NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Nick Valensi

Nick Valensi (born Nicholas Valensi, January 16, 1981, in New York) is a guitarist for the New York based rock band, The Strokes. is the 16th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1981 (MCMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday (link displays the 1981 Gregorian calendar). ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... New York, New York redirects here. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... For other uses, see Rock music (disambiguation). ... A musical instrument is a device constructed or modified with the purpose of making music. ... For other uses, see Guitar (disambiguation). ... In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. ... New Line Records is a record label owned by New Line Cinema. ... Rough Trade Records, now a member of the RIAA[1], began as an independent record label, based in London, England. ... Scratchie Records is an independent record label founded in 1995 by James Iha and Darcy Wretzky (ex-Smashing Pumpkins), Adam Schlesinger (Fountains of Wayne, Ivy), Kerry Brown (ex-Catherine) and Jeremy Freeman. ... For other uses, see Stroke (disambiguation). ... Nick Valensi is currently endorsed by Epiphone. ... is the 16th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1981 (MCMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday (link displays the 1981 Gregorian calendar). ... New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ... For the UK magazine, see Guitarist (magazine). ... This article is about the type of musical group. ... For other uses, see Stroke (disambiguation). ...

The Early Years

Nick Valensi's father was born in Tunisia, and his mother Danielle is French ^[1]. He has two sisters, Celine (who appeared in the video for "Juicebox") ^[2] and Alessandra. He was raised Jewish. His parents gave him his first acoustic guitar when he was 5, and his first electric at age 8.^[3] His father died when he was 10. By the time he was 11, he had mastered such advanced songs as Chuck Berry's "Johnny B. Goode", and at 13 years old he felt comfortable enough with his skills to stop taking lessons. Acoustic guitar can refer to the following musical instruments: Nylon and gut stringed guitars: Renaissance guitar Baroque guitar Romantic guitar Classical guitar, the modern version of the original guitar, with nylon strings Flamenco guitar Steel stringed guitars: Steel-string acoustic guitar, also known as western, folk or country guitar Twelve... Charles Edward Anderson Chuck Berry (born 18 October 1926, St. ...

Valensi went to public schools his whole life except for one year at the Dwight School in Manhattan.^[4] It was there that he met future bandmates Fabrizio Moretti and Julian Casablancas. The Dwight School is a selective, combined elementary and secondary private school on the Upper West Side in New York, NY. // The school was founded in 1880 by Julius Sachs, founder of the College Board and member of the Goldman Sachs banking family. ... Fabrizio Moretti (nicknamed Fab) is the drummer in the American band The Strokes. ... Julian Fernando Casablancas (born August 23, 1978) is the vocalist and songwriter of the band The Strokes. ...

Before starting the band Nick would hang out in Central Park with his elder sister picking out favorite songs on the guitar — including Jimi Hendrix. "I always thought I wanted to be able to play any song you could name," he says. "But once I started playing with Julian, that's when I really started to understand music"^[5] Jimi Hendrix (November 27, 1942 â€“ September 18, 1970) was an American guitar virtuoso, singer and songwriter. ...

Valensi graduated from the NYC Lab School in 1998, and later attended Hunter College with fellow band member Nikolai Fraiture, but eventually dropped out to play with the Strokes full-time. Before they gained attention, he also worked as a part-time waiter in several upscale Manhattan restaurants. He is the youngest member of the Strokes (and at 6'4", the tallest). Being only 19 years of age when they formed, he had to borrow Nikolai's ID to gain admission to many of the clubs they played in. The New York City Lab School for Collaborative Studies is a Middle School and High School in Manhattan, New York. ... See also: Hunter College High School Hunter College of The City University of New York (known more commonly as simply Hunter College) is a senior college of the City University of New York (CUNY), located on Manhattans Upper East Side. ... Nikolai Fraiture born November 13, 1978 in New York City ) is the bassist for the New York City-based band The Strokes. ...

Valensi The Guitarist

Valensi's main guitar, which he uses for nearly every live show and recorded song, is a 1990s Epiphone Riviera with Gibson P-94 pick-ups. In a 2004 interview with Epiphone, he called it "the greatest guitar never made" ^[8] because Gibson had never produced a semi-hollow with P-90 style pickups. He has several models in different colours (all with P-94s), including multiple naturals, one in vintage sunburst, one in red, and a 12-string in red. In 2005, Epiphone released a signature model of his guitar, the Elitist Nick Valensi Riviera P-94, and followed it up with a standard model Nick Valensi Riviera P-94 in 2007. Back-up/warm-up guitars include an Epiphone Dot fitted with 2 P-94s, an Epiphone Casino, and a Gibson Faded Special Double Cutaway with 2 P-90s. Valensi often borrows fellow Strokes guitarist Albert Hammond, Jr.'s backup guitars, which include a Gibson Les Paul Jr. and Les Paul Special. New guitars used for the First Impressions of Earth tour include a Gibson Les Paul Custom in black, a Fender Telecaster Custom, and a Duesenberg semi-hollow. Valensi's main amplifier is a 2x12" Fender Hot Rod DeVille, used with Fender 4x12" extension cabinets during live shows. He also recently purchased a Carr amplifier to use on the last few stops of the First Impressions tour. His pedalboard consists of a Visual Sound Jekyll & Hyde Ultimate Overdrive pedal, Demeter TRM-1 Tremulator, Vox Cooltron Bulldog Distortion, MXR Micro-Amp (2) and a Boss TU-2 Chromatic Tuner. For the band, see 1990s (band). ... Epiphone Emperor The Epiphone Company is a guitar manufacturer. ... The Gibson Guitar Corporation, of Nashville, Tennessee, USA, is one of the worlds best-known manufacturers of acoustic and electric guitars. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Epiphone Emperor The Epiphone Company is a guitar manufacturer. ... Epiphone Emperor The Epiphone Company is a guitar manufacturer. ... Nick Valensi is currently endorsed by Epiphone. ... Epiphone Emperor The Epiphone Company is a guitar manufacturer. ... Epiphone Emperor The Epiphone Company is a guitar manufacturer. ... The Gibson Guitar Corporation, of Nashville, Tennessee, USA, is one of the worlds best-known manufacturers of acoustic and electric guitars. ... For other uses, see P90 (disambiguation). ... Albert Hammond, Jr. ... The Gibson Les Paul is a popular solidbody electric guitar originally developed in the early 1950s. ... The Gibson Les Paul signature model is among the most recognized solid-body electric guitar designs. ... The Gibson Les Paul is a popular solidbody electric guitar originally developed in the early 1950s. ... It has been suggested that Fender Amplifier History be merged into this article or section. ... The Fender Telecaster, also known as a Tele, is typically a dual-pickup, solid-body electric guitar made by Fender. ... It has been suggested that Fender Amplifier History be merged into this article or section. ... // Look up overdrive in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... The Demeter TRM-1 Tremulator is a tremolo pedal which has been manufactured by Demeter Amplification since 1982. ... Vox is a musical equipment manufacturer formerly based in Britain, and now owned by Japanese electronics giants Korg, which is most famous for making the AC30 guitar amplifier and the Vox organ. ... For other uses, see Distortion (disambiguation). ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Look up boss in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

He cites his influences as The Velvet Underground, The Cars, George Harrison.^[9] This article is about the rock band. ... The Cars were an American rock band, fronted by Ric Ocasek, that emerged from the early punk scene in the late 1970s. ... For other persons named George Harrison, see George Harrison (disambiguation). ...

Personal life

In Spring 2006, Nick married his girlfriend of five years, Amanda de Cadenet. She is a British-born actress and photographer who is nine years older than Nick. This marriage also committed him to a step-daughter (Atlanta), de Cadenet's daughter from a former marriage to Duran Duran bassist John Taylor. De Cadenet published a book of photographs entitled Rare Birds in 2005, which includes several pictures of Nick, whom she refers to as her "muse" on her website. Amanda de Cadenet (born May 19, 1972) is a British-born actress, and the daughter of British race car driver Alain de Cadenet. ... Duran Duran are an English pop group notable for a long series of popular singles and vivid music videos. ... Taylors first solo recording was a hit single for the 9Â½ Weeks movie soundtrack. ...

Nick has described Amanda as "The coolest person I know." ^[10] Amanda de Cadenet gave birth naturally to their fraternal twins, a boy (Silvan) and a girl (Ella)^[11], on October 19, 2006. The family splits their time between New York and Los Angeles. Naturally is the fifth album by American rock band Three Dog Night, released in 1970 (see 1970 in music). ...

The Future

The Strokes have just finished a world tour promoting their third album, First Impressions of Earth. They are currently on hiatus and begin work on album number four sometime in 2008. ^[12] First Impressions of Earth is the third album by the American rock band The Strokes. ...

Nick has done backing vocals and also played guitar for Devendra Banhart's song 'Shabop Shalom' on his new album Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon, which was released September 25, 2007. Devendra Banhart (born May 30, 1981, in Houston, Texas, U.S.) is a folk rock singer-songwriter and musician. ... Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon is a Devendra Banhart album released September 25th, 2007. ...

Trivia

Image File history File links Broom_icon. ... For other uses, see Big Bird (disambiguation). ... Sesame Street is an American educational childrens television series for preschoolers and is a pioneer of the contemporary educational television standard, combining both education and entertainment. ... For other uses, see Appetite for Destruction (disambiguation). ... Guns N Roses is a band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1985. ...

Quotes

"Have you ever been scuba-diving?...That is some serious pressure. That's more pressure than I've ever felt doing an album or anything like that. Forty feet under water, man? Serious fucking pressure." ^[15]

"He was pretty brutal at times. I mean it really worked for me, but he could be really harsh. I would do a guitar solo or something, and he would look at me and say, 'That was really cheesy. You need to rethink that.' And I would be like, 'What did you just say to me?'" Nick on working with David Kahne ^[16]

"I think guitars should be aggressive," declares Valensi. "Especially in our music, where we have often have these really beautiful melodies on top of everything. To have mean, don't-give-a-fuck guitar parts is important. Our music is all about tension, tension, tension, and then release." ^[17]

"I heard a rumour that no one actually comes to our shows and that we only exist in magazines" ^[18]

"Julian eats, breathes, sleeps, and shits music" ^[19]

"Yes I was bullied a bit as a youth, I was. I got to a point when I was 11, 12, 13 years old where I didn't care, made myself an outsider to avoid that - stopped trying to be one of the guys - sort of said, 'fuck you, if you guys don't want me then I don't want you either.' And that's when things started to work out for me as a kid. That's when I found out who I was as a person."^[20]

David Kahne is a music producer having worked on MTV Unplugged, the 1995 Grammy Award winner for Album of the Year. ...

Links

For other uses, see Stroke (disambiguation). ... Julian Fernando Casablancas (born August 23, 1978) is the vocalist and songwriter of the band The Strokes. ... Nikolai Fraiture born November 13, 1978 in New York City ) is the bassist for the New York City-based band The Strokes. ... Albert Hammond, Jr. ... Fabrizio Moretti (nicknamed Fab) is the drummer in the American band The Strokes. ... The Modern Age is a single by The Strokes. ... Alternate cover US cover Is This It is The Strokes debut album, released in 2001 (see 2001 in music). ... Room on Fire is the second album by the band The Strokes. ... First Impressions of Earth is the third album by the American rock band The Strokes. ... Hard to Explain is the first single from New York garage rockers The Strokes (their only previously released material was The Modern Age EP). ... Last Nite is a single lifted from On The Air, the debut album of acclaimed American garage rock/post-punk band Taranee Cook. ... Someday is a single lifted from Is This It, the debut album of acclaimed American garage rock/post-punk band The Strokes. ... Reptilia is the second single lifted from Room on Fire, the second album of acclaimed American garage rock/post-punk band The Strokes. ... The End Has No End is the third single lifted from Room on Fire, the second album of acclaimed American garage rock/post-punk band The Strokes. ... Juicebox is the first single from The Strokes third album, First Impressions of Earth released in the US in October 2005. ... Heart in a Cage is the second single from The Strokes third album, First Impressions of Earth released in the UK March 20, 2006 and worldwide April 18, 2006. ... You Only Live Once is the opening track and third single from First Impressions of Earth, the third album from American rock band The Strokes. ... A discography of the rock band The Strokes // Is This It (27 August 2001) Room on Fire (28 October 2003) First Impressions of Earth (2 January 2006) The Strokes originally planned to release a live album from their performances at Alexandra Palace on the 5th & 6th of December 2003. ...

References

^ (The Face Magazine August 2002 )
^ (As stated in an interview with Fuse.tv January 2006)
^ Interview with Nick Valensi. Epiphone.com (2004). Retrieved on 2007-02-11.
^ Interview with Epiphone 2004)
^ Rolling Stone 2001 Interview
^ (Sand Peebles Interview November 2005)
^ (Blender Magazine May 2006)
^ (Interview with Epiphone 2004)
^ (Interview with Epiphone 2004)
^ (Interview with Swedish magazine)
^ (Confirmed by Amanda in Hello Magazine January 2007)
^ (Albert Hammond Jr talks about Strokes plans)
^ (Spin Magazine December 2002 Interview)
^ (Spin Magazine December 2002 Interview)
^ (The Guardian December 2005 Interview)
^ (The Guardian December 2005 Interview)
^ (Guitar Magazine October 2001 Interview)
^ (The Face Magazine 2001 Interview)
^ (New York Magazine January 2005 Interview)
^ (Sand Peebles Fanzine 2005 Interview)

Categories: Articles with trivia sections from September 2007 | Articles with unsourced quotes | 1981 births | Living people | Jewish American musicians | City University of New York people | American rock guitarists | French-Americans Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 42nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Spin is a music magazine that reports on all the music that rocks. Founded in 1985 by publisher Bob Guccione, Jr. ... Spin is a music magazine that reports on all the music that rocks. Founded in 1985 by publisher Bob Guccione, Jr. ... For other uses, see Guardian. ... For other uses, see Guardian. ... This article or section needs a complete rewrite for the reasons listed on the talk page. ...

Contents

The Early Years GA_googleFillSlot("encyclopedia_square");