NakedCity Wichita

finding nikki moddlemog.

Posted on 05. Dec, 2009 by Tash Maloney in music

I used to play my music for a friend of mine named Patrick Herd. After one instance where he listened to music, he told me of a songwriter’s circle in Wichita and encouraged me to give it a shot. Three months later, I drove three hours to Wichita to give one song a try.

After turning the wrong way on a one way street, and becoming familiar with a few rough looking parking lots, I finally found the artichoke. Upon entering the small establishment, I noticed a circle of men and one young woman taking turns playing original material in the center
of the room. Quickly my attention was drawn to her. She had dark hair wore flowing clothes, played guitar well and gave a continuous smile. She joined in on others songs, and gave full attention and support to everyone in the circle. Her turn to play came quickly, I heard hints of Ani DiFranco and Norah Jones in her voice which broke through the soft rumble of conversations scattered throughout the dim lit room. Her lyrics were put together well. I sat two chairs down from her and took everything in. A whirlwind of fear crept up and interrupted her beautiful song. I realized I would soon be playing in front of many people not just one. My hands shook, I started sweating, applause filled the room as her last note rang out. “Great!”, I thought, “I have to follow her?!” I started thinking of excuses to not go through with it. “Please god if you ever wanted to zap me with a lightning bolt now’s your chance.” I prayed. The young woman looked my direction and quietly said “its OK we’re all very supportive here and have been in your shoes. You’ll do fine… its not a performance, its just a circle of friends sharing songs.” Her words were comforting. I closed my eyes and barely made it through my first song.

Afterward I struck up a conversation with the young woman and thanked her for her support. She said her name was Nikki Moddelmog. I then learned she had just released a CD. By this time I was more than impressed with her. I pulled out my last 10 dollars and bought a CD sacrificing my coffee money to get home (something I normally would not do). It was well worth the sacrifice.

Now 3 years later, I’m told that she had just released another album and that I should consider writing about it, so of course I jumped on that assignment, and cant wait to share one of my favorite local singer/songwriters with all my NakedCity friends.

An Engineer once said that there are two kinds of music, boring and interesting. I’ll have to add to that and say music is also something you relate to or not. Nikki Moddelmog’s music is not only interesting it’s easy to relate to. She seems to tell stories so familiar to your own thus leaving you with a feeling that you had just spent a full hour with an inspiring friend who understands your heartache. Nikki inspires by having the courage to call it like it is. She puts the heart-breaker in your life in his or her place with her angelic voice, wit, and compassion.

“Again and Again” captures a feel good vibe. The piano on this song and throughout the cd captures my attention, again and again. If you like this song, you will also like “Why”, “Tricks and Treasures”, and “The Good Life” (a great two-steppin’ song). “Gone”, song number two on the album, is sobering yet calming as is “Refined”, song number nine. My favorite is number three “Juniper Coat” for three reasons: the style is chill, perfectly combining a bit of jazz and folk; second, the lyrics (“greeting truth and bull and introducing them to shock”); and finally the title, “Juniper coat” The name struck my curiosity.

“Better Mistake”, “Forgive and Forget”, “You and Me”, and “Philosophy” all fall between the feel good and the calming categories. Though the last track “Reprise” is a short jam, I did wish for it to go a full three to four minutes longer. However, it is the perfect length for Nikki’s album because it doesn’t take away from the common theme making it a nice focused package. Speaking of packaging, the art-work, pics and over all design of not only Nikki’s CD but her website as well is the best I’ve seen in a long time.

Overall this album is a great mix of folk, jazz, and contemporary styles held seamlessly together by Nikki’s strong, and insightful lyrics and comforting style. Listen to it over a cup of coffee, or when you feel the need to talk with a friend who understands heartache and gives inspiration.