Having made his name as a sideman for members of the Velvet Underground, Sturgis Nikides has in recent years been at the center of his own band - a group which he says blends blues, rock and the jam band genre into one powerful amalgamation.
Described as one of the world's finest steel guitar players by promoter Kipp Elbaum, who booked him at Pine Junction in Findley Lake for this Friday night, Nikides recalled previous shows in Western New York, gigs in Buffalo and Rochester with John Cale, as having happened a lifetime ago.
''This particular version of me is, well, I don't know quite how to put it,'' Nikides said of his music these days. ''I'm really not comfortable putting a descriptive term on it. It's not that it's undefinable, but it doesn't easily fit into any slot. While there's a major blues influence, it's not a blues band. And though there is a major hard rock influence, it's definitely not a hard rock band. If you listen to my last CD, that's got Nashville stamped all over it. The songs on it are very dynamic, but my life show doesn't really go there. While I play those songs, they're much harder versions of those.''
A power trio, Nikides said his band is steeped in the styles of rock 'n' roll he has been playing for decades - which includes everything from bottleneck slide guitar to the steel guitar playing he's now best known for.
''The idea that I'm playing a different kind of music now is not really true,'' Sturgis said Wednesday, ''outside of the fact that I was a sideman playing strictly, obviously, John Cale's music. That said, I'm still the same guitar player. I was playing slide guitar with John.''
Following Friday's Findley Lake show, Nikides will play Bobby's Place in Erie. According to Nikides, shows consist mainly of his own original music, mostly new songs with a handful of tracks from his 2004 CD ''Man of Steel.'' Additionally, Nikides said he's been known to throw Velvet Underground songs into the mix and regularly performs ''Pablo Picasso'' - a John Cale staple which Nikides said he has been playing since his days on the road with the Velvet Underground member.
''His sets start with national steel guitar, but mid-set he's a monster, monster guitar player,'' Elbaum said of Nikides' shows. ''He's Stevie Ray Vaughan if Vaughan had come from the East Village. It's a blues sound, but it's heavier, louder, faster and more driving.''
Located in Findley Lake, Pine Junction is known to many as the ''Tavern in the Pines.'' A combination bar and restaurant built by Lonnie and Shirlee Pound, Pine Junction is located at 9757 Bailey Hill Road in Sherman and can be reached by calling 769-7854.
