NEDERLAND — You’ve probably heard about the concept of “nirvana,” the ultimate transcendence of pain, suffering, and desire. The Tortesians, a local eclectic improvisational band, have embraced a similar tenet of liberation through music: “Tortesia.”
William Nicholson, one of the outfit’s two lead singers, guitarists, and songwriters, has passed down the idea of Tortesia for years. The legend began at a previous job, where he frequently talked to “a guy named Cole,” who constantly showed up hungover.
When Nicholson asked Cole where he had been the night before, he said he was down in Tortesia. Nicholson asked where Tortesia was, and Cole pointed in one direction and responded, “It’s down the road about 10 or 12 beers.”
“I just kept it as kind of a funny thing,” Nicholson says. “When someone was acting goofy, I’d be like, ‘You’re just Tortesian. Quit acting Tortesian, bro.’”
Now, a lineup of four musicians (with an occasional fifth member on saxophone) has embraced the inside joke by adopting the moniker of The Tortesians. Nicholson, who once earned the nickname “Coldfingers” due to his determination as a street performer in the dead of winter, is joined by co-lead singer, guitarist, and songwriter Johnny Garrison, drummer and backup vocalist Kevin Chapman, and bassist Dylan Ray Carter.
The majority of the band are residents of Nederland, but Carter drives from his home on the edge of Denver to bring his own influences to the band’s genre-defying fusion of soul, blues, punk, and more. Comparing Nederland’s music scene to Denver’s, Carter loves the connectivity of the community as a whole.
“Denver’s hard,” says Carter. “Lots of people, hard to get into, lots of great musicians down there. Here, there’s a lot of great musicians, but it just feels a lot more open here. Everyone’s chill, and I’ve been really enjoying getting the sense of the local area.”
Before forming The Tortesians earlier this year, the four had never performed in an official lineup, despite playing in various groups together over the years. Now they’ve found a natural rhythm, and they’re taking this band more seriously than previous projects.
“A lot of times, when you’re in a band, you’re trying to herd cats,” Chapman says. “You’ve at least got one member you’re always chasing all over the place. This, it was, ‘Hey, everybody wanna show up this day? Great, see you then.’ It just works.”
Despite a newfound professionalism, the four friends continue to embrace the goofy and joyful qualities of Tortesia — even if the definition has become a bit slippery over the years.
“I have no idea how we’re representing what it really was, because none of us are really drunk alcoholics,” says Nicholson.
Garrison believes they’ve found their own interpretation of the concept, saying, “I’d like to think that the music is enough to take you to the land of Tortesia.”
The Tortesians will be performing at the Covered Wagon, located at 15 E 1st Street in Nederland, on Friday, December 12, 2025, starting at 8 p.m.
