Jon Nolan - acoustic and electric guitars (pedal steel drums and piano on the CD too.)
My backing band HOKUM features:
Jim Gambino - keys
Tim McCoy - bass
Ken Schopf - drums
Russell Chudnofsky - electric guitar
Influences
Uncle Tupelo, Neil Young, Wilco, The Beatles, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, Tom Waits, The Beach Boys, Whiskeytown, early U2, Tom Petty, Willie, Hank, Johnny, Richard Buckner, Old 97’s
Sounds Like
A smart and introspective mish mash of americana, pop and roots-rock anchored by stirring and brilliantly emotive vocals, shimmering and/or rocking guitars, dreamy harmony vocals, piano, and pedal steel with stylistic nods to Wilco, Tom Petty, Neil Young and The Beach Boys.
It's Americana pop. Ultimately I just try and make good songs for people who care about good songs. Here's the skinny:
Good songs, and compelling performances will always have a place in rock and roll. The solo debut from Jon Nolan of New England’s Say ZuZu has both.
As a result, When the Summers Lasted Long has received praise from fans and critics alike from all around the world – including several nods from the reputable American music magazine No Depression. First they featured Jon in their Town and Country section on the Nov./Dec.’05 issue. ND’s editor & co-founder, Peter Blackstock, continued to throw praise Nolan’s way with a heartfelt and complimentary blog entry on the magazine’s website, and finally he included Nolan in his “Top 20 of 2005” list along with heavy hitters like Ryan Adams, Son Volt, Daniel Lanois and Kathleen Edwards among others.
Nolan started recording some “demos” for what would become When the Summers Lasted Long on some gear at home. The magic of those demos convinced Nolan to use the tracks as keepers, and the finished versions were brought to legendary producer/engineer Paul Kolderie (Morphine, Radiohead, Uncle Tupelo) in Cambridge, MA for a little analog love (see: mixing). The end result is an honest and charming , americana pop record chronicling Nolan’s transition from youth to adulthood in the way that Darkness on the Edge of Town did for Bruce. A classic theme, yes, but it was Nolan’s too. “Say ZuZu was the vehicle that brought me from my teenage years into adulthood – the one constant,” says Nolan of ZuZu’s eleven years together. “The breakup affected me deeply.”
Loss of innocence, nostalgia and lonliness are painful for sure, but they are also wonderful catalysts for great music. When the Summers Lasted Long is an americana/pop gem, an under-the-radar classic.
For more than ten years Jon Nolan fronted the New England roots-rock outfit Say ZuZu. They released six full length studio albums, had a record deal in Europe on Germany’s Blue Rose Records, and played several hundred shows in 25 states and five countries – Italy, Belgium, The Netherlands, Germany and of course the USA. They toured Europe several times in addition to pounding the pavement on their native soil, but became cult faves in Italy in particular where they sold more than 10,000 CDs. They shared the stage with such acts as Joe Ely, The Derailers, their good pals Slobberbone, Patty Griffin, The Bottle Rockets, The Dixie Chicks and countless other fine (if lesser known) acts.
"No.2 - Jon Nolan, “When the Summers Lasted Long” (Mill Town). From the wilds of New Hampshire, the former Say Zuzu frontman turns on the charm with effortless melodies and a rootsy pop sensibility. " ~ "Best Alt-Country CDs of 2005" - BOSTON HERALD
I wish Jon Nolan would come sing me lullabies too. Just sayin'. That coffee song is too much and it's all the way a new orleans fit. We take our coffee seriously here! (and with chicory!) Come sing it down here :) You went to Austin, right? Not that far............
Jon...Black and Broken , like most of your material, is maybe the only stuff I've been hearing since late '04 that makes me miss writing and producing new material. Guess I gotta spend more time with Matt Griffin...
Hey, Jon! Thanks for the new profile tune ("Coffee")...I remember staying at your house & it was the first time I saw a "French press". I thought it was some contraption for making coffee when you're camping, but you informed me it was a super-duper device for coffee-snobs ;) See you at Camp?
Love the latest song! It was great to see you quickly at the coffee shop! SAM IS AMAZING!!!!! Maybe me and my man can have lunch with the Nolan fam sometime this summer?
