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Matt Nathanson Biography
Born 26 years ago in Lexington, Massachusetts, Matt grew up playing his sparkly, red, k shaped guitar along to records by Kiss, Def Leppard and AC/DC. He formed his first band in boarding school in 6th grade and dreamed that one day he too would be in big hair and spandex, rocking the world with the best of them. Luckily, a few years later, Matt was led down a different musical path. With a little help from some semi-hip school teachers, he was introduced to the music of Elvis Costello, 10, 000 Maniacs, Suzanne Vega, Sinead O'Connor and U2. He realized that even though melodies and hooks were important, it was the lyrics that carried the true weight of a song.
Insert an acoustic guitar, years of failed relationships (both musical and romantic) and lot's of Raymond Carver stories and you pretty much have Matt's trajectory from blossoming metal head into solo, heart on sleeve, singer songwriter.
Matt recorded and released his first album while still a student in Claremont, CA. Titled Please, the collection was comprised of 13 songs built around aggressive, acoustic guitar playing and honest, biting lyrics. Believing that acoustic instruments were the best vehicles for conveying emotion, Matt made a point of having no electric guitars on the record.
Matt built on this idea even further with the release his second CD, Ernst (1997). Recorded in his new hometown of San Francisco, ernst was largely influenced by Bruce Springsteen's, Nebraska and the early records of Ani Difranco. The songs are sparse but beautiful with Matt's voice accompanied by little more than a lone acoustic guitar.
And it was this way that Matt performed, opening for Fiona Apple, Toni Childs, Richard Thompson, Ben Harper and Dar Williams to name a few. In these environments, Matt quickly learned that, without a band, an audience needed more than great songs to grab onto. They needed to feel invested in the performer. Following the lessons taught by great singer/songwriters like Greg Brown, Lyle Lovett and Shawn Colvin, Matt loosened up. He started telling stories from the stage and adding the occasional tounge-in-cheek Bon Jovi or Maddona sing along. These covers struck a perfect balance when played next to his own, emotionally charged songs. The audiences began to stick. They returned to shows, brought friends, bought every CD and began to spread the word.
Matt's third CD - a compilation of unreleased songs called Not Colored Too Perfect --was released 1998. It was at this point that Matt decided it was time to enter the studio with a full band. Recorded mostly around Christmas, 1998, at a farm/studio where Tom Waits has recorded his last few records, Still Waiting For Spring offers the perfect balance of singer/songwriter intimacy and rock band well, rock. With the help of members of Counting Crows, the John Hiatt band, FAR and indie rock darlings Creeper Lagoon, Spring successfully mixes electric and acoustic guitars, drums and bass with less traditional instruments like hammond organ, pedal steel, harmonium, chamberlain and strings.
With the release of Spring, coupled with frequent touring (both solo and with band) and a website which gets as many as 13,000 hits a month, Matt has been able to build a strong and loyal fanbase across the U.S. with each new record selling more than the last. Even though the major labels have come knocking, Matt seems uninterested, and with the next year booked up with more tours and the recording of CD number five, who can blame him.
Insert an acoustic guitar, years of failed relationships (both musical and romantic) and lot's of Raymond Carver stories and you pretty much have Matt's trajectory from blossoming metal head into solo, heart on sleeve, singer songwriter.
Matt recorded and released his first album while still a student in Claremont, CA. Titled Please, the collection was comprised of 13 songs built around aggressive, acoustic guitar playing and honest, biting lyrics. Believing that acoustic instruments were the best vehicles for conveying emotion, Matt made a point of having no electric guitars on the record.
Matt built on this idea even further with the release his second CD, Ernst (1997). Recorded in his new hometown of San Francisco, ernst was largely influenced by Bruce Springsteen's, Nebraska and the early records of Ani Difranco. The songs are sparse but beautiful with Matt's voice accompanied by little more than a lone acoustic guitar.
And it was this way that Matt performed, opening for Fiona Apple, Toni Childs, Richard Thompson, Ben Harper and Dar Williams to name a few. In these environments, Matt quickly learned that, without a band, an audience needed more than great songs to grab onto. They needed to feel invested in the performer. Following the lessons taught by great singer/songwriters like Greg Brown, Lyle Lovett and Shawn Colvin, Matt loosened up. He started telling stories from the stage and adding the occasional tounge-in-cheek Bon Jovi or Maddona sing along. These covers struck a perfect balance when played next to his own, emotionally charged songs. The audiences began to stick. They returned to shows, brought friends, bought every CD and began to spread the word.
Matt's third CD - a compilation of unreleased songs called Not Colored Too Perfect --was released 1998. It was at this point that Matt decided it was time to enter the studio with a full band. Recorded mostly around Christmas, 1998, at a farm/studio where Tom Waits has recorded his last few records, Still Waiting For Spring offers the perfect balance of singer/songwriter intimacy and rock band well, rock. With the help of members of Counting Crows, the John Hiatt band, FAR and indie rock darlings Creeper Lagoon, Spring successfully mixes electric and acoustic guitars, drums and bass with less traditional instruments like hammond organ, pedal steel, harmonium, chamberlain and strings.
With the release of Spring, coupled with frequent touring (both solo and with band) and a website which gets as many as 13,000 hits a month, Matt has been able to build a strong and loyal fanbase across the U.S. with each new record selling more than the last. Even though the major labels have come knocking, Matt seems uninterested, and with the next year booked up with more tours and the recording of CD number five, who can blame him.
Matt Nathanson All Music Guide Biography
An impressive 12-string guitar player and songwriter, San Francisco's Matt Nathanson has built up a loyal fan base through extensive touring. His live shows are stripped-down affairs, usually with just Nathanson and cellist Matt Fish on-stage, and are half music, half standup comedy, with the humor balancing out the frequently despondent introspection of the songs. Nathanson has released four independent albums, Please (1993), Ernst (1997), Not Colored Too Perfect (1998), and Still Waiting for Spring (1999), as well as an EP, When Everything Meant Everything (2002). His major-label debut, Beneath These Fireworks, was released by Universal Records in 2003, produced by Ron Aiello, and was followed four years later by Some Mad Hope. Nathanson's songs have also been featured on several television shows, including Dawson's Creek, Smallville, and Road Rules. ~ Steve Leggett, All Music Guide
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