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Got Her Mojo Workin'! - There's
plenty of talent to go around at the new Monday night Blues/R&B jam at
Mojo's Juke Joint 232 Queen St. S, in Streetsville. And it all
starts with the host, 14 year-old Mississauga singer and guitarist
Nicole Zita. She may be a bit green, but you have to hear this kid
lay down the solo in a Santana or Stevie Ray Vaughan cover. Even more
amazing, during a recent performance, was her commanding vocals on Stevie Wonder's
Superstitious. And Zita's back-up band, including
Ricky Day on keyboards and vocals, Billy Blackburn on drums
and Michael Hawker on guitar aren't exactly slouches. The
ever-so-smooth Day is a former member of such R&B super groups as
The Platters, The Drifters and The Ink Spots. Zita
first turned on to music listening to her father's basement band. She
started classical piano lessons at age 6 and got an electric guitar a
couple of years ago. 'This is the first time I've had my own gig.
I've just been jamming downtown at the Orbit Room and the Reservoir
Lounge and in Mississauga at the Fox & Fiddle.' she said 'I think
it's pretty cool. Sometimes it's intimidating, but I'm doing what I
love to do. If they like it, that's good.' As if her singing and
guitar playing isn't enough, midway through her jam, Zita sits down
at the piano and plays some of her own songs, reminding listeners of
both Alicia Keys and Tori Amos. 'I just started
writing some poems and putting them to music,' said Zita.
- Mike Beggs -
Mississauga News |
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A Birthday Girl In A Jam - Like many of us, Mississauga’s Nicole Zita
plans to celebrate in a bar when her birthday rolls
around Monday. But, while a trip to Wonderland or Marineland
is on the list of birthday hot spots for most 13-year-olds,
Nicole is headed straight for stage at the Fox &
Fiddle-Enfield Place, to jam out a few tunes with the
Tom Barlow Band. The Grade 7 student at Divine Mercy
Elementary School is a hot-shot guitar player who hits the
stage every once in awhile to play covers of Santana,
Jeff Healey, and The Tea Party. Barlow recalls
how Zita’s father Dominic first asked if his daughter could
jam with the band. “She can hold the guitar, and she’s cute,
Dominic says,” says Barlow. “Then, she shows up. She grabs her
guitar, plugs in, and launches into Black Magic Woman". "Then she starts singing, and she’s good at
that, too. She’s completely comfortable and confident on stage. She
was even cueing the band.” Nicole confesses she’s “really nervous”
when she jams in bars. “But Tom (Barlow) is so nice,” she said.
Nicole was exposed to music early in life, courtesy of her dad, who
played drums in the family combo, the Zita Band.“ When I was five, I
always used to listen to them practice in the basement,” she said.
She started out studying classical music, before branching off into
rock, blues, and jazz. She practices for up to 3 hours per day.
Nicole also plays the piano, doing a lot of Sarah McLaughlin
material. “I enjoy electric guitar the most, it’s very upbeat,” she
said. “Carlos Santana is my favorite player.” Nicole is
planning to attend an arts school. She has just begun work on some
original songs and hopes to have her own band in a couple of years.
“Yeah, I’m working towards a career in music,” she said.
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Mississauga News |
