Guitar Tips Feature Band - Chelsea Nisbett by Jordan Warford, Editorial Manager of www.guitartips.com.au - Oct. 6, 2006 If there were three words to sum up this inspiring artist, they would have to be integrity, class, and passion. Chelsea Nisbett is a new talent recently merging into the music industry. She brings with her a refreshing outlook on life and a tremendous aptitude for music that has been refined over recent years. Her enthusiasm and dedication are clearly evident in her live gigs. I've had the honour of seeing her live and can say from personal experience that Chelsea's current discography has something for everyone, regardless of background. One of the most impressive aspects of Chelsea's unique musical style is her ability to add texture and depth to her music. She employs a variety of melodic and harmonic chord progressions with a beautiful mix that you can't help but listen to. Guitarists will enjoy the work of Macio Dorrington as he takes a new approach to lead guitar that revitalizes soul. Vocalists can appreciate how hard composing music can be and the challenges associated with it. Chelsea has composed many songs and has an extremely mature voice for her age. I had the opportunity to speak with Chelsea earlier this week and here's what she had to say about what she's been up to and where she is headed: "I've been singing ever since I can remember and in junior high I decided to take guitar lessons to accompany myself whenever I got to sing. I was tired of depending on other people to provide music for me. I also decided to take some singing lessons for a few months in high school and a few months in university. I always knew I wanted to be on stage as a profession but I didn't start to get serious about it until after my first year of university. Up until that point I would casually play music on the side. I definitely think the timing was meant to be because about 7 months after I started avidly pursuing gigs, someone saw me playing at a coffee house. He suggested that I apply for a grant to record a CD. I did and I got it! The funding came through the Nova Scotia Government (located in Canada), and is for the CD that I am currently working on. I'm hoping to release the CD in November. It will be called "New Beginnings," an EP featuring six songs that I've written. My band has come together over the past year. Charlie Marcelli is my drummer. I met him through our common involvement in the music ministry at our church. Macio Dorrington is my electric guitar player. I asked him to play with me for a benefit concert last February (after seeing him play in other settings) and he's been playing with me ever since. I still don't have a regular bass player yet. I'm praying about it, and trusting God to provide one for me. For now I am having a variety of people play with me at shows. Together with my band we've developed a style that I would describe as a mix of R&B, soul, pop rock, jazz and blues. To be honest, I never know what to say when people ask me what my style is so I've resigned to calling it "soul." I like to write songs as experiments. "Slow Down" was written to experiment with 12 bar blues and "Soldier" was written to experiment with jazz chords and rapping to a guitar. I write to challenge myself." ...Watch out for Chelsea in the future because I highly doubt this will be the last time you'll hear about her. Speaking of hearing, you can't leave your computer without checking out her website... You'll find songs you can listen to and enjoy, coupled with lyrics.