Sturgis Nikides: 1958-2024

Guitarist Sturgis Nikides succumbed to an agressive form of cancer on April 9. He was 66. He started out in the NYC punk in the late Seventies, before becoming a member of John Cale's band in 1979 - he can be heard on the Mercenaries single and the Honi Soit album. Via a stay in Miami where he played with Diane Ward in hard-hitting rock band Voidville, he ended up in Memphis. Once he settled down, he founded the screaming blues band Low Society with his wife Mandy Lemons Nikides on vocals. The band became a showcase for his versatility on resonator and slide guitar. The band released three highly acclaimed albums: High Time You Can't Keep A Good Woman Down, and Sanctified.

Sturgis Nikides and his restored 60's Imperial

Slide ace guitarist Sturgis Nikides (Low Society) lived in New York in 2007 and found a 60's Imperial in a trashcan. He took it home and brought it along with him to Memphis when he moved there a couple of years later. No it has been rsstored by The Memphis Guitar Spa, a small business working miracles at restoring vintage instruments. Kevin Ferner explains:

I may be biased cuz of how well we know each other, but I think Sturgis Nikides is the best slide player I've ever heard, and I'm including everyone. He's been waiting for this guitar for a while. Its a 60's Imperial - same model that Jimmy Vaughn plays - and Sturgis literally found it in a dumpster. It had been in his closet unstrung for so long, the neck had a back bow to it, and I put heavy gauge strings on it, over tuned it and let it sit for a while and it slowly came back to level. I made the bridge from scratch looking at old pictures, but added a touch I like to do for these types of guitars. Typically, on the floating bridge electrics that were cheaply made, the strings begin to cut into the wood bridge dampening the tone. Especially when you use 11's or 12's like Sturgy does for slide. So on the high E, B and G strings that are not wrapped, I inset a piece of bone, then hand compensate it. You would be surprised how good this thing sounds for something you could originally buy for $37!!!!!

The instrument will see action on stage and future Low Society albums.

» Sturgis Nikides on Facebook

Sturgis Nikides: live dates (and a T-shirt)

Guitar player Sturgis Nikides has a few lives date coming up, including a re-enactment, sort of, of the Exploding Plastic Inevitable:

A multi-media performance party and concert featuring covers from the Factory days and more. Charlie and Adam Roth lead the house-band, The Major Toms, and a host of notable downtown performers including Penny Arcade, Annie Golden, Mary Birdsong, John Kelly, Joseph Keckler, Diana Berry, Brenda Bergman, Sturgis Nikides, Mandy Lemons and more in a free-wheeling exploration of songs from one of rocks most iconic eras.

• 09/15 Re-Exploding Plastic Inevitable: Music From ’The Factory’ Days, Bleecker Street Theater, New York, NY
• 09/19 Pine Junction, Findley Lake, NY
• 11/27 The Spoon, Lindenhurst, NY

You might want to attend one of his shows, wearing his first ever T-shirt. Tattoos not included.

» sturgisnikides.com
» myspace.com/sturgisnikides

Sturgis Nikides: tour dates, new song "Jake"

Axe man Sturgis Nikides is busy working on a follow-up for his 2004 album Man of Steel.

"Tracking is over ¾ finished, so it’s a matter of how quickly I finish dubbing vocals and mixing." Could be weeks, could be months, but the sad story of Jake is a likely candidate for inclusion of the new album. There is a man, there is a corner and there is a price to be paid - it makes compelling listening.

Live dates:

• 04/17 Tavern In The Pines , Findley Lake, NY
• 04/18 Bobby’s Place, Erie, PA
• 04/21 Monster B's Bar & Grille, Stamford, CT
• 04/24 Kenny’s Castaways, New York, New York
• 04/25 Otto’s Shrunken Head, New York, NY
• 04/28 Monster B's Bar & Grille, Stamford, CT
• 05/05 Monster B's Bar & Grille, Stamford, CT
• 05/09 The Shrine, New York, NY (w/ the band)
• 05/12 Monster B's Bar & Grille, Stamford, CT
• 05/16 The Spoon Coffeehouse, Lindenhurst, NY (Sturgis solo)
• 05/19 Monster B's Bar & Grille, Stamford, CT
• 05/26 Monster B's Bar & Grille, Stamford, CT
• 05/29 Teneleven, New York, NY
• 06/02 Monster B's Bar & Grille, Stamford, CT

» sturgisnikides.com
» myspace.com/sturgisnikides