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<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0><script type="text/javascript" src="http://hb.lycos.com/hb.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://ratings.lycos.com/ratings/lycosRating.js.php"></script> <script type="text/javascript"><![CDATA[//><!]]></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://scripts.lycos.com/catman/init.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://members.tripod.com/adm/ad/code-start.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://members.tripod.com/adm/ad/code-middle.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://members.tripod.com/adm/ad/code-end.js"></script> <noscript> <img src="http://members.tripod.com/adm/img/common/ot_noscript.gif?rand=3327" alt="" width="1" height="1" />  <iframe frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" width="728" height="90" src="http://ad.yieldmanager.com/st?ad_type=iframe&ad_size=728x90&section=209094"></iframe>  </noscript> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=125 BGCOLOR="#AAAAAA" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="03c467d1euxmic.gif"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Arial" ><B>Kristi Singer</b></FONT><B>     |     </b><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Kristi Singer"><U><B>home</b></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id188.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="New Found Glory"><U>New Found Glory</U></A><B>   |   </b><B>Nickel Slots</b><B>   |   </b><A HREF="id76.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Nikki Talley"><U>Nikki Talley</U></A><B>   |   </b><A HREF="id99.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Nine Days"><U>Nine Days</U></A><B>   |   </b><A HREF="id189.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="No More Mr. Nice Guy"><U>No More Mr. Nice Guy</U></A></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=190 BGCOLOR="#111111" TEXT="#F7F7FF"> <div> <A HREF="id16.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Writing Samples"><U><B>Back to Articles</b></U></A></div> <div> <B>Back to Up and Coming</b></div> <div> <B> </b><A HREF="http://www.thenickelslots.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.thenickelslots.com"><U><B>ww</b></U></A><A HREF="http://www.thenickelslots.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.thenickelslots.com"><U><B>w.thenickelslots.com</b></U></A></div> </td> <td valign="top" height=355 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> Nickel Slots</div> <div> <B>Nickel Slots front man ready to rock his way back into a record deal</b></div> <div> Friday, December 15, 2000 </div> <div> <B>By Kristi Singer, Morning Star Correspondent</b></div> <div> <I>Wilmington Morning Star</I></div> <div> Copyright 2000 Wilmington Star-News</div> <bR> <div>      Will Marley has been bitten by a bug. Ever since the day he picked up a guitar in college, the lead vocalist of Raleigh rock band the Nickel Slots knew that music was his calling.</div> <div>     The "rock bug" as he calls it, is the addiction to being on stage, the feeling one has after a great show when you ask yourself "when can I do it again?"</div> <div>      "Most guys who are in bands have been bitten by it, and it's going to be really hard for them to ever get away from it," Mr. Marley said. "If I was to get a job tomorrow making $400,000 a year, I'd still play in a band on the weekend."</div> <div>      Mr. Marley didn't set out to be a musician, not did he always want to pursue a musical career. But it only took two years after he first learned guitar to decide that music would be in his future. </div> <div>      He is now holding the reins of pop/rock band The Nickel Slots. The band consists of drummer Chris Henderson, bassist David Collins, lead guitarist Jesse Huebner and Mr. Marley.</div> <div>      It formed in 1998 soon after Mr. Marley's former band, Lustre, broke up after being dropped from A&M Records.</div> <div>      After the break up, Mr. Marely independently recorded four songs that he gave to his friend, Andy Martin, who runs Deep South Records and Deep South Management. Mr. Martin liked the music and told Mr. Marley he should put together a band to perform in an upcoming Deep South concert. </div> <div>      "Andy at least believed in my songs. He's like 'I don't want to see you give up after you got an unfair shake in the record business,'" Mr. Marley said.</div> <div>      The Nickel Slots released its first album, White Lies and Cigarettes through Deep South Records and is currently recording demo songs in preparation for a new album which will be recorded in a studio in the Triangle area. </div> <div>      The Nickel Slots are concentrating on getting the band name out and building a strong regional fan base before it takes things to "the next level" of signing a deal.</div> <div>      "I think it's more important for this band right now to build up a following and to keep giving what we've got going into the hands of people in the region," Mr. Marley said.</div> <div>      In addition to playing in North Carolina, the Nickel Slots have performed in Washington D.C., Baltimore, Philadelphia and New York, where they showcase to music industry people. The band has been able to obtain a lawyer from showcasing who has worked with the Lemonheads, Sonic Youth and is currently working with John Cougar Mellencamp Publishing.</div> <div>      Mr. Marley's desire to be signed again in the future may come as a surprise to those who know what happened to Lustre.</div> <div>      Lustre was pursued by five or six major labels and inked a deal with A&M Records. The trio was composed of drummer Greg Clayton, bassist John Gray and Mr. Marley. Lustre had two singles, California and Nice Overalls from the Empire Records soundtrack. </div> <div>      Soon after the first album released in 1998, A&M Records was bought out by Universal Records and Lustre's career came to a quick halt. Universal kept bands that sold millions of records such as Soundgarden, Sheryl Crow and Sting, Mr. Marley said. But bands from Island, London and anyone owned by Polygram and Mercury lost their deals.</div> <div>      "That pretty much ended everything for Lustre and a lot of other bands," Mr. Marley said. "They just totally wanted to downsize."</div> <div>      Lustre was dropped after it went in the studio to record demos for A&M. At the time they had already gotten rid of a lot of bands, but Lustre had to do the demos for A&M before it decided whether or not it would release the group. </div> <div>      "Just in case we had written the next Smells Like Teen Spirit or whatever. They don't ever want to let anybody go until they know for sure," Mr. Marley said.</div> <div>      Lustre lasted for a few more performances, but the band was so "frazzled by the whole experience that we just decided to call it quits." </div> <div>      The A&M incident has left Mr. Marley with mixed feelings about being signed, but he believes that just because things didn't work out for Lustre, doesn't mean they have to be that way in whatever else he does, leaving a positive outlook for the future of the Nickel Slots. </div> </td> </tr></table></body>