Luther folk duo playing in international festival
Date 11/6/2003 6:00 AM | Topic: Arts & CultureNicole Cain ('05) and Justin Kessel ('05), Luther's own "acoustic folk pop/rock" duo, have been selected to perform at the New York International Independent Film and Music Festival on Nov. 6 and 8, 2003.
"This is an incredible opportunity to play with the best of the best," said Kessel.
The duo will be performing on Nov. 6, the opening day of the festival, at 11:50 p.m. at the Madison Square Garden Main Stage, and on Nov. 8 at 9:30 p.m. at the China Club.
"I'm excited because we're playing at a place with so much history," said Kessel.
"I'm excited because Phish played there," said Cain. "They're my favorite band."
Performing with the group will be about 300 other artists that will all be playing their music, not only in front of a large audience, but also for a panel of judges who will be evaluating them on talent, performance quality, stage presence, uniqueness, and style. Awards are presented in each genre of music.
Also watching the show will be affiliates from record companies looking for new talent.
"We hope to make some contacts that could hopefully score us a record deal," said Cain.
But if that doesn't work out, Kessel is a theatre and dance major/computer science minor, while Cain is majoring in psychology and biology.
Cain and Kessel started playing together "about a year ago" after meeting at Towerstock. Kessel was originally part of Raizing Zero, which is another popular band that formed on Luther's campus.
Nicole and Justin describe their sound as "acoustic folk pop/rock" with influences as diverse as the Be Good Tonyas to Dashboard Confessional. Kessel plays guitar while Cain provides vocals.
Since forming, the duo has played at Towerstock, Coolaid, and at 3rd St. Live in Cedar Rapids. Nicole and Justin have a CD coming soon entitled Thus Far, and are currently among the top 30 performers whose music is downloaded on MP3.com.
For more information about Nicole and Justin or the New York International Independent Film and Music Festival, go to .
Jake Hoegh
A&E Reporter
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