Nicotine Dolls

Nicotine Dolls make the kind of music you can’t hide from. The storytelling is front-and-center, beckoning your attention like a dusty old novel you can’t put down until the last page. The vocals are gritty and honest, holding nothing back in fits of joy, regret, and sadness similar to a phone call from one of your best friends at 3am.

The instrumentation is equally punchy and nuanced, grafting rafter-reaching hooks on top of rich soundscapes. The moment the New York alternative quartet—Sam Cieri [vocals], John Hays [guitar], John Merritt [bass], and Abel Tabares [drums]—plug in, it’s as if a rush of collective emotion floods through the speakers. After generating over 20 million total streams and consistently selling out shows, the group tell their story as a means to encourage you to live yours on their 2023 EP, How Do You Love Me [Nettwerk Music Group]. “I went through a process of overcoming these situations in the songs,” admits Sam. “The second we send them out, I’ve dealt with them. Now, they’re for you. I just want to properly represent where I’ve been and create a space for you to feel anything you want to feel. That’s my ambition.” Nicotine Dolls officially emerged in 2019 at the crossroads between its members’ respective paths. As the story goes, Sam met John Hays in 2015 during a Broadway tour. “I ended up there because I was getting evicted from my apartment, and my friend told me to try musical theater since you get a consistent paycheck,” he recalls. They instantly became best friends. By this time, Sam’s journey had already twisted and turned from “leaving high school to be a musician, living in motels, playing Las Vegas, going to South Florida, and amassing all of these crazy ass stories.” Nevertheless, his newfound musical bond with Hays eventually attracted Merritt and Abel to the fold

When

Location

The Beacham, 46 N Orange Ave, Orlando 32801  View Map

28.5429997,-81.3791995

46 N Orange Ave , Orlando 32801

The Beacham

46 N Orange Ave , Orlando 32801

Nicotine Dolls