A Real Crowd Pleaser
While many artists focus on booking large stadium venues, singer/songwriter Matt Nathanson prefers to keep the crowds smaller and more intimate.
In past few years, Nathanson has played more than 250 live shows, generally at bars, clubs, and other smaller locales. He has performed with heavy hitters like John Mayer, Howie Day, Train, OAR, Guster, Five For Fighting and Maroon 5, all of whom love his cathartic on-stage banter. His most widely known single is a cover of James’ song Laid for the American Wedding Soundtrack. As an independent artist, Nathanson has self-released five acclaimed albums, and one recently under a major label.
Not only an excellent musician, Nathanson is also a strong performer. Even when playing at larger outdoor venues, Nathanson treats the crowd like a group of close friends, sharing insight and personal stories. Surprisingly, he is also fairly candid and obscene in concert. It is quite amusing, given that none of his songs contain any inappropriate language. His funny jokes and interaction with the crowd makes each of his concerts an intimate and enjoyable experience, as he slides easily between conversation and song.
“The way that I joke with people onstage is the way I establish a connection,” he explains. “It’s like introducing yourself if you’re hanging out with someone at a party. You want to talk to them and break the ice so you can have a dialogue and interaction.”
After each show, this San Francisco-based performer makes time to chat and joke with each fan, whether it takes him fifteen minutes or an hour and a half. He remembers particular fans from various venues and enjoys reminiscing with them. His unpretentious disposition makes him very approachable and he appreciates support from each of his fans. Thanks to a growing fan base and word of mouth, Nathanson has established a following of dedicated listeners who drive great distances to see him perform, tape his performances (which he readily allows), and listen to his witty remarks.
Artist Info
Most Popular Songs: Laid, Lucky Boy, I Saw, Answering Machine
Has Headlined for: OAR, Guster, John Mayer, Maroon 5, Howie Day
Cool Quotes
“Most singers, most people in bands, have some mystery to them. I don’t. I wish I could just keep my mouth shut, build up a little mystique, but I have this insatiable need to be paid attention to. And if I played all these songs straight through I’d wanna kill myself and so would everyone in the audience.”
“I realize now that there are no big wins. There’s just this long wallk. Sometimes it’s uphill… Sometimes it’s downhill… You just have to try and enjoy it.”
More…
- Matt Nathanson on iTunes
- Matt Nathanson on Wikipedia
- Matt Nathanson on MySpace
- Matt Nathanson’s Fan Club
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