Niki – Percussionist

Niki always had a funny relationship with guitars 🙃

Childhood

Ever since childhood, she was very much into everything to do with guitars; including guitar-lead music, guitar heroes, the physics of guitars, the beauty of acoustic and electric guitars. She has always been captivated by the concept of wood and strings. Yet, she never really had the patience to learn to play it properly.

Marrying a guitarist

Move forward a couple of years, she ended up marrying a guitarist, working as a luthier/ guitar tech in their family owned guitar webshop, and playing congas in Very Santana 😆

This proved the easiest way to keep as close proximity with guitars in her life as possible.

Congas

But back to the Congas. Niki always had a soft spot for latin music – especially ones with lots of guitars in – for as long as she can remember 🙃 She enjoyed playing along with the percussion sections for years as a hobby. She loved joining free playing sessions on out door hippie festivals & hit her bongos around the camp fire.

When the idea came about to create a Santana tribute band the choice was obvious to make Niki the percussion player. She started to take her percussion skills more serious in 2019. To kick start her formal learning, she hired a well known percussion teacher in Budapest & took lessons from him. Ever since, she has been taking lessons eagerly online and in person in the UK too.

In the meantime, Niki doubled the value of her percussion lessons and practice sessions. She started to include Nina too in the rehearsals, whilst still carrying her in her belly. Niki and Rolly maintains it was the perfect time for Nina to start her musical education in the womb.

Niki has taken 1 year gap from the band, whilst their daughter was born. But since she is back in the band, Niki enjoys both her lifelong percussion learning process and performing with the band.

“It’s not only an honour to be able to perform with such talented band mates, but touring with this lot, is like going in mini holidays with your best friends every weekend!”

And as an added bonus, touring as a family unit, with her husband Rolly, and their little one Nina, fulfils their passion for music, gives them freedom, and provides the best musical education they are meant to pass on to the next generation.

“Music is (our) Life !”