Nathan Davis' live album really showcases his talent as a musician and a songwriter. This album is a simple recording of guitar and piano that does perfect justice to the incredible experience of seeing Nathan in your local smokey watering-hole. If you haven't heard him before, give Carolina Sky and Still Rock and Roll a listen. This album is a personal favorite and I highly recommend it.
John H., iTunes
Influences
Bruce Springsteen, Edwin McCain, Bruce Hornsby, Guns 'N Roses, Neil Finn, Tony Rice, good bourbon.
Nathan's web site is at http://www.nathan-davis.com.
There are several ways to get CDs. First and easiest, the web site has them. For that, you need a credit card, which is used via Paypal. You do NOT need a Paypal account. You can also use a check through Paypal.
A second way is through CDBaby (here for Nathan Davis Live! and here for Out of My Skin). Obviously, a credit card is required there as well.
And the third way, if you don't want to use a credit card, is to send us a check. Each CD (either Nathan Davis Live! or Out of My Skin) is $15 and that includes postage. Make the check out to David Davis and mail it to:
Davis
145 Rainbow Drive #4592
Livingston, TX 77399
A printable mail order form is available on the web site. Just include a note as to which CDs you want and how many of each. We'll ship them out to you as soon as the check clears. All profit from Nathan's music is going to benefit his daughter's educational fund.
Sounds Like
Moonshine (preferably Char) and Springsteen on the rocks with a splash of regret. Respectfully.
Dean Garris, pictured above interviewing Maria Scureman, is in the process of producing a video documentary about Nathan's life and career. He's been busily doing interviews and collecting hours of video (some good, some really awful - you have to just imagine video of a teenaged Nathan Davis with bleached blond hair - all priceless - and much that dates back many years).
Anyone who has material (video, audio, whatever) that might be of use to Dean in completing this project can contact us either via this page, or contact Daniel Albright via the web site.
Early video of Nathan posted on the web
Some of you may have a copy of this, but in case you don't, here's a link to some old video of Nathan performing with "The Lost Cause" - dated December 31, 2001. It includes a lot of composite video because there are shots of him performing with his father in the background (something that means a great deal to his dad now). Our thanks to Dean for posting this.
There's a great place about 18 minutes into the video, during an interview segment, that includes Nathan laughing. If you've missed that characteristic laugh, and want to SEE it as well as hear it, watch the video. It's music mixed with interviews. But get some kleenex handy...
I knew a man, full of so much pain
But you'd never know it, 'till he sang again
Because despite what he was feelin'
That devil's smile would fill up an empty room
Painting a picture without a brush in his hand
That never looked the same, to any one man
The door opened wide to his soul
When he turned the key strummin' his tune
But the long way home that never seemed to end
Wasn't long enough to lead my friend
To see that burnin' sun come up over him again
Brother, I'm glad I had the chance to hitch a ride with you
In just a few miles, how could anyone go through
All the things that we did, and all the things that we never knew
Whether you were settin' hearts on fire
Or pourin' salt in an open wound
You were fueled with the very desire
People could only wish that they knew
There's so much that I have learned
From the lessons hidden in your voice
A true friend only by chance
Brother by choice
Digital downloads of Nathan's music are available now on the web site. To access them, go to the Merchandise page and link there.
Both "The Holly Show" and "Alibi" (long out of print) are available as downloads, so if you don't have a copy, you can get one now.
"The Devil Can't Fly"
Jeremy's Gilchrist's new song, a tribute to Nathan, is available at his web site for listening and as a download. John Henry Trinko and Doug Kwartler helped Jeremy finish this song, and the result is terrific. Be sure to go listen.
Nathan Davis
"I Guess I'm Just a Dreamer..."
"Take all the anger, addiction, despair, revelation, love and redemption that can possibly be packed into the human heart over a lifetime, pour it into gospel piano and raw guitar, lead it with a vocal that can growl, rasp, plead, and roar, and this is the result."
--- Jennifer Layton, from Indie-Music.com
Born as the only child of devout Christian fundamentalists, Nathan Davis was educated in Christian schools, and trained as a classical pianist. He began to write poetry, at first secretly, as a young teenager, about the same time that he began to teach himself to play the guitar.
He wrote his first songs, including the much-acclaimed “Bittersweet,” before he was 17 years old, and began to put together a band and play gigs before he got out of high school.
On his 18th birthday, he left the small town in North Carolina where he was born, and went to St. Louis, MO, where he became a member of the band, End of End, and gained a great deal of real world experience. Returning home, he promptly left again, this time for Atlanta and the Olympics, where he was one of the few kids who actually had a real, paying job there. He soon discovered, though, that he could make more money playing for tips on the street corners.
After the Olympics were over, Nathan began his wandering years. Many days were spent not knowing where he would spend the night. He found himself at one time or another in New Orleans, Memphis, and all ..up and down the southeast, ending up in far flung Alaska for a year or so. A coffee shop owner in Alaska convinced him that he needed to leave the state and go back to his roots, back where he could find a larger audience. She said that he was the most talented person she had ever met.
After coming home to Southern Pines, NC, in 2000, he began experimenting with various band members, from a short-lived funk-rock band called “The Lost Cause,” to an acoustic jam band trio known as “Alibi.” Alibi released a very limited run CD, self-titled, which is out of print at present.
All the while, he was writing songs, lots of them, chronicling a life lived on the highways of America, searching for meaning, sorting out his often conflicting beliefs. Way more than just songs about love gained and lost, Nathan wrestled with the demons of alcohol and drug abuse, and sang about it. He sang about doubt and pain and frustration. He wrote about the unfairness of life.
He has a remarkable style, writing poignant lyrics full of pain, hope, heartbreak, love, despair and strength, always telling his story with passion and honesty. He carries his songs with convincing ease and a powerful depth.
As one journalist said about him, “He did not write music. He didn’t sing it. He transformed himself into it.” His songs are gut-wrenching. He took every emotion he ever felt, turned that emotion into poetry, set the poetry to music and then set it on fire.
In the beginning, he got gigs in local bars and restaurants and found that people wanted him to play songs they were familiar with, cover songs. In order to play, he had to do some of those. However, he picked the covers that he played carefully – songs that reflected how he felt, the struggles that mirrored his life, songs he could feel. And he played them his own way.
Interspersed throughout in those early gigs were his original songs and soon people began to listen to what he was singing about. It wasn’t long until the crowds were beginning to request his songs, not the covers. Not long after that, they were singing along with him.
Recorded live in 2000 at the Jefferson Inn in Southern Pines by Chad Stites , Nathan’s first CD, The Holly Show, completely sold out and is now considered a collector’s item, with people all over the country still searching for the stray copy.
In 2001, Nathan began a collaboration with a talented teenage producer named Grant Walker, a nine-month long project involving many hours of work that became Out of My Skin, a studio album showcasing not only Nathan’s writing and performing abilities, but also his ability to arrange and produce music as well as play multiple instruments well. It went on to become the best selling local artist album at Davis’ hometown Sam Goody music store.
By the fall of 2003, he was performing in Raleigh, NC and the surrounding area, and connected with the very well-known, Grammy-nominated producer, John Custer. The two men instantly formed not only a business relationship, but a friendship, and began working on a studio album, the soon-to-be-released Revolution Lane.
In November of 2003, Chad Stites again recorded Nathan performing at the Six String Café in Cary, NC. That recording, produced by John Custer in early 2005, became Nathan Davis Live! It features the keyboard of John Henry Trinko and bassist Jeff Crawford.
In between all of this, Raleigh-based video producer Roger Flake had been taking hours and hours of video in preparation for a DVD.
By this time, Nathan was back on the road, traveling throughout much of the southeast, and gaining fans wherever he went. In the summer of 2006, he toured South Carolina and Florida for several weeks, to very receptive audiences wherever he went.
In late August, 2006, very suddenly, and tragically, the world lost Nathan Davis.
What we did not lose was the music. It is still here, embodying all the passion and energy he could muster. It is still here, telling the story of his all-too-brief life way better than we can with mere words. The best artists are the ones who truly feel what they create. Nobody felt more than Nathan Davis. Nobody ever told his story better than Nate himself.
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Please note!
The music has not died. Nathan's music will be available forever. We have a large backlog of unpublished material that Nathan recorded. We will be working with his long-time producer, John Custer, to bring this music to the market over the next several years. Proceeds from the sale of Nathan's music will go in their entirety to Cassidy, first in the form of an educational fund, and beyond that, in trust.
"He has written the soundtrack of my life and probably the lives of many other young, spirited individuals who have been broken down. I admire his songwriting immensely."
--- anonymous (from the internet)
The Nathan Davis song "Revolution Lane" was a finalist in the Rock/Alternative category for the very prestigious 2005 USA Songwriting Competition!
The USA Songwriting Competition® is the world's leading international songwriting event that honors songwriters, composers, bands, recording artists everywhere. Winners are selected by a Blue Ribbon committee of music industry judges including record label publishers, producers from Sony Music, Universal Music, Warner, etc.
A recent review:
"The first time I discovered Nathan Davis, I was browsing through many different artists on CDBaby.com, just looking for that special something. Perhaps an artist that blew me out of the water... Not to take away from any of the other artists, but, Nathan is a very unique talent. From the first song, "Face in the crowd," as I listened to him roar like nothing i've heard in a very long time, I was instantly hooked. I bought the album. Very creative in the making of an album that stays with you long after you hear it. I also ended up buying his "Live" album from his web site (nathan-davis.com). I wasn't prepared for the ton of bricks that hit me when I listened to it. Hearing Nathan's incredible range, raw and uncut, was a once in a lifetime experience I get to have over and over. It's THE best live album I've ever heard. His lyrics touch you. His voice captivates you. Nathan has one of those very rare talents where he makes you shut up and listen, all-the-while singing along. He has quickly become one of my favorite artists. Nathan pours his heart and soul out on a piece of paper, then tells you about it..."
I just got back from vacation in Banff Canada. I am sorry I didn't get the chance to post here on the 22nd. I can't believe it has been 3 years. You are never forgotten and you never will be.
gonna see Joe on Sunday. been stirring up memories and feelings. i'm having one of those days where no recording, video or photo will soothe. "...I've been eternally alone. I've been afraid of letting go of yesterday..." there's a part of me that will never let it go. i love you and miss you always. noone else understood or could put my feelings into words quite as well as you, brother.
until we meet each other on the other side..... man we had a damn good time.... i love you nate. still having a great time with you.... thank you for the hugs!!!!
miss you brother - the power of YOUr guitar and the rawness of YOUr breath...your songs, even those left untold speak volumes and vibrate beautifully through the air... ~ Love & Light ~ bran
Miss you, Nate; finally had that back surgery i needed.. wish i'd done it sooner and played alot more music with you... you are still so greatly missed. I still listen to your music every day, and your music is introduced to everyone i meet.
Hey I just uploaded some videos of Nathan on Youtube. Just look up Nathan Davis or meachamrob. Please enjoy. It was hard to create the videos so please let me know what you think.
I think Dan and Nate would have gotten along just fine; and oh, what they could have written together! Only in heaven... where wonderful things like this can happen! And i think it is happening every moment.
I passed along several of your albums tonight to musicians who hadn't heard you before. One was a couple, Lee and Susan Terry who were performing acoustic outside at the restaurant where I went after work. Damn good and great folks - myspace.com/rosewatermusic I think is their site, and he has his own. The other I gave to a guy named Cody who I heard at an open mic months ago. His performance inspired me to buy the case of CDs from Sally and Dave to keep on hand. What a talent he is! Just a kid too. I hadn't seen him since, haven't been back to that open mic since. Random - he was my waiter tonight. Didn't realize it was him until he said he was going to the open mic and his name was Cody. He said that music is the legacy musicians are able to leave behind for us. I told him I knew he would really hear it more than most people because I heard it in him too. He said he might even cover one of your songs if he listened and liked one. I told him if he had any problems getting any of the music down just right that I know that there are others here who will gladly help him with it. He hasn't recorded anything...yet. I'm glad I'm here to encourage him just like you would have. My waiter - can you believe I found him again that way?
Thank you Dave and Sally! I can't wait to start sharing Nathan's music with new friends - looking forward to getting the albums I bought. I'll let you know what comments I hear back.
missing you, bro. singing your songs to my baby girl tonight. never thought there would be a day i'd be singing Lullaby to my own daughter. wishing you were here...
Just thinking about Nate, as I do most every day... thought i'd finally leave a comment; I miss him every day, I am sure he was happy with the work I did for him.. of course i wish i had the ability to do so much more. I will be listening to his music, and loving his music, as i loved him, for the rest of my life.
I want to send you pictures of little Nathan. I need an e-mail. He just turned one. I play him Nathans music and he LOVES it. He just sways back and forth with this look on his face like he knows thats his uncle singing.
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