and i'm a lucky boy - a matt nathanson primer
Okay, so there's not a lot of biographical information on Matt Nathanson out there, because the internet sucks. And also because he's just a little indie rocker dude. And yet, he still owns a giant piece of my heart. This is not really dial-up safe, because I am a ridiculous fangirl.
This is Matt Nathanson. He was born on March 28, 1973, in Boston, MA. Yes, that makes him 35 years old. Which totally only makes him even MORE awesome, okay?
Wikipedia describes Matt as a "singer-songwriter whose work is a blend of folk and rock music," which is a very basic description of his style. His older music is very raw, often almost-acoustic, while his later work is full of depth and a wide range of instruments. His lyrics are what really capture you, though. He calls on previous heartbreak and current happiness to pen complex and emotionally resonate lyrics. I'm sure everyone can relate to his music in some way.
BACK TO BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION. Matt was raised in Lexington, MA, and attended high school at Proctor Academy in Andover, NH. He began playing guitar at age 6. In high school, he was in the school's jazz band and talent show, and formed a band with a few friends. They performed mostly original songs, as well as U2 covers, during what Matt refers to as his "fluffy mullet" period.
See? Fluffy mullet.
After high school, Matt attended Pitzer College in Claremont, CA. During college, he continued to write music, and even recorded his first album, Please, when he was just a freshman at age 19, in 1993.
Some time after college, Matt moved to San Francisco, where he lives currently, with his wife Bridget. The two have been married for at least five years, after having met sometime during the mid-90's.
In San Francisco, Matt began to get a small, but loyal, following in the coffeehouse scene, that grew with the release of later records such as Ernst and Not Colored Too Perfect. As for his band, the members have changed a great deal through the years. Among others, he has been accompanied by Aben Eubanks on guitar, keys and vocals, but he was later replaced by Aaron Tap. John Thomasson has been his bassist since 2004, and Konrad Meissner has been his drummer since Fall 2006. Before 2005, Nathanson was often accompanied by cellist Matt Fish, and on the most recent tour, he was accompanied by an accordion player, Kim Hall.
One of my favorite things about his live performances are the covers he chooses to do. He often finishes Bent with Such Great Heights or Anna Begins. Of the covers and his eclectic taste in music, he has said: “It’s not like a superficial shtick,” he says. “I really love Motorhead and I really love, like Ashlee Simpson. I just fucking do. I just want to be blown away. I buy music all the time because I want to transcend. I want to be knocked over. Music is the most immediate way for that to happen. I just dig a lot of crazy shit.”
Unfortunately, Matt has basically no bandom connection. He has opened for artists like Tori Amos, John Mayer, Pink, Guster and OAR, but never Fall Out Boy. Oh well. He is still 100% PURE AWESOME.
PICTURES:
The main reason I love Matt Nathanson though (except for the fact that he's BRILLIANT)? He is fucking hilarious. VIDEO EVIDENCE.
Matt ranting about a Grumpy Bear sweatband ♥
Telling the story of some girl who wanted him to play a specific song.
Making fun of Hey There Delilah. I LOVE HIS FACE OFF.
Now, onto what should be your favorite part: FREE MUSIC.
1993 - This is his first record, and the sound quality is kind of...crappy. But they're musically really, really good and lyrically brilliant. These songs hurt. In the best way possible.
Illusions
And I will never let you fade away
And I want you to know that I love you
For all you are and all that you'll be
So in the end it's not just you with your memories and your scars
Fall on me if you ever forget how beautiful you are
Continue Dreaming
I shouldn't need to wish that I am all I am not
I shouldn't need to always offer you my thoughts, but I do
And I've opened myself up to the wrong and felt that pain
And I've opened myself all up to you and felt the same
Please don't explain, just let me continue dreaming
Pity
Don't look, I don't need your support
You see I've built this wall around myself and it keeps me up
I won't be babied, so please don't baby me
Just leave me in my corner, I created all this misery
Harbor
I'm just a confused child, a ball of raw emotions
Shouting my hollow threats at you
I'll kick and I'll scream and I'll call you names
But when my storm blows over
You'll always hold me the same
1997 - This is another very raw one, but the sound quality is a little better. This CD actually has three of my absolute favorite songs by him on it, which is amazing considering it's 11 years old.
New Coats and New Hats
Oh, the seasons change
So quickly these days
And while the rest in their new coats and new hats
Shiver in their beds
You stand outside
You watch the clouds go by
In the same clothes I met you in
Wide Eyed and Full
Lately I can't tell my friends from my enemies
When it use to seem so clear
I tried rebellion once and look where it's gotten me
Banging apologies against your deaf ears
And she said, "Sing me a sweet song tonight,
Sing me a new song tonight"
All Been Said Before
I am held together by clothes pins and tension,
A wealth of odds and ends
I'm dazzling like the neon street sign
Hiccuping off and on again all night long
I've got magazine friends
And enough jealousy to lose them all
And I know this has all been said before
1998 - This album features some more updated versions of songs from Ernst, as well as some new ones. They're slowly starting to get more and more polished and feature a broader range of instruments, and I love it.
Somewhere To Hide
She said "come along with me,
I've got offerings for you my sweet, sweet boy"
She promised warmth too, but I knew better
Her words broke hot against my neck
And tasting the sweet, sweet numb of regret on my lips
I filled my pockets and closed the door
Miracles
They built a hero out of expectations
And what a hopeless hero was he
With sticks for legs he shook when the wind blew,
Even slightly
And he welcomed the smiles, he welcomed the applause
And he hoped that they'd never forget
Just who they thought he was
They dressed him up in rich man's clothes
And told him he was beautiful
Then they expected miracles
1999 - Matt was just pumpin' them out in the late 90's, huh? This one finally sounds like it was recorded in a studio, not his closet (hey, those are his words, not mine), and because of that, is kind of INTENSELY AMAZING.
Wings
She said, "Lately, fallings been
easy on me..a lot like breathing used to be
and call me crazy, but I was thinking
maybe you'd be waiting on the ground
to come and catch me
and you come around here
you open up your wings
and I'm drowning
you open up your wings
and I'm gone"
Answering Machine
Met someone with your eyes and skin
I can convince her of everything
And baby, it’s so delicious you should
Come here and see for yourself
“I’m gone,” you said, “if this is all there is…
You’ll never shine alone”
Amazing Again (I'm gonna get that tattoo-ed on my left wrist!)
i must be glorious
i must be a sight to see
or maybe you could comfort me
and i come to you strangled
in things i'm told are flattering
maybe you could come and comfort me
2002 - This is just an EP, but amazing. It's actually Matt's last solo record before his Universal debut in 2003.
Princess
oh princess
you make the party
with your hands
in your pockets
and your innocent eyes
and all those things
running around in your head
Pretty the World
show me how pretty the world is.
cause i envy the way that you move
show me how pretty the world is...cause i
want something just a little bit louder
show me how pretty the world is
cause you're brilliant when you try
show me how pretty the whole world is tonight
2003 - This was Matt's first major label release on Universal. If anyone was to have a random Matt Nathanson song, there's a good chance it'd be off of this record, despite the fact that after its release, he was dropped from the label. It's fucking brilliant, no joke. Lyrically, musically, everything.
Angel
you sounded so good on the phone
all moved up and all moved on
me and gravity we never could agree
I can almost see the sky
when I need to close my eyes
you're the only thing that's worth holding on to
I Saw
And I'm surrounded
You spill
All alive and brand new
And I'll forget about you long enough
To forget why I need to
And I saw
Pictures in my head
And I swear I saw you opening up again
Cause I would be heavenly if
Baby you'd just rescue me now
Bent
you're so sorry about it all
now that it's over..
should i thank you for that dear?
you're so sorry about it all...
and i hope you'll always be.
Sing Me Sweet
Just to stay like this
In the give of your lips
In the dim half-light dawn
Pinned below your undertow
When everything meant everything again
A little bit of something
Maybe just a way home
2007 - Okay, this record blows my mind, but Matt/mattnathanson.com can talk about it better than I can, so I'll just quote them: "I definitely think of the album as capturing the arc of a relationship," says the Boston native. "It starts out on a positive note and it goes to some really dark places. But after touching bottom, there's a sense of optimism in the end. Maybe coming from a realization that two people can be a team, not just two individuals who happen to be together." ♥
Come on Get Higher
I miss the sound of your voice
I miss the rush of your skin
I miss the still of the silence
as you breathe out and I breathe in
if I could walk on water
if i could tell you what's next
make you believe
make you forget
Wedding Dress
and you hold me in your arms
and all that I can feel
is my future in your hands
with all that I can feel
is how long ever after is
its all that I can do
to be with you
just to be with you
Still
i remember hearts that beat
i remember you and me
tangled in hotel sheets
you wore me out
i remember honey lips and words so true
i remember nonstop earthquake dreams of you
coming on a fast like good dreams do, all night long
still can feel you kiss me, love
still can see your brown skin shining, shining
still can feel you kiss me, love
come on and drive me wild
Bulletproof Weeks (yes, that song that Keltie danced to. And my current favorite. DOWNLOAD IT.)
Up on 59th street
right before the rain
lovers catching taxis going downtown
I'm talking to what's left of you
watching what I say
counting all the freckles on your perfect face
You open your window
and I stay on your bed
just hoping that right words will come
So what happened to bulletproof weeks in your arms?
What happened to singing cheap radio songs?
What happened to thinking the world was flat?
What happened to that?
...that took forever. Comments are appreciated, as is linking, because I can't post this on bandom_primers. HOPE YOU LIKED IT.
This is Matt Nathanson. He was born on March 28, 1973, in Boston, MA. Yes, that makes him 35 years old. Which totally only makes him even MORE awesome, okay?
Wikipedia describes Matt as a "singer-songwriter whose work is a blend of folk and rock music," which is a very basic description of his style. His older music is very raw, often almost-acoustic, while his later work is full of depth and a wide range of instruments. His lyrics are what really capture you, though. He calls on previous heartbreak and current happiness to pen complex and emotionally resonate lyrics. I'm sure everyone can relate to his music in some way.
BACK TO BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION. Matt was raised in Lexington, MA, and attended high school at Proctor Academy in Andover, NH. He began playing guitar at age 6. In high school, he was in the school's jazz band and talent show, and formed a band with a few friends. They performed mostly original songs, as well as U2 covers, during what Matt refers to as his "fluffy mullet" period.
See? Fluffy mullet.
After high school, Matt attended Pitzer College in Claremont, CA. During college, he continued to write music, and even recorded his first album, Please, when he was just a freshman at age 19, in 1993.
Some time after college, Matt moved to San Francisco, where he lives currently, with his wife Bridget. The two have been married for at least five years, after having met sometime during the mid-90's.
In San Francisco, Matt began to get a small, but loyal, following in the coffeehouse scene, that grew with the release of later records such as Ernst and Not Colored Too Perfect. As for his band, the members have changed a great deal through the years. Among others, he has been accompanied by Aben Eubanks on guitar, keys and vocals, but he was later replaced by Aaron Tap. John Thomasson has been his bassist since 2004, and Konrad Meissner has been his drummer since Fall 2006. Before 2005, Nathanson was often accompanied by cellist Matt Fish, and on the most recent tour, he was accompanied by an accordion player, Kim Hall.
One of my favorite things about his live performances are the covers he chooses to do. He often finishes Bent with Such Great Heights or Anna Begins. Of the covers and his eclectic taste in music, he has said: “It’s not like a superficial shtick,” he says. “I really love Motorhead and I really love, like Ashlee Simpson. I just fucking do. I just want to be blown away. I buy music all the time because I want to transcend. I want to be knocked over. Music is the most immediate way for that to happen. I just dig a lot of crazy shit.”
Unfortunately, Matt has basically no bandom connection. He has opened for artists like Tori Amos, John Mayer, Pink, Guster and OAR, but never Fall Out Boy. Oh well. He is still 100% PURE AWESOME.
PICTURES:
The main reason I love Matt Nathanson though (except for the fact that he's BRILLIANT)? He is fucking hilarious. VIDEO EVIDENCE.
Click to viewMatt ranting about a Grumpy Bear sweatband ♥
Telling the story of some girl who wanted him to play a specific song.
Making fun of Hey There Delilah. I LOVE HIS FACE OFF.
Now, onto what should be your favorite part: FREE MUSIC.
1993 - This is his first record, and the sound quality is kind of...crappy. But they're musically really, really good and lyrically brilliant. These songs hurt. In the best way possible.
Illusions
And I will never let you fade away
And I want you to know that I love you
For all you are and all that you'll be
So in the end it's not just you with your memories and your scars
Fall on me if you ever forget how beautiful you are
Continue Dreaming
I shouldn't need to wish that I am all I am not
I shouldn't need to always offer you my thoughts, but I do
And I've opened myself up to the wrong and felt that pain
And I've opened myself all up to you and felt the same
Please don't explain, just let me continue dreaming
Pity
Don't look, I don't need your support
You see I've built this wall around myself and it keeps me up
I won't be babied, so please don't baby me
Just leave me in my corner, I created all this misery
Harbor
I'm just a confused child, a ball of raw emotions
Shouting my hollow threats at you
I'll kick and I'll scream and I'll call you names
But when my storm blows over
You'll always hold me the same
1997 - This is another very raw one, but the sound quality is a little better. This CD actually has three of my absolute favorite songs by him on it, which is amazing considering it's 11 years old.
New Coats and New Hats
Oh, the seasons change
So quickly these days
And while the rest in their new coats and new hats
Shiver in their beds
You stand outside
You watch the clouds go by
In the same clothes I met you in
Wide Eyed and Full
Lately I can't tell my friends from my enemies
When it use to seem so clear
I tried rebellion once and look where it's gotten me
Banging apologies against your deaf ears
And she said, "Sing me a sweet song tonight,
Sing me a new song tonight"
All Been Said Before
I am held together by clothes pins and tension,
A wealth of odds and ends
I'm dazzling like the neon street sign
Hiccuping off and on again all night long
I've got magazine friends
And enough jealousy to lose them all
And I know this has all been said before
1998 - This album features some more updated versions of songs from Ernst, as well as some new ones. They're slowly starting to get more and more polished and feature a broader range of instruments, and I love it.
Somewhere To Hide
She said "come along with me,
I've got offerings for you my sweet, sweet boy"
She promised warmth too, but I knew better
Her words broke hot against my neck
And tasting the sweet, sweet numb of regret on my lips
I filled my pockets and closed the door
Miracles
They built a hero out of expectations
And what a hopeless hero was he
With sticks for legs he shook when the wind blew,
Even slightly
And he welcomed the smiles, he welcomed the applause
And he hoped that they'd never forget
Just who they thought he was
They dressed him up in rich man's clothes
And told him he was beautiful
Then they expected miracles
1999 - Matt was just pumpin' them out in the late 90's, huh? This one finally sounds like it was recorded in a studio, not his closet (hey, those are his words, not mine), and because of that, is kind of INTENSELY AMAZING.
Wings
She said, "Lately, fallings been
easy on me..a lot like breathing used to be
and call me crazy, but I was thinking
maybe you'd be waiting on the ground
to come and catch me
and you come around here
you open up your wings
and I'm drowning
you open up your wings
and I'm gone"
Answering Machine
Met someone with your eyes and skin
I can convince her of everything
And baby, it’s so delicious you should
Come here and see for yourself
“I’m gone,” you said, “if this is all there is…
You’ll never shine alone”
Amazing Again (I'm gonna get that tattoo-ed on my left wrist!)
i must be glorious
i must be a sight to see
or maybe you could comfort me
and i come to you strangled
in things i'm told are flattering
maybe you could come and comfort me
2002 - This is just an EP, but amazing. It's actually Matt's last solo record before his Universal debut in 2003.
Princess
oh princess
you make the party
with your hands
in your pockets
and your innocent eyes
and all those things
running around in your head
Pretty the World
show me how pretty the world is.
cause i envy the way that you move
show me how pretty the world is...cause i
want something just a little bit louder
show me how pretty the world is
cause you're brilliant when you try
show me how pretty the whole world is tonight
2003 - This was Matt's first major label release on Universal. If anyone was to have a random Matt Nathanson song, there's a good chance it'd be off of this record, despite the fact that after its release, he was dropped from the label. It's fucking brilliant, no joke. Lyrically, musically, everything.
Angel
you sounded so good on the phone
all moved up and all moved on
me and gravity we never could agree
I can almost see the sky
when I need to close my eyes
you're the only thing that's worth holding on to
I Saw
And I'm surrounded
You spill
All alive and brand new
And I'll forget about you long enough
To forget why I need to
And I saw
Pictures in my head
And I swear I saw you opening up again
Cause I would be heavenly if
Baby you'd just rescue me now
Bent
you're so sorry about it all
now that it's over..
should i thank you for that dear?
you're so sorry about it all...
and i hope you'll always be.
Sing Me Sweet
Just to stay like this
In the give of your lips
In the dim half-light dawn
Pinned below your undertow
When everything meant everything again
A little bit of something
Maybe just a way home
2007 - Okay, this record blows my mind, but Matt/mattnathanson.com can talk about it better than I can, so I'll just quote them: "I definitely think of the album as capturing the arc of a relationship," says the Boston native. "It starts out on a positive note and it goes to some really dark places. But after touching bottom, there's a sense of optimism in the end. Maybe coming from a realization that two people can be a team, not just two individuals who happen to be together." ♥
Come on Get Higher
I miss the sound of your voice
I miss the rush of your skin
I miss the still of the silence
as you breathe out and I breathe in
if I could walk on water
if i could tell you what's next
make you believe
make you forget
Wedding Dress
and you hold me in your arms
and all that I can feel
is my future in your hands
with all that I can feel
is how long ever after is
its all that I can do
to be with you
just to be with you
Still
i remember hearts that beat
i remember you and me
tangled in hotel sheets
you wore me out
i remember honey lips and words so true
i remember nonstop earthquake dreams of you
coming on a fast like good dreams do, all night long
still can feel you kiss me, love
still can see your brown skin shining, shining
still can feel you kiss me, love
come on and drive me wild
Bulletproof Weeks (yes, that song that Keltie danced to. And my current favorite. DOWNLOAD IT.)
Up on 59th street
right before the rain
lovers catching taxis going downtown
I'm talking to what's left of you
watching what I say
counting all the freckles on your perfect face
You open your window
and I stay on your bed
just hoping that right words will come
So what happened to bulletproof weeks in your arms?
What happened to singing cheap radio songs?
What happened to thinking the world was flat?
What happened to that?
...that took forever. Comments are appreciated, as is linking, because I can't post this on bandom_primers. HOPE YOU LIKED IT.