Nina Gordon 1017498 225693507 2008-07-14T22:56:34Z 71.134.252.149 {{refimprove|date=August 2007}} {{Infobox musical artist | Name = Nina Gordon | Img = | Img_capt = | Background = solo_singer | Birth_name = | Born = {{Birth date and age|1967|11|14|mf=y}} | Died = | Genre = [[Rock Music|Rock]], [[Alternative rock|alternative]] | Occupation = [[Musician]] | Years_active = [[1993]]&ndash;present | Instrument = [[Vocals]], [[guitar]] | Label = [[Warner Bros. Records|Warner Bros.]] | Associated_acts = [[Veruca Salt (band)|Veruca Salt]] | URL = [http://www.ninagordon.com/ Official Site] }} '''Nina Rachel Shapiro Gordon''' is an [[United States|American]] [[rock music|rock]] [[singer]]. Co-founder of the band [[Veruca Salt (band)|Veruca Salt]], Gordon pioneered and revived [[Bangles]] inspired pop-rock for the mid-'90s [[grunge]] generation. She quickly became known for her instantly infectious power-pop hooks and melodies, writing [[Veruca Salt (band)|Veruca Salt]] hits "Seether" and "Volcano Girls". Since leaving Veruca Salt in 1998, she has released the successful solo album ''[[Tonight and the Rest of My Life]]'', written songs for [[Fefe Dobson]] and [[Courtney Jaye]], and released her second solo album, ''[[Bleeding Heart Graffiti]]'', on [[August 8]], [[2006]]. Gordon and her fiance, [[Jeff Russo]] (of [[Tonic (band)|Tonic]]), welcomed their first child, Ivy Nightingale Russo, on [[November 21]], [[2006]]. == Veruca Salt == [[Veruca Salt (band)|Veruca Salt]] was formed alongside the friendship of Gordon and [[Louise Post]]. Introduced by Gordon's good friend, actress [[Lili Taylor]], Gordon and Post quickly bonded and formed what is now known as Veruca Salt. Originally, the band was an [[Indigo Girls]]-inspired acoustic act, but the women soon realized that this wasn't their sound. They quickly enlisted bass player [[Steve Lack]] and eventually Gordon's brother, [[Jim Shapiro (drummer)|Jim Shapiro]], joined as their drummer, even though he originally was just drumming as a favor to his sister. === ''American Thighs'' === Veruca Salt released a self-funded demo tape and shopped it to labels, and began to play a handful of small club shows. The buzz around the band grew furiously, and after only a few live gigs, the band was signed to [[Minty Fresh Records]] and began recording with producer [[Brad Wood]]. At the time, Brad was popular due to having recently produced [[Liz Phair]]'s critically acclaimed ''[[Exile in Guyville]]''. The band released an orange 7" single for the song "[[Seether (song)|Seether]]". "Seether" was a bratty, distorted [[Alternative rock|alt-rocker]] about an angry and misunderstood woman. Compared to the rest of Veruca Salt's material, "Seether" was very pop, so much so that Gordon said that when she wrote it, she did not think the rest of the band would like it. They sent "Seether" to radio, as it was the most radio-friendly song they had written and the reaction was unexpectedly positive. Unfortunately, the album was not complete and they found themselves rushing to complete it, before "Seether" lost its radio momentum. It ended up peaking at #8 on the Modern Rock charts. ''[[American Thighs]]'' was released through Minty Fresh Records on [[September 27]], [[1994]] and re-released [[November 8]], [[1994]] by [[Geffen Records]] after the label signed the band after an intense label bidding war. The album peaked on the [[Billboard magazine|Billboard]] Top 200 at 69 and was eventually certified Gold. The follow-up single to "Seether", "All Hail Me", failed to chart on the Modern Rock Charts, and the last single from the album, "Number One Blind", written by Gordon, did better than the previous single, peaking at #20 on the Modern Rock charts, but nowhere near as well as "Seether". Gordon and Post were unhappy with the song's video, and it was pulled after airing fewer than five times on [[MTV]]'s [[120 Minutes]]. To support the album, Veruca Salt toured, opening for such acts as [[Hole (band)|Hole]], [[Live (band)|Live]] and [[PJ Harvey]], as well as their own headlining club tour. The band released an EP in 1996 titled ''[[Blow It Out Your Ass It's Veruca Salt]]'' to tide fans over until their next album. It was produced by [[Steve Albini]] ([[PJ Harvey]], [[Nirvana (band)|Nirvana]]) and contains the Gordon-penned "Shimmer Like a Girl" and "New York Mining Disaster 1996". During this time Gordon collaborated with [[James Iha]] on the [[Smashing Pumpkins]]' "[[The Aeroplane Flies High|Bullet With Butterfly Wings]]" B-side, "[[...Said Sadly]]", and also recorded duets with [[Fig Dish]] and [[Triplefastaction]]. === ''Eight Arms to Hold You'' === After touring for ''[[American Thighs]]'', Gordon and Post entered the studio with [[Bob Rock]] to record their second album. They were inspired to work with Bob after hearing [[Metallica]]'s "[[Enter Sandman]]" on the loud-system before a Veruca Salt concert at an outdoor music festival. ''[[Eight Arms to Hold You]]'', which was released [[February 11]], [[1997]] on [[Geffen Records]], proved to be a difficult and dividing album. Some fans of ''American Thighs'' were disappointed by the polished, hard-rock and distinctively [[Bob Rock]] production, in comparison to the laid back, indie buzz-bin vibe of ''American Thighs''. The new album garnered mixed reviews from music critics as well. Band members have since admitted that this album was difficult for the band, and the recording process was extremely tense. However, ''Eight Arms to Hold You'' sold well due to the success of the first single, "Volcano Girls", written by Gordon. It was a catchy, power-pop tantrum that matched "Seether"'s success, peaking at #8 on the Modern Rock charts. The album, however, didn't have longevity, and despite peaking higher ([[Billboard magazine|Billboard]] Top 200 at 55) than ''American Thighs'', sales dropped off drastically when the second single, "Shutterbug", failed to chart, despite a high budget video and ''[[Saturday Night Live]]'' performance, as well as other promotion. Three more singles were sent to radio ("The Morning Sad", "Straight" and "Benjamin") but none of them did well enough to warrant a video. However, the Gordon-penned "'Benjamin" was released internationally as the third and last commercial single from the album despite having no video and no promotion. "Benjamin" also failed to chart. [[Veruca Salt (band)|Veruca Salt]] toured extensively for ''Eight Arms to Hold You'', opening for [[Bush (band)|Bush]] as well as a lengthy international headlining club tour. == Solo == Nina Gordon left Veruca Salt in early 1998 amid rumors of stolen boyfriends and physical altercations with bandmate Louise Post. Post kept the Veruca Salt name and eventually released ''[[Resolver]]'' in 2000, the first Gordon-less Veruca Salt album. === ''Tonight and the Rest of My Life'' === [[Image:ninatatroml.jpg|thumb|left|''Tonight and the Rest of My Life'' (2000)]] Soon after leaving the band, Gordon demoed solo material in Boston with friends [[Kay Hanley]] and [[Michael Eisenstein]] from the band [[Letters to Cleo]]. In 1998 she sang on James Iha's solo album ''[[Let It Come Down (James Iha album)|Let It Come Down]]'' on the song "Beauty". Shortly after she began recording with ''Eight Arms'' producer Bob Rock. The album, now titled ''[[Tonight and the Rest of My Life]]'', was finished in early 1999 and was set to be released by [[Outpost Records]], owned by [[Geffen Records]], in August 1999. However, not all went smoothy, as [[Outpost Records]] was eaten up by the [[Geffen Records]]/[[Interscope Records]] merger and Gordon was left without a label. Gordon wasn't label-less for long, however, as she was signed to [[Warner Bros. Records]] a few months later. Originally scheduled to be released in January 2000, ''Tonight'' was finally released [[June 27]], [[2000]]. The first single, also titled "Tonight and the Rest of My Life", did well on radio and has since been included in commercials for hit movies such as ''[[Chocolat]]'' and ''[[The Notebook]]''. The second single "Now I Can Die", didn't do as well, and the third radio-only single "2003" actually performed better despite having little promotion and no video. Gordon toured with [[David Gray (musician)|David Gray]] as an opening act, and did a headlining tour with Palo Alto. ''Tonight and the Rest of My Life'' peaked at a disappointing 123 on the [[Billboard magazine|Billboard]] Top 200. However, it floated around the mid-100s for months, and has sold close to 300,000 copies to date in the U.S. and 50,000 in Japan. === ''Even the Sunbeams'' === After Nina Gordon finished promoting ''Tonight and the Rest of My Life'' in late 2001, she took a break and began writing material for her second solo album. However, she didn't get into the studio again until late 2003. Reasons for this two year delay are uncertain, but Gordon says it was because she wanted to write a lot of great material. To tide fans over, Gordon released B-side material from ''Tonight'' on her website and a demo for a song called "The Time Comes", which was featured in the independent movie, ''[[Stealing Innocence]]''. Gordon began recording her second album with [[Ethan Johns]] in late 2003, and via her website stated she was excited with the direction the album was going, even though it was very, very mellow and sad. Gordon finished recording with Johns in early 2004 and stated that she had named it ''[[Even the Sunbeams]]'', but little more about the album was ever revealed. A few months later, Gordon admitted she was unhappy with the album and she wasn't going to release it. The only song that surfaced from this recording session was "Lighter on the Moon", which was available on Nina's [[MySpace]] site. In April 2006, Gordon stated in the ''[[Chicago Reader]]'', "It's a really sad and really slow record. I guess that’s how I was feeling at the time, but when I sorta snapped out of that, I thought, 'I don’t know that I want this to be the album I put out next.' It’s really a lovely record, but it didn't have the spirit of the records I've made in the past."<ref>[http://www.chicagoreader.com/pdf/060428/0428_meter.pdf Gordon speaks about shelving ''[[Even the Sunbeams]]]''. ''Chicago Reader''. [[April 28]], [[2006]]. Retrieved [[April 28]], [[2006]].</ref> During this time, Gordon was performing at [[Largo (nightclub)|Largo]] in Los Angeles, for "Bring the Rock" nights, covering songs by [[N.W.A.]], [[Skid Row (heavy metal band)|Skid Row]], [[Backstreet Boys]] and [[Phil Collins]], as well as many others. Her cover of [[N.W.A.]]'s "Straight Outta Compton" gained her popularity on Internet music blogs. She also wrote a song with [[Fefe Dobson]] titled "Get You Off" for Dobson's album ''[[Sunday Love]]'' (on which Gordon also sang back-up), as well as a song for [[Courtney Jaye]]'s album ''[[Traveling Light]]'' titled "This Is the Day", which she wrote with boyfriend [[Jeff Russo]]. ===''Bleeding Heart Graffiti''=== <!-- Deleted image removed: [[Image:Bhgcover.jpg|thumb|right|''Bleeding Heart Graffiti'' (2006)]] --> Nina, still seeing promise in the material from ''Even the Sunbeams'', booked friend and long-time producer [[Bob Rock]] to re-record the album in 2005. In a few months, Nina re-did most of the songs and recorded new songs as well. The album, now titled ''[[Bleeding Heart Graffiti]]'', was released [[August 8]], [[2006]] (originally scheduled to be released [[July 18]]). The first song to see the light of day from the project was the b-side "The Blue Hour", a half-French, half-English rock song that could be heard on Nina's website. The lead single from ''Bleeding Heart Graffiti'', "Kiss Me 'Til It Bleeds", was supposed to hit radio [[June 12]], but ended up being delayed until mid-July. There was a "physical" promotional single for "Kiss Me 'Til It Bleeds" and it contained the ''Bleeding Heart Graffiti'' album track "Don't Let Me Down", as well as Nina's previous hit single, "Tonight and the Rest of My Life". Almost all radio stations received digital copies of the single rather than physical CD singles, however. There is no video for "Kiss Me 'Til It Bleeds" or plans for a video at all. ==Albums== ===Solo=== {| class="wikitable" !align'"center"|Year !align="center"|Album |- |align="center"|2000 |align="left"|''[[Tonight and the Rest of My Life]]'' |- |align="center"|2004 |align="left"|''[[Even the Sunbeams]]'' (Unreleased) |- |align="center"|2006 |align="left"|''[[Bleeding Heart Graffiti]]'' |- |} ===Veruca Salt=== {| class="wikitable" !align'"center"|Year !align="center"|Album |- |align="center"|1994 |align="left"|''[[American Thighs]]'' |- |align="center"|1996 |align="left"|''[[Blow It Out Your Ass It's Veruca Salt]]'' |- |align="center"|1997 |align="left"|''[[Eight Arms to Hold You]]'' |- |} ==Singles== ===Solo=== {| class="wikitable" !align'"center"|Year !align="center"|Single |- |align="center"|2000 |align="left"|"Tonight and the Rest of My Life" |- |align="center"|2001 |align="left"|"Now I Can Die" |- |align="center"|2001 |align="left"|2003 (Promo Only) |- |align="center"|2006 |align="left"|"Kiss Me 'Til It Bleeds" |- |} ===Veruca Salt=== {| class="wikitable" !align'"center"|Year !align="center"|Single |- |align="center"|1994 |align="left"|"Seether" |- |align="center"|1995 |align="left"|"Number One Blind" |- |align="center"|1997 |align="left"|"Volcano Girls" |- |align="center"|1997 |align="left"|"Benjamin" |- |align="center"|1997 |align="left"|"The Morning Sad" (Promo Only) |- |- |} ==Notes== <!--<nowiki> This article uses the Cite.php format. Instructions for adding footnotes: After adding an inline citation in the article, add the source inside of Reference tags. Example: <ref>Author. "[URL Story name]". Publication. Date. Date Retrieved.</ref> The reference will then add itself to the footnote section. </nowiki>--> {{reflist}} ==External links== *[http://www.ninagordon.com/ Nina Gordon official site] *[http://www.bleedingheartgraffiti.com/ BleedingHeartGraffiti.com - Coming Soon!] *[http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:ht5zefyk7gf4~T0 All Music Guide entry for Nina Gordon] *[http://www.myspace.com/ninagordon Nina Gordon's MySpace] *[http://www.qprime.com/ Nina Gordon's management] *[http://www.wbr.com/ Nina Gordon's record label] *[http://www.nina-gordon.net/ Nina Gordon Chords, Lyrics & Tab] {{DEFAULTSORT:Gordon, Nina}} [[Category:1967 births]] [[Category:American female singers]] [[Category:American singer-songwriters]] [[Category:American female guitarists]] [[Category:Jewish American musicians]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:American singers]] [[Category:Female rock singers]] [[gl:Nina Gordon]] [[fi:Nina Gordon]] [[nl:Nina Gordon]] [[sv:Nina Gordon]]