| Nuttin' But Stringz | |
|---|---|
| Background information | |
| Origin | Queens, New York, U.S. |
| Genres | Classical/Hip-Hop/R&B/Jazz |
| Years active | 2004–present |
| Labels | NBS Entertainment / Koch Entertainment |
| Website | http://www.nuttinbutstringz.com |
| Members | |
| Damien Escobar Tourie Escobar |
|
Nuttin' But Stringz, also known as N.B.S., consists of brothers Damien and Tourie Escobar who both play violin. The musicians from Jamaica, Queens play a blend of classical music, hip-hop,[1] jazz and R&B.
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The brothers began studying violin at ages 8 and 7, respectively, and eventually studied at the Juilliard School.[2]
In 2005, the duo entered and won a talent competition at the Apollo Theatre in New York. Their victory on Showtime at the Apollo led to media attention and appearances on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, The Today Show with Katie Couric, and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Around the same time the duo showcased their talents at Carnegie Hall and performed for President George W. Bush at The White House.
On January 8, 2006, the Escobars performed their song Thunder at the debut of the redesigned Cadillac CTS at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. Nuttin' But Stringz performed after a classical string quartet. General Motors Corp. executives used the two performances as an analogy, to demonstrate that what used to be good enough (the quartet) needs to be reinvigorated (N.B.S). A video for "Thunder" is also featured on the website for Jack's Big Music Show on Noggin. The exposure continued when they were featured in the first of five commercials featuring local artists on New York's local news channel, NY1.
NBS gained some national attention when their unique brand of music secured the brothers a small part in the 2006 dance movie Step Up, and shortly after CBS featured "Thunder" during the 2007 NCAA Tournament. "Thunder" was also featured in the pilot episode of the television series The Black Donnellys, and was sampled in various television commercials.
In spring 2009, NBS announced via the group's My Space pages that a new album was in the works and was followed later in that year by a hugely successful tour.[3]
Their music has sold platinum.[4]
They debuted their song "Winner" on "The Debrief with David Ushery" on New York Nonstop [5] on July 23.
In April 2010 Nuttin But Strngz performed on Dancing With The Stars.
The summer of 2010 would take the talented brothers to Sri Lanka where they performed for the IIFA's.
In July 2010 Nuttin But Stringz performed at the ESPY Awards in Los Angeles California and were the third artist to appear in a McDonald's commercial that aired that month.
2010 Nuttin But Stringz cameoed on the MTV Unplugged show for Trey Songz.
On February 13, 2011, Nuttin' But Stringz performed "Winner" for The Boeing Company at the introduction ceremony of their new airplane, the Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental.[6]
In March 2011 the Nuttin But Stringz were featured on The Fresh Beat Band in the episode of "The Mistry of the Missing Violin".
September 22, 2011 Nuttin But Stringz gave the performance of a life time in Uruguay.
The brothers' big break came when they auditioned for the third season of NBC's America's Got Talent in New York City and received a unanimous yes from all three judges thus advancing to Las Vegas. They were subsequently named to the Top 40, advancing to Hollywood.[7] They made it through subsequent rounds and were one of the five acts to make it to the finals. The duo ultimately placed third behind the winner Neal E. Boyd and runner-up Eli Mattson.[8] As a result, the Escobar brother's music was featured during a montage at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China.
| Week | Theme | Song choice | Original artist | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Audition | N/A | "Thunder" | Nuttin' But Stringz | Advanced |
| Vegas Verdicts | Instrumentals | "N/A" | N/A | Advanced |
| Top 40 Group 1 |
N/A | "Broken Sorrow" | Nuttin' But Stringz | Advanced |
| Top 20 Group 1 |
Heroes | "Thunder Remix" | Nuttin' But Stringz | Advanced |
| Top 10 | N/A | "Winner" | Nuttin' But Stringz | Advanced |
| Top 5 | N/A | "Thunder" | Nuttin' But Stringz | 3rd Place |
| Year | Album details |
|---|---|
| 2006 | Struggle from the Subway to the Charts
|
| Year | Single | Album |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | "Dance with My Father" | Struggle from the Subway to the Charts |
| "Thunder" | ||
| "Winner" |
|
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