NiCad at William & Mary
NiCad, a multi-national experimental rock band from the Hague, will visit the William and Mary Campus for concerts and student workshops featuring their eclectic style and unique approach to digital music. The group was founded in Holland in 2004 at The Hagues Royal Conservatory. NiCad quickly found their own unique style by integrating members' personal musical backgrounds, from Japan, Israel, Chile, the United States, and Germany. 
With live performances using self-built electronic instruments in a power rock setting, fronted by a charismatic American singer/songwriter standing next to a Japanese glam-rocker in kimono, NiCad brings a dynamic on stage that keeps listeners captivated and on the edge of their seat. Within one month of their first gig, NiCad won a competition that awarded them a performance in front of 175,000 people at the music festival, ParkPop. This placed them directly in the limelight of their local music scene. Since their first album, Everyday I Grow, was released in 2006 by Dying Giraffe Recordings, NiCad has played in venues, at festivals, and on radio stations throughout the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Germany, and Israel. In July 2008, they released their second album, The Hill, which was voted "Album of the Year 2008" by The Hagues Pop Music Press. In the same year, NiCad won first prize in the GPZH competition (Big Prize of South Holland), which gave the band an even broader appeal, placing them on stages in some of the largest Summer music festivals in Holland. Also in 2008, NiCad wrote the song Wacka with the Arabic band, Group L'Ambiance, and won first prize at the "Check Mo!" crossover competition.
Greg Bowers, Assistant Professor of Music Theory and Composition, said of the group's visit: "NiCad's concerts and hands-on workshops will provide students a glimpse into the possibilities of digital collaboration, as it extends across diverse musical genres and into the realm of multimedia. Given the considerable interest in digital media across the campus, NiCad's work may inspire students in many disciplines to consider the broadening role of digital technology in their emerging professional and creative lives."
NiCad will offer a live concert-demonstration of experimental digital music in Ewell Hall on Monday, September 7 at 8pm.
On Wednesday, September 9, NiCad will present a rock concert in Lodge 1.
Both events are free and open to the public.
