Creator Chats: NOVA ONE & Calicoco
NOVA ONE (left) and Calicoco (right)
Calicoco: First question for you Roz! How did you choose the name NOVA ONE?
NOVA ONE: I chose the name NOVA ONE for a number of reasons but i think the top two would be 1) nova is my moms dogs name, she is a chihuahua terrier 2) I’ve always been into intergalactic reading and I took an astronomy class 2 years ago that blew my mind.
What was your first concert?
C: Oh nice, love that name so much! I get pretty excited about intergalactic stuff too. I remember failing a summary exercise in elementary school because I didn’t want to do my summery on a fiction book. Instead I wanted to write about the book I read on black holes. My teacher put a giant X across everything I wrote!
My first concert was the Backstreet Boys. Loved them so much.. too much haha. Even so much that I went to NYC to see them wave out to the crowd on TRL. What was yours?
And next question: What is the weirdest thing that anyone has said to you on tour?
NOVA ONE // photo: Kendra Whitcomb
N: Whoever that teacher was blew it! i get that it wasn't a fiction book but common. I too loved the backstreet boys btw. Like LOVED them. Did i ever tell you about the time i styled kevin richardson's hair for a film? It was about 8 years ago. He is super nice and was still absurdly good-looking.
As for the weirdest thing anyone has said to me on tour, there are so many that come to mind from the disturbing comments to the generally strange. If it's okay with you, i'm going to stick to a more posi one. Someone came up to me recently after a show and way pretty drunk and crying and said "your music sounds like the trees, thank you, it sound like the trees." That was definitely the first time someone has said that to me.
When did you first start writing your original music and maybe what was the first song you wrote about if you remember?
C: I am so envious of you hanging with Kevin Richardson, that is nuts! He was always the coolest. I did like Howie a lot too because we shared a birthday haha! As for the drunk guy saying that, I sort of get it! Your music is truly captivating and beautiful, just like trees are.
I started writing my own music in high school, I think I was 16. The first full song I wrote was about my first boyfriend. It was a classic heartbreak song... called “summer rain” haha. We’re still good friends to this day though! Very grateful for him; he opened up my world to a lot of new music and was one of the first people that I actually played music with.
Calicoco// photo: Hayes & Baker Photography
As for the Calicoco stuff, I started writing on my own again around the time that my college band Buckets was ending. I still felt like I needed to write even though I wasn’t able to with those guys anymore. I think the first one I wrote was Splash. It’s sort of a heavy tune about feeling rejected and having hard time loving yourself. It was when I was just starting to accept that I was attracted to women...I didn’t really know what the hell I was doing. I didn’t feel comfortable in my skin and I was terrified. And I had a bad habit of hitting bad habits really hard, and I was trying to tell myself not to fall into that again.
What was the first thing that compelled you to write a song?
N: Yas howie was super cute as well, so cool you are birthday twins with him <3
Thanks for sharing a bit of your writing history. I also love that you and that boyfriend are still friends, thats super special.
The first writing i ever did was with a friend of mine, lily, when we were about 12. we wrote a song about how awesome our friendship was. In retrospect, we were also probably processing our relationship to queerness or something but either, she was a great singer and guitar player and we learned how to harmonize together. I remember the first time we nailed a harmony, I got goosebumps on my arms and thought to myself "whoa that was cool, i want to do that forever".
I know you play a bunch of instruments but can you think of one you always wanted to learn how to play but maybe you haven't tried it yet for whatever reason?
G: Yea, it definitely is special. Hopefully we'll be able to play together again when we're both in the same place at the same time.
That is the sweetest story! Really need to hear that song, Roz... Did it have a name? Hopefully it's recorded on a tape somewhere. I remember that first feeling of nailing a harmony too; its's addicting! I think I still get goosebumps when I hit a great harmony with someone.
I'd love to learn a brass instrument...I think trumpet. The tone is so beautiful, it would be sweet to be able to play it! I don't really know why I never tried anything like that... Maybe just time and accessibility. Most people don't have a trumpet laying around in their house haha.
Last question!
If you could play with anyone in the world on a bill, who would it be and why?
N: Yes the song had a name! It was called "i care for you", so sweet and so real. There is a recording of it somewhere, I will send it to you. and heck about about wanting to learn a brass instrument.
To answer your question, if I could play with anyone in the world and why, I have a two part answer: 1) if I could play with someone, as in sit-in with them, i would love to be part of backing band for a destiny's child reunion. 2) if I could play on a dream bill with someone, i honestly don't know who i'd choose (so many favs). but I do dream about the next show I'd share with calicoco.
