David Nagler helps lead the band Nova Social with Thom Soriono. The duo recruited many talented performers to help complete the album: avant-garde guitarist and arranger David First, alt-country luminaries Deanna Varagona (Lambchop) and Michael Daly (Whiskeytown), and the modern classical ensemble the Flux String Quartet. The final result, The Jefferson Fracture was a far more diverse and accomplished affair than their previous EP, revealing Nagler to be a gifted and fearless songwriter and Soriano to be a master of odd sounds and quirky arrangements. Both musicians had a hand in stirring up the pot in N.Y.C.’s music scene: they have hosted and curated Nova Nights, an eclectic evening of music that took place in a comfy, couch-filled basement called the Den of Cin, normally a screening house for independent films. A bevy of artists from a multitude of genres (avant-garde jazz, spoken word, acoustic pop, experimental rock) appeared throughout the year.