Biography
Birthed from a shared cab-ride back from JFK, Heylady is a soul/funk sonic explosion based in Brooklyn, NY. Fronted by the earthy, soulful voice of Nina Zeitlin, Heylady consists of Dave Cohen (vocals/keys), Josh Green (guitarist), Michael DeVellis (sax/flute/violin/ewi), Miles Moran(drums), and Jake Leschinsky (bass). Debuting in 2009, they have played all over the northeast, sharing the stage with bands like George Clinton & The Parliament Funkadelic, Rebirth Brass Band, The Motet, Breakestra, and many others. Following the 2011 release of a self-produced EP, Heylady’s debut full-length album ‘About Time’ was released in May of 2013 to much critical acclaim, and is dedicated to the incredible donors responsible for the band’s successful Kickstarter campaign. Infused with vibrant melodies, tight harmonic vocals, and a lot of love, this collection of 11 distinct tracks is only the beginning for the colorful Brooklyn sextet.
How it all started...Late one summer night in 2007, Nina Zeitlin walked up to the front of a long taxi line at JFK and said, “Is anyone going to Brooklyn?” She knew she was lucky to hitch a ride with Josh Green, the guy at the front of the line, but she didn’t know that this shared cab ride was the beginning of a far more significant ride.
A week later, Josh (guitarist) and Nina (vocals) ran into each other at Southpaw in Brooklyn. The two vowed to connect in the coming days to play some music, but it took yet another chance meeting outside of a bar in Manhattan on Josh’s birthday for them to follow through. Their fortuitous third encounter forced them to take notice and that weekend they wrote what would be the beginnings of the first heylady tunes.
Josh and Nina have been playing together ever since, enlisting fellow musicians Dave Cohen (vocals/keys), Michael DeVellis (sax/violin/ewi), Jake Leschinsky (bass) and Daniel Gould (drums) to join the band. Heylady debuted in 2009 and now play all over the northeast. They notably opened for George Clinton and the Parliament Funkadelic to a crowd of over 15,000 people. Heylady’s music is infused with soul, funk, rock, and pop that appeals to a wide variety of musical tastes.
