Posted: 05/03/06

Matt Nathanson at Higher Ground
Artist performs, dicusses his career

Jon Taylor | contributing writer
jtaylor@smcvt.edu

Six years. Close to 850 shows in 500 different venues. Throngs of devoted fans.

Do you know who Matt Nathanson is?

The man, the myth, the legend

This 33-year-old singer/songwriter has been on the scene since 1993, when his first full length studio record, “Please,” was released. Since then, Nathanson has released 6 studio albums, an EP and has been featured on TV shows such as “Smallville” and “Joan of Arcadia.”

Nathanson’s inspiration behind his work comes from various themes, which can be tied together throughout his catalogue. For example, the theme of old relationships gone sour is strewn throughout his music, including “Weight of It All,” “Answering Machine,” and “Sad Songs.”

“It’s not a conscious decision,” he says. “There are themes that subconsciously I stick to. Then, when I get over analytical, I try to extricate myself from those themes, so I don’t feel like I’m treading the same ground.”

There is no date set for the release of Nathanson’s next studio album, his first since 2003’s “Beneath These Fireworks.” During the past few months, Nathanson has introduced a few new songs to his live audiences, but he says that they are constantly changing.

“Perfectionist is a kind way of putting it,” he says. “I’m someone who thinks himself out of good ideas. I tweak songs endlessly.”

The current tour

Having been a musician for more than a decade, Nathanson says he still enjoys the rush of touring just as much as getting creative while writing and recording in the studio.

Matt Nathanson performs at Higher Ground. Nathanson has had a successful career thus far. (Jon Taylor, photo)

“If I tour for too long, I wish I could write records for the rest of my life,” he says. “If I make records for a long time, I can’t wait to get out there. It’s all about the balance of the two.”

Nathanson, a native of Lexington, Mass., presently lives in San Francisco, Ca., with his wife, Bridget.

“It’s the only part of the job that’s really terrible,” he says. “If she [Bridget] was with me all the time, it would make a world of difference. There’s no kidding around about how bad it sucks.”

Currently, Nathanson is touring in support of his latest effort, “At the Point,” a solo acoustic live CD, recorded at The Point in Philadelphia, Pa. He played a solo opening gig for Lifehouse at South Burlington’s Higher Ground on Apr. 25.

“Right now, it’s just me and Jamie [Hill, Nathanson’s tour manager],” Nathanson says. “I haven’t done a proper solo tour in a long time, so it’s nice to get out for a couple of weeks and just sort of play with myself. You know what I mean.”

At Higher Ground

Nathanson ambled onto the Higher Ground stage to play for an unassuming Tuesday night crowd of preteens and their parents, who were anxiously waiting to hear the trivial modern rock of Lifehouse.

Immediately, he launched into his new song “Car Crash,” which has gone through at least five or six different versions since its debut last October.

“Car Crash” wasn’t clicking the way I wanted it to click,” he says. “I was impatient and excited to play it for people. The version of “Car Crash,” now is kind of the final version, but it took like six tries.”

This final rendition of “Car Crash” is remarkable in its ability to satisfy die-hard Nathanson fans and inexperienced rookies simultaneously. The loud, powerful melody of the verse culminates with a strong chorus hook, which grabs your senses and doesn’t let go.

In between songs, Nathanson shocked the audience with his witty, profane banter. He discussed everything from taboo sex to unpleasant experiences with former girlfriends. This topic is the basis of “Wings,” a song from Nathanson’s 1999 release “Still Waiting for Spring.”

He described the song from the point-of-view of a teenager in love with his best friend – a girl not interested in dating him. Nathanson explained that “Wings” was the antithesis of this concept, with Nathanson rejecting the girl in the end. “It’s totally imaginary,” he says. “I’m saying, ‘No beautiful girl, put your shirt on.’”

The highlight of the night came next: a cover of Prince’s “Starfish and Coffee,” an obscure track off of 1987’s “Sign O’ The Times.” Nathanson told the crowd to watch out while singing along, because “…people have been known to burst into bouquets of flowers during this song.”

As Nathanson led the crowd in a silly, albeit entertaining, sing-a-long, he segued into the Bee Gees’ “Stayin’ Alive,” much to the adoration of the crowd.

“We’re like a funky brigade,” he said with a knowing smirk.

Matt Nathanson autographs CD's and other items after his performance at Higher Ground. (Jon Taylor, photo)

Nathanson begins and ends many of his songs with covers, adding a different dimension to his words. One such example is on “At the Point.” Nathanson’s song “Bent” ended with a few lines from The Postal Service’s “Such Great Heights.” He says this usually happens by accident.

“It’s just one of those things like getting carried by the moment,” he explains. “That sounds like “Acrobat” by U2 [Nathanson’s song “Wide Eyed and Full”], so I just kind of throw it in.”

These kind of covers show the broad range of Nathanson’s influences, from U2 to The Band to Kelly Clarkson.

“It’s not like a superficial shtick [the range of covers],” he says. “I really love Motorhead and I really love, like Ashlee Simpson. I just f***ing 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.”

The only problem with the set, aside from its short length, was the song selection. Nathanson should have substituted “Lost Myself in Search of You” with “Angel” and “I Saw,” two songs from “Beneath These Fireworks. These songs effectively show the lyrical prowess and no-frills songwriting that has won Nathanson so many devoted fans. “Lost Myself in Search of You,” albeit catchy, just doesn’t cut it in the end.

Back on the road

At the end of the night, Nathanson had newfound fans flocking to his merchandise table to buy his CDs and meet the man himself. Unlike many artists these days, he stayed for each fan, taking pictures, signing CDs and generally being a nice guy.

Nathanson exudes the kind of persona that politicians only dream of, winning over all demographics at his shows. It doesn’t hurt to have a dirty mouth either.

At Higher Ground, Nathanson showed why his fans keep coming back for more. His charming personality paired with an impressive catalogue of songs won over the Vermont crowd. Next time, Lifehouse should be opening for Nathanson.

One can only hope.

More information is available at these Web sites:

www.mattnathanson.com – Official Matt Nathanson website

www.prettytheworld.com – Matt Nathanson fan site