COMING August 18 from The Royal Potato Family
Brooklyn, NY — Nathan Moore is a folk singer. For that, he makes no apologies. Some would run from the connotations that such a label might convey, but on his forthcoming EP, entitled Folk Singer, Moore quite matter-of-factly calls it as he sees it.
“When I first began performing alone I would say, ‘Hey, you’re listening to a folk singer,’ sort of marking the contrast in my own light of being without a band, but also teasing the crowd because I know so many of them would never think of themselves as liking folk singers,” explains Moore. “But, the truth be told, if a folk singer is a lone soul pining and rejoicing in the magic of life with his own songs to the beat of his own invisible drummer, then I’m a folk singer sure as I’m here.”
Scheduled for release August 18 on The Royal Potato Family, the eight-song collection was written and recorded by Moore as winter turned to spring at his home in the Shenandoah Valley. Folk Singer features Moore unaccompanied on vocals, acoustic guitar and harmonica.
”Every song I’ve ever written started with just me and my guitar. It’s the point of origin and, in that sense, the purest form of my songs. My reality is, these days, I’m mostly touring alone and it’s great to have an album that represents this side of me,” says Moore, who when not performing as a solo artist can be found fronting the fully electric rock band Surprise Me Mr. Davis.
Opening with gentle fingerpicked “Tombstone,” Moore’s switched-on spirit shines bright as he gracefully sings his own epitaph. The winsome “Travelin’ On” proves an instant addition to the canon of classic road songs, extolling the virtues of a life spent in motion. “Everybody Dreams,” a minor key lament, was inspired by “a reaction to the tendency to hope something big is gonna swoop down and save us, like the lottery, when would it be simpler to just be satisfied.” And just when the existential weight grows too heavy, Moore spins a magically endearing love song like “I Can Make You Smile.”
On Folk Singer, Nathan Moore writes songs about everyday people, himself included, trying to find their way through life. His empathy and honesty proving, unmistakably, the value of folk songs in modern times. As he sings on the album’s gritty centerpiece, “Hard Times”: “Hard times ain’t just some old folk song, well no, hard times, they’re still going on.” And with one simple lyric, he goes straight to the heart of the timeless tradition that runs from Woody Guthrie to Bob Dylan to Sam Beam to Conor Oberst. As long as there’s trouble in the world, the world needs folk singers, like Nathan Moore, to sing folks through it.
For more information on Nathan Moore and/or promo, interview, photo and guest list requests, please contact Kevin Calabro at The Royal Potato Family: 718-369-6567 or CalabroMusic@aol.com
Tour Dates in July & August
July 3-5 High Sierra Music Festival–Quincy, CA
July 23-26 FloydFest–Floyd, VA
July 30 Cowgirl Hall of Fame–Santa Fe, NM
August 1 The Filling Station–Albuquerque, NM
August 2 TBA–Taos, NM
August 3 The Walnut Room–Denver, CO
August 4 b. side lounge–Boulder, CO
August 7 Mountain Town Stages House Concert–Park City, UT
August 8 Miner’s Park–Park City, UT
August 19 The Westcott Theater–Syracuse, NY
August 20 Littlefield–Brooklyn, NY
August 21 The Colony Cafe–Woodstock, NY
Spanning cyberspace for Moore mentions:
READ: “Nathan Moore once dreamed about a space where there was a table with his five song-writing heroes–Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, Tom Waits, John Prine and Greg Brown–and one empty seat. His dream was to sit in that empty chair.” Read the whole article from the Times-Standard, Eureka, CA June 4, 2009.
LISTEN: Summer of My Fall on Glide’s Hidden Track Blog Stormy Mondays: A Farewell to Spring”
WATCH: Desert Rocks Slideshow by Jared Daley
SING ALONG to “The Hard Way” at the Starry Plough:
Lauren Siegal on Nathan’s show at the Conneticut Yankee in San Francisco: ”You would have to be a rock to not be moved by at least one verse in his impressive repertoire. In the span of his set, I fell in love, went through a broke-up, traveled the world, experienced great pain, and finally, experienced pure joy. The energy of the room told me that I wasn’t the only one on this journey with him.” Read the whole review on LIVE MUSIC BLOG.com.
The Blackfriar’s Concert with Devon Sproule raised $3400 for American Shakespeare and produced some pretty exciting material! Check out these videos thanks to Hunter Moye, Allan Moye and Nate Hefner. Edited by Nathan.
Nathan’s Songwriting Weekend, held May 1-3 at his Shenandoah Valley home ,was also a rousing success. Read Fred Torphy’s (of Big Light) account on the State of Mind Magazine blog or catch Joe Adler’s (senior writer for Glide Magazine) journal or Scott Rudicel’s photos on facebook!
And don’t miss Staunton Jams–May 16 Beverley Street. Come celebrate our great local music scene!
Kids packed the house to see the Ruditoonz show at Pufferbellies in Staunton during the first event of Nathan’s songwriting weekend. Indiana-based songwriter Scott Rudicel braved an early show on Friday, then trekked out to camp at Nathan’s and exchange ideas and soak up some inspiration with other visiting songwriters and local musicians. More show reports and pictures to come!
Cliff Garstang reviews the Blackfriars Playhouse benefit by Nathan and Devon for American Shakespeare on Perpetual Folly.
