Nathanson had nothing but the greatest remarks about his March 23rd concert at The Beacon Theatre in New York City, which was part of a benefit for the Garden of Dreams Foundation. “It was super-fun,” Nathanson admitted. “It was nice to be on a bill with a bunch of my heroes, like Adam Duritz (Counting Crows) and Johnny Rzeznik of the Goo Goo Dolls. They were huge influences in my life.”
On August 13, Nathanson will be a special guest on O.A.R.’s “Just Like Paradise” Tour, where they will be playing SummerStage in Central Park, New York. “I can’t wait. I’ve done SummerStage a couple of times, and it is a pretty magical place,” he said. “New York is full of pretty exceptional venues.”
His new album Sings His Sad Heart will be released on October 5 on Acrobat Records/Crush Music via AWAL. “I am psyched to have it all ready to go,” he said. “It is nice to have some songs out from that album. It was the first album where I wrote songs and kept writing even when the record was done. It was the most organic process I have had. It was a very Darwinian process, where the best songs rose to the top. It felt like I won the lottery in that respect.”
Speaking of the new CD, he listed “Used to Be” as his personal favorite song on there. “When I recorded the demo for that song, we did that just piano and vocal. I remember driving around in a rental car in Los Angeles listening to it over and over, and it felt like it wasn’t me singing. It felt like I was listening to somebody else’s song, which never happens. I was blown away by it,” he said.
Sings His Sad Heart is available for pre-order on iTunes, and on Spotify.
For Nathanson, an equally fun experience was doing the Def Leppard cover EP, Pyromattia, where he gave six classic Def Leppard tunes his own twist to them. Pytomattia is available on iTunes. “It was pretty cool. It so music nerdy that I really had fun,” he said with a laugh. “It was nice that Joe Elliott from Def Leppard gave it such a big shout-out. That was all I really needed to get his approval on it. He is one of my heroes from way back. Def Leppard’s songs are so edgy and unstoppable.”
In his live sets, he acknowledged that he has thrown in his cover of “Pour Some Sugar On Me.” “That song has been super fun,” he admitted. “I have yet to put on my Union Jack T-Shirt. That’s the next step, to come dressed in Union Jack shorts and a Union Jack sleeveless T-Shirt just like they did in 1983. Maybe I’ll do that in Central Park.”
Nathanson shared that he would love to someday do a duet with such artists as Bono from U2 and the Indigo Girls. “I learned how to sing just listening to U2 records. I have sung with the Indigo Girls a lot on stage, but I’ve never recorded with them. That would be a fun collaboration. They are the best,” he said.
Digital transformation of the music industry
On the impact of technology on the music business, Nathanson said, “I love it. I still go to record stores and I still buy vinyl. I love that I can pull up any album I want at any point I am. From a music listener perspective, it just only gets better. You can record an album in the back of a bus or in a hotel room or a basement. There used to be so many gatekeepers and so much money that needed to be spent just to get in the door, and now there isn’t. So, I love it. Creating music has never been easier, and I am all for it.”
Regarding his use of technology in his music routine, Nathanson said, “I journal every morning and I put on my wireless headphones and I stream either satellite radio, or a playlist that I’ve made on Spotify. Then, I record ideas constantly in my phone. We also have a little Radon tool that we use to demo songs. I use technology all the time. I really love being able to pick up a guitar and hit record on my phone, and listen back to all of the ideas while I am on a plane. Technology makes things super easy to use.”
For more information on Matt Nathanson, his touring schedule and new music, visit his website.
