Unlike most four-piece rock acts, The Doors had no bass.
Lord Sonny does.

Playing bass for Lord Sonny the Unifer …

Holding down the low end grove is the production virtuoso and world class performer Derek Nievergelt.

Let’s just say Derek has NYC street cred. He’s got a long list of film credits, audio production credits, song writing credits, and performance credits. In his own words:

“I’ve spent my life traveling the world and playing music.”

As a songwriter and producer Derek has written and released songs for Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings, The Benny Lackner Trio, Candice Anitra, Ali Hoffman, and he Co-Produced Robin Mckelle’s Sony release Soul Flower. On Modern Icon, Derek shares:

“I grew up with my parents’ records – Jazz, Classical, R&B, and Folk. I have my older brother to thank for introducing me to punk rock. Then I found the Beatles and soon after Led Zeppelin and then Miles Davis. After that I couldn’t go back, my love for sounds and songs had taken hold.”

After studying at Berklee College of Music and Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz at New England Conservatory, Nievergelt became a band member of the Terence Blanchard Quintet, playing bass and touring all over the world. Along with touring, Nievergelt played bass on Blanchard’s album, “Let’s get Lost”, released by Sony Classical in 2001.

“I learned musicianship from mentors Terence Blanchard and Ron Carter and I learned the art of performance from Jazz greats like Frank Foster and Clark Terry.” Here’s a track from the album featuring Diana Krall:

In 2003 as a member of The Blue Eighty-Eights he played regularly throughout Brooklyn and Manhattan in venues like Luxx, Galapagos, Pete’s Candy Store, Hank’s Saloon, and CBGBs.

Nievergelt was also a featured musician, playing on the 2002 Dan Algrant film “People I Know”, staring Al Pacino and Téa Leoni. He also played bass as part of the New York Jazz Ensemble for Spike Lee’s 2000 film, “Bamboozled.”

With his Jazz background, in 2010 he became a member of Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, even being credited as co-writer of ‘Window Shopping” a track off the 2010 Daptone Records release “I learned The Hard Way” Listen to it here:

Between 2012 and 2014 Nievergelt played bass with Robin McKelle & The Flytones, co-producing their 2012 Sony release with Joel Hamilton, Soulflower. Christopher Loudon of jazztimes magazine had this to say about Nievergelt, and the album:

“Led by bassist and co-producer Derek Nievergelt (who seems far too young for such deep appreciation of the source material), the sextet scales Spector-dense arrangements that dazzlingly recall everyone from Wilson Pickett and Sam and Dave to Booker T. Jones and Archie Bell.” Here’s a quick docu-clip:

In 2015 Nievergelt played with Emanuelle Araujo, a Brazilian actress, singer, songwriter. Araujo is known from groups Banda Eva and Moinho w/ Lan Lan & Toni Costa. Her her first solo album was released in 2015 and called “O problema é a velocidade”.

In 2017 Nievergelt was the music supervisor on a documentary called, The Shaman and the Scientist: Exploring the Medicines of the Amazon, featuring Dr. Dennis McKenna (brother of counterculture mystic, Terrence McKenna). The Shaman and The Scientist is a short exploration of knowledge and scientific discovery, exploring the potential of indigenous plant-based medicine in the Amazon jungle. Here’s the trailer:

Now, in June 2019, Derek Nievergelt is primed to release his first solo album, entitled “The Jewels”. He and drummer Adrian Harpham spent endless hours on buses and planes philosophizing about the ideal record. They talked about David Axelrod, Quincy Jones, and the Beastie Boys. They talked about Led Zeppelin, P-Funk, and Paul McCartney. They talked about soundtracks to 60s sci-fi, 70s soft porn, and 80s cop shows. Already transitioning from life as a gig monster to producing and writing, Nievergelt realized he had a mission: to turn this philosophizing into reality. The Jewels is the culmination of that mission.

Listen again and you’ll most certainly hear…

Listen again to our first 3 singles and you’ll hear a strong presence on bass, with detailed fretwork on all 3 tracks. Derek complements the rhythmic tom rolls of Carmine Covelli in The Starman, balances the high octave piano work of Tyler Wood on First In Space, and of course, who could forget the bass-line on Right In Your I.

Watch for Derek’s solo release “The Jewels” visit https://www.moderniconrecordings.com

Full Album Available Now!

Purchase FINAL NOTICE! on Bandcamp, iTunes, Amazon, or listen on Spotify or Soundcloud.
Includes ‘March Forth’, ‘All The Signs’, ‘Till We Change’ and fan-favorite ‘Love Is On The Line’!