Dan Nichols

Daniel Nichols (born 1969) is an American Jewish rock musician and founder of the band, E18hteen.
Biography.
Dan Nichols was born in 1969 in Indiana. He attended Pike Township Schools in Indianapolis. He and his parents converted to Judaism when he was 7, after his mother "went on a quest for spirituality". He attended Indianapolis Hebrew Congregation and camped at Goldman Union in Zionsville, Indiana. He lives in Raleigh, North Carolina with his wife Elysha and daughter Ava. Nichols is an alum of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where he received a bachelor's degree in music in 1992.
Music career.
In 1994, while living in Nashville, Tennessee, Nichols met Mason Cooper and created the band, Eighteen, performing rock music with Jewish themes and Hebrew prayers. Prior to Eighteen, Nichols was a member of the band Olskies. Nichols previously worked as a cantorial soloist at Congregation Micah in Brentwood, Tennessee, and also has a background in opera. Nichols performs at synagogues, Hillels, Jewish Community Centers and Jewish youth camps nationwide. His work has been recognized by the Union for Reform Judaism and NFTY who have featured him as an artist at Biennials and Conventions, and included his music on their "Ruach" compilation albums and songbooks. Since 2001, Nichols has been a faculty member of the annual songleading conference, Hava Nashira in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin. In 2006, NFTY awarded Nichols its highest honor, Lifetime Membership, in recognition of his years of commitment and outstanding contribution to Reform Jewish youth. In 2008, Nichols and Eighteen performed a live concert for Sirius XM's Radio Hanukkah Jewish Stars concert series, and a concert at Masada for Israel's 60th anniversary. Dan Nichols has also been Rodef Sholom's artist in residence since 2008.
Nichols is the subject of the 2013 documentary film "Road to Eden: Rock & Roll Sukkot" which follows Dan and his band Eighteen as they travelled in an RV across the American South during the holiday of Sukkot. In 2015, Dan released an album of acoustic music on an album called "Beautiful and Broken" with guest artist Elana Arian. His newest album, "I Believe" was released in August 2016. "I Believe" features cover art designed by Sarah Edelstein.