangements, most importantly I had to learn his style. This whole experience has made me a better drummer.

“I’ve also slowly stepped into the role of the third, low harmony, vocalist after the departure of our former guitarist Mark McManus. Our vocal harmonies are now signature and are firing on all cylinders.”

Some of Smith’s favorite cover songs performed by Nickoloff include Bon Jovi’s “It’s My Life,” Poison’s “Look What the Cat Dragged In” and Sammy Hagar’s “I’ll Fall in Love Again.”

While “not many other area bands play these songs,” Smith says, “the biggest difference between a Nickoloff performance and other local/regional bands I’ve been in, or have seen, is that we can incorporate 10-15 original songs in our set. Most club owners frown upon that. We’ve seen audience members that we’ve never met singing along to John’s original songs. Best feeling in the world.”

He describes Nickoloff’s music as “memorable hooks, catchy choruses. High-energy, yet melodic songs with big vocal harmonies. Some songs lean more to a hard rock style that gets fists in the air and heads banging. Slower ballads and acoustic versions get the slow dancers on the floor. Something for everybody.”

As for Nickoloff himself, Smith says, “John spends much of his performance off-stage, choosing to engage the crowd personally. You will often find John performing on top of chairs, tables and bar-tops, and if you’re in the audience don’t be surprised when he sees you singing along if he hands you his microphone and let’s you sing a verse or a chorus. In my opinion, he’s the best entertainer in this region, hands down.”

Guitar

Mark McManus

Bio Coming Soon!

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