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"ahhhh...organic
and rich like good soil...
makes me want to listen and hear it grow.
the songs are honest and dimensional.
it's music to my ears." - amy ray, the indigo girls
"...harmonies that would make Dolly Parton swoon." - afterellen / MTV / Logo
www.nervousbutexcited.com
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"...harmonies that would make Dolly Parton swoon." - afterellen / MTV / Logo
NBE’s presence was humble and the music filled with a powerfully bittersweet honesty of love lost and distance felt - accompanied by an acoustic guitar and mandolin, their intertwining harmonies were wound together as tightly as a rope, strengthening each melody in an incredible way. - 1000x/minute
About Just the Two of Us: "A well-executed treat for acoustic music fans… gorgeous throughout, featuring beautiful harmonies and accomplished playing." - Ann Arbor.com
About Anchors: "A shining example of their mastery of melody, harmony and heart wrenching lyrics." -Curve Magazine
About Anchors: "...one of the most heartfelt and unpretentious releases of the year. Nearly all of the album's 12 cuts are about Michigan in one way or the other, but also the songs are about love, loss and learning. "Anchors" doesn't try to be anything more than it is. But what it is is a gorgeous testament to life and the power of communal music.
-WIDR Radio, Kalamazoo
“Kate and Sarah deliver high-quality, intelligent tunes with the skill and passion of legendary folk singers in the making.- Off Our Backs Feminist News Journal
"Nervous But Excited is a homegrown duo that cuts like the Michigan winters....their words have a bite to them...while the vocal harmonies of Kate and Sarah soothes the listener like a warm summer breeze coming off the lake....blending it all together to create music that is touching and moving."
-Laney Goodman-host/producer of Women in Music
“...blending progressive politics, sharp wit, and deep introspection with nuanced harmonies...” -Curve Magazine
“Nervous but Excited combines a down-to-earth point of view, progressive politics, and resonant, ringing vocal harmonies.” – Ann Arbor Observer
"Nervous but Excited is the best of what I want in a duo.... passion, integrity, originality, hard work, musicianship, wit, and soul..... Kate and Sarah have a lot of great music and some serious soul." -Kiya Heartwood, Wishing Chair
"Kate and Sarah's blend of fluid vocals and real-life lyrics are so compelling that I couldn't stop listening. The first time I heard them, they stopped my heart."- Chicago Free Press
"These two singer/songwriters have something to say that audiences want to hear... and they deliver their heartfelt messages with an irresistible musical flair that moves people to the core. Their aggressive acoustic style and honest, thought-provoking lyrics have been winning over crowds throughout the country. Together, their harmony is powerful and uniquely beautiful. Sarah and Kate left our audience on their feet and begging for more."
- Cheryl VanDeKerkhove, Producer, East Lansing Women In The Arts Festival
...a musical deep sigh if ever there was one... - FAME/Acoustic Music.com {read the review}
"...how I feel about the whole thing - so real. This music comes from such an honest, beautiful place. Their voices sound beautiful together and the production is great - sparse and lush at the same time. I love how their voices can be soft yet retain their strength. Just beautiful. " - Natalia Zukerman, Singer Songwriter
"Your cd makes me want to call old friends." -
Hannah Hawkins, Fan
10/6/2011 : Between the Lines: Not-So-Nervous But Excited
9/25/2011: iSPY : Nervous but Excited
9/19/2011: Northern Express : A Harmony of Contridiction
9/12/11: butchieblog : pleasantly aggressive
4/22/2010: Between the Lines : It Takes Two
3/8/2010: TimeOut New York: We Were There
1/25/2010: Ann Arbor.com : Nervous But Excited thrilled to be opening for Folk Festival headliners
9/3/2010: Kalamazoo Gazette : Will Nervous But Excited's "Anchors" start a green-album revolution? Duo hopes so
4/28/2010: Meefers : Nervous but Excited Music Review
FULL BAND / FESTIVAL BIO:
"Organic and rich like good soil."- Amy Ray, The Indigo Girls
This Michigan-based pleasantly aggressive folk duo brings a full band to the summer stage! The core of Nervous but Excited is an incredibly unique harmony built upon songwriters and multi-instrumentalists Kate Peterson and Sarah Cleaver. Road warriors to the core since 2005, their endless passion has landed them on stages with folks like Ani Difranco, Iron and Wine and Utah Phillips. Backed up by an arrangement of guitars, banjo, mandolin, bass, cello and percussion, their live show will bounce you through a variety of emotions and genres, always keeping you guessing which is next. You might cry, you’ll definitely laugh, and they hope you’ll leave feeling that your heart has grown just a little larger.
DUO SHOWS:
"Organic and rich like good soil."- Amy Ray, The Indigo Girls
This Michigan-based pleasantly aggressive folk duo is a unique harmony built upon two songwriters singing genuinely crafted stories with three guitars, a mandolin, a banjo, a ukulele, a harmonica, vaguely choreographed dancing and a glockenspiel. Road warriors to the core since 2005, their endless passion has landed them on stages with folks like Ani Difranco, Iron and Wine and Utah Phillips. Their live show will bounce you through a variety of emotions, always keeping you guessing which is next. You might cry, you’ll definitely laugh, and they hope you’ll leave feeling that your heart has grown just a little larger.
"Ahhhh...organic and rich like good soil...makes me want to listen and hear it grow. The songs are honest and dimensional. It's music to my ears."
- Amy Ray, The Indigo Girls
The Michigan-based duo Nervous but Excited combines genuinely crafted stories and an extremely unique harmony to create what they call Pleasantly Aggressive Folk. The two quirky singer-songwriters and multi-instrumentalists, Kate Peterson & Sarah Cleaver, switch up acoustic and electric guitars, mandolin, banjo, ukulele, glockenspiel, bass and harmonica - and work in a whole lot of laughter in between. The laughter is where the “pleasant” comes in. The “aggressive” you will find weaving in and out of their hauntingly swelling harmonies and mindful lyrics. Their original repertoire ranges in topic from smart, introspective narratives to the tactfully political, interspersed with patient songs of love and loss that will undoubtedly tug on your heart.
Road warriors to the core touring nearly half the year since 2004, their endless passion has landed them on stages with folks like Ani Difranco, Iron and Wine, Utah Phillips, Ben Gibbard, Lucy Kaplansky, Cheryl Wheeler, Toshi Reagon, Catie Curtis and Girlyman to name a few.
They have criss-crossed the country from Colorado to Florida to Maine, making friends all along the way. There is still no doubt that kate and sarah’s live show is where it’s at. This is where all of the important parts of their music making come together to create an experience that evokes all the most sincere kinds of feelings: introspection. love. heartache. healing. happiness.
The prolific NBE has kept busy in the studio as well, releasing 3 full-length studio records, 1 live album and 3 EPs. Their latest release is their most exploratory volume of work to date. “You Are Here” combines song writing finesse with a lush, yet edgy aesthetic. The release is just as enticing as those previous with a certain added, though understated, sense of both longing and adventure that shows this band is not willing to sit still. True to form, the songs are still infused with an earthly charm and a genuine sense of locality and experience, full of the kind of rawness and sincerity that most bands don’t dare attempt. Riding the same lines as Kate and Sarah’s vibrant personalities, “You Are Here” hosts are variety of styles throughout it, from the traditional Americana of Ohio to Michigan to the Pop-Folk of Puppeteer, OneFourThree and Blank Pages to Indie-Folk of Hiding Out finally to the Sultry Soul that is No Telling, there is something on this disc for everyone. NBE has even tossed in a humorous song, crowd favorite Happiest We’ve Ever Been, about the stereotypes of a certain sub-culture that they happen to exist within.
“You Are Here” features instrumentation by NBE band members Susie Giang and Murray Stewart-Jones as well as guest appearances by some of the best Michigan talent including Chris Bathgate, Frontier Ruckus, Theo Katzman, Erin Zindle (The Ragbirds), Mike Lynch (Kid Rock) and Kaylan Mitchell (The Juliettes).
NBE’s other recent releases include the 2010 project, a 6 song EP of covers entitled “Just the Two of Us (Our Duo Doing Duos)” that captured Kate and Sarah alone in the studio conquering the challenge of interpreting soul, r&b, indie pop-rock and 80’s rock into their pleasantly aggressive style. In 2009, they released “Anchors,” a 100% carbon neutral CD project. On Anchors, Kate and Sarah’s unique vocal harmonies are enhanced by many talented players including Girlyman, among others, who joined them to color in the lines of the songs with a sweet-tasting assortment of warming-your-feet-by-the-fire-in-the-wintertime kind of instrumentation.
In July 2009, NBE’s song Said and Done from “Anchors” was chosen out of more than 500 entries to be part of the award winning, Michigan made movie Annabelle & Bear. With the help of NBE’s strong and loyal fan community (nearly 30,000 Facebook fans), Kate and Sarah won a music competition to film a cameo and sing live in the movie.
NBE is represented by New York label, Riot Grrrl Ink.
