Niacin was somewhat of progressive 'supergroup' consisting of bassist virtuoso/shredder Billy Sheehan who played with David Lee Roth and Mr. Big. Drummer Dennis Chambers had played with a whole host of other artists including Steely Dan, Santana, and Parliament/Funkadelic. John Novello is a wizard on the Hammond B3.
A fusion of jazz, funk, hard rock of the 70's, blues and even some R&B. A modern day ELP comparison wouldn't be too far out. Like ELP, Niacin doesn't incorporate a guitarist and by no means that doesn't mean they don't rock!
Thier first two albums: Niacin(1996) and High Bias(1998) aren't as well diverse and defined as later albums, none the less, still very high musicianship. The band switched labels to the prog/metal speciality Magna Carta and released Deep in 2000 with a guest appearence by Glenn Hughs who contributes his vocals to one song.
After releasing a live album, Niacin jacks it up to a high energy fast fusion on Time Crunch, absolutely powerful. The band does a cover of Jan Hammer's Blue Wind which is reminiscent of Atomic Rooster. Wow! Organik from 2005 is mind blowing, jagged and stunning. Billy Sheehan's bass playing is insane. This stuff sizzles!
A fusion of jazz, funk, hard rock of the 70's, blues and even some R&B. A modern day ELP comparison wouldn't be too far out. Like ELP, Niacin doesn't incorporate a guitarist and by no means that doesn't mean they don't rock!
Thier first two albums: Niacin(1996) and High Bias(1998) aren't as well diverse and defined as later albums, none the less, still very high musicianship. The band switched labels to the prog/metal speciality Magna Carta and released Deep in 2000 with a guest appearence by Glenn Hughs who contributes his vocals to one song.
After releasing a live album, Niacin jacks it up to a high energy fast fusion on Time Crunch, absolutely powerful. The band does a cover of Jan Hammer's Blue Wind which is reminiscent of Atomic Rooster. Wow! Organik from 2005 is mind blowing, jagged and stunning. Billy Sheehan's bass playing is insane. This stuff sizzles!
It's surprising at times when a musician goes out his/hers 'comfort' zone and actually pulls it off. No question, Billy Sheehan is the perfect example.
