NistaNista started as one Icelandic’s way to make her mark in her new home of Montreal. Vocalist Stina Agustsdottir along with guitarist/husband and fellow Icelander Tommi Gunnarsson, rounded up some talented local musicians Phil Coulombe (drums) and Jérôme Payette (bass).
Nista’s unique style of indie-tronica pop-rock has grabbed the attention of local concert-goers who helped land them in the Top 10 of Montreal Mirror’s annual Reader’s Poll as one of Montreal’s Freakiest Local Acts. Costumes, props, eclectic music and a powerful female lead vocalist helped them earn this freakish honor.
In the last year they released Nista’s debut EP and have been playing numerous shows in Montreal and Toronto including NXNE 2009. The band plans on releasing Nista’s new album in early 2010 and tour in Canada and Iceland.
Nista’s upcoming full-length album Neon Hearts will be a collaboration of friends. Some of the albums collaborators include Leif Vollebekk, Kim Neundorf (Jason Bajada band) and Mishka Stein (Patrick Watson Band). Album artwork has also been designed by local artists. The sound of the new album will be a dirty organic sound of pop melodies with attitude and whimsical lyrics.
Thor KristinssonThor Kristinsson was born in Iceland in 1971.
He has been working as a performer and songwriter throughout his career. His first love was blues, and having started in his teens playing smoke-filled café's and bars with a guitar and mouthorgan he soon fell in love with the theatre. His professional debut was in Hair the musical and moved on to the role of Judas in Superstar . Alongside his theatre career in Iceland Thor worked as a session singer and songwriter. He left his Icelandic rock band, Zalka, to work in the West End musical theatre, his debut there being -again- Superstar. He has since understudied and played many major roles in the musical Les Miserables, the highlight of his work there understudying Colm Wilkinson in his comeback in Dublin to the role that made him famous.
Thor created the part of Jehovah in the new musical Roll over Jehovah at the New End Theatre in Hampstead and toured the United Kingdom playing ‘The Phantom’ in Ken Hill’s Phantom of the Opera.
More recently, Thor appeared at the London Playhouse as the jilted lover 'Paris', in the critically acclaimed version of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, sharing the stage with stars such as Derek Jacobi, Timothy Dalton, Joanna Lumley and Dawn French.
Thor made various appearances on Icelandic national television and radio both as a solo artist and with the band Zalka . He has recorded several songs of his own as well as working as a session singer for Icelandic artists. Thor appeared in the music videos Missir and Endalaust Haf and the films Cold Fever, Nonni og Manni, Agata e la Tempesta ("Agatha and the Storm"), a new comedy from Silvio Sadini, the director that brought us "Bread and Tulips, and one episode of the BBC TV series All along the Watchtower. Thor's last appearance in Scandinavia was in Les Mis - A Musical Spectacular, with The London Philharmonic Orchestra, starring two Scandinavian stars touring their Nordic countries in concert, supported by an elite West End cast.
Thor has also toured Germany as a member of a team of three West End solo artists and one Hungarian rock star, working with a European ensemble and orchestra, performing musical classics.
On a different note, Thor has released the relaxation CD "From Relaxation to Sleep", meant for people who have trouble sleeping.
Live on Icelandic TV @ Logi i beini aka Logi Direct (on Stöd 2 Channel) to promote his album "Running Naked"
www.youtube.com/v/xlfCCxT_nRU&hl&fmt=18
Thor Kristinsson
