“My house is becoming a mess of old keyboards,” says the Madison, Wis.-spawned Nicholson. “I just like the feel and sound of vintage pianos - Rhodes, Wurlitzers, Clavinets, Melotrons - if it’s old and temperamental and sounds a little messed up, I’m gonna play it. Every key is a little bit different, it’s never perfect and that’s what gives those instruments character and soul!”

That attention to detailed character is what makes Nicholson’s... more