2-for-1 at Saturday's Flatbed concert in Carson City

This week’s flatbed concert features two solo acts. Nick Alberti, of Kingwhistler, and Eric Andersen, formerly of The Novelists, will entertain Carson City on Saturday as part of the Brewery Art Center’s Flatbed Concert Series.

“It will be like a dueling singer-songwriters show,” said Alberti. “We’re going to do something kind of different.”

Instead of splitting the time in half, the two will alternate playing throughout the night as the stage cruises to different locations. They are also planning some duets too.

Alberti, from Carson City, said he is happy to share the stage with Andersen, from Reno. He said Gina Lopez from the BAC asked him for another artist to work with, and he picked Andersen.

“He’s an amazing performer and he’s established in the area,” Alberti said.

Andersen said the two have known each other for nine months and this will be their first performance together.

“It will be fun,” he said. “He’s a great guy and a great singer and a great writer.”

Both artists are singer-songwriters with original content to share. Alberti plays guitar. He plays American folk rock music, and his style is to make a song with a good hook without a lot of bells and whistles, he said. He says his music relates to multiple generations and the songs sometimes sound modern or sometimes sound like they were recorded decades ago.

“My goal has always been to create an atmosphere of positivity, optimism, and the idea of giving somebody an opportunity to escape their everyday troubles or challenges,” Alberti said. “Even if only for a few minutes, to be transported somewhere else to somewhere that is accessible and entertaining.”

Andersen plays keys. He is focusing on a solo career now that his former band The Novelists is on indefinite hiatus, he said. He said he’s very excited to be performing Saturday.

“It will be awesome to play in front of a live audience,” he said. “Compared to a normal year, where I’d be playing five shows a week, I have played maybe five times in five months.”

Andersen has kept busy producing a song and video for the City of Reno. It’s a project put on by Artown and the Reno Philharmonic. It includes a cast of 53 local musicians and is part of a national contest that other cities are participating in.

“It’s been a big effort over the past couple of months,” he said.

The video debuts Aug. 18.

Alberti and Andersen both have projects in the works. Alberti said he will be promoting material that he’s been recording — including a single “Jackaranda” that will be released in September.

“It’s a country tune about a love story with a bit of a twang and a catchy hook,” he said.

He said he’s benefitted from winning a grant provided by the Sierra Arts Foundation at the end of 2019, which has allowed him to “create with joy and without anxiety.”

Andersen is working on a solo album. He said it will be a full band project, but it will be under his solo name.

Alberti lives in Carson City and said he’s been to a few Flatbed shows already. He’s been a fan as a spectator, bringing along his daughters to ride their bicycles following the stage when it moves. He says it’s been a relief having live music in the city with safe social distancing.

“We’ve seen people in our neighborhood we haven’t seen in a while,” he said.

Alberti appreciates the BAC for constantly provided entertainment for Carson City. He said a lot of his music is inspired by the region and Carson City specifically and it’s great to be part of it and give back.
“The BAC is striving to put on these shows and they are thinking outside of the box, or outside of the stage in this case,” Alberti said. “People don’t realize how committed Gina and her team are to bringing arts to Carson and the surrounding areas.”