Nuttin' But Stringz
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, jazz and R&B.
The brothers began studying violin at ages 8 and 7, respectively, and eventually studied at the Juilliard School.
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, Struggle From the Subway to the Charts, and was followed later in that year by a hugely successful tour.
Their music has sold platinum.
They debuted their song "Winner" on "The Debrief with David Ushery" on New York Nonstop on July 23.
On February 13, 2011, Nuttin' But Strings performed "Winner" for The Boeing Company at the introduction ceremony of their new airplane, the Boeing 747-8.
