I am not quite sure when the first time I heard Nirvana was, but I know I was in love. Nirvana has been a staple in my life since I was in middle school. I have watched every Kurt Cobain documentary there is and I have listened to every song they've performed. So, when WJRR announced they would be having a Nirvana cover band, Nirvanna, performing at Earthday Birthday I jumped on tickets to go see them.
The stage was decorated perfectly. They had the "In Utero" tour props, the Mankins. Then, once they entered onto the stage, I went full fan-girl mode. The lead singer, Clayton Sturgeon, came onto stage encompassing Kurt Cobain's style. He had the dirty blonde hair, the grungy striped green sweater and a pair of hole covered jeans. Dave Grohl and Krist Novoselic were honored as well. The drummer, Nathaniel Mullins, had the same long dark hair as Dave Grohl rocked in his Nirvana days. The bassist, Ryan Salamone, had the curly locks just as Krist Novoselic did.
Once they started playing, I went into a state of shock. My ears were cheering for them to continue and I felt like my heart was going to beat out of my chest along with the vibrations from the bass. Clayton harnesses Kurt Cobain's style of music perfectly. He sounded almost identical to Cobain himself. He had the perfect rasp to his voice and he shredded on the guitar. I felt as if I was in the early 90's at an actual Nirvana concert. They even ended the show with traditional instrument destruction.
After witnessing such an amazing show, I decided to reach out to the musicians of Nirvanna to get the inside scoop!
Sturgeon and Mullins were in a previous, Orlando based band, called "Werm". "Werm" went on tour with music icons, "Thirty Seconds to Mars" and "The Pretty Reckless", while Salamone was a part of another band, "Stiletto Red". After "Werm's" big tour, they got signed to Universal where Salamone met Sturgeon and Mullins and decided to ask Sturgeon to put together their "Nirvana" tribute band!
When asked why they chose "Nirvana" to dedicate a tribute band to, they had a lot to say.
They love the emotions "Nirvana's" songs hold and want to keep passing them along. Plus, Sturgeon is the dopple-ganger of Cobain himself with his mysterious and moody aura which all the girls seem to love. They love to make all of their shows a fun time to watch and experience which is they always end with the instrument destruction! Lastly, grunge never dies!
If you love "Nirvana" and have a heart of grunge, go follow "Nirvanna's" facebook page. You can find all of their upcoming shows there! And, trust me, it is well worth it.
