Is there anybody out there...

Hey ya'll, sorry i've been absent for a while. I haven't forgotten life has just taken some funny turns recently. I can honestly say that even though it has been frustrating through it all God has been more than gracious and I count myself very blessed. He is always good!

In other news I have been working on charting all the ideas (at least all the good ones) that I've had over the past couple years. I'm really excited about the songs and the direction they are going.

Well that's all for now but I'll try update a little more regularly.

nb

And then there is this...

Hope he knows this stunt was both ridiculous and stupid...

Darrell "Shifty" Powers

I received this email from a friend the other day and it seemed only right that I should pass it along..

" We're hearing a lot today about big splashy memorial services.

I want a nationwide memorial service for Darrell "Shifty" Powers.

Shifty volunteered for the airborne in WWII and served with Easy Company of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, part of the 101st Airborne Infantry. If you've seen Band of Brothers on HBO or the History Channel, you know Shifty. His character appears in all 10 episodes, and Shifty himself is interviewed in several of them.

I met Shifty in the Philadelphia airport several years ago. I didn't know who he was at the time. I just saw an elderly gentleman having trouble reading his ticket. I offered to help, assured him that he was at the right gate, and noticed the "Screaming Eagle", the symbol of the 101st Airborne, on his hat.

Making conversation, I asked him if he'd been in the 101st Airborne or if his son was serving. He said quietly that he had been in the 101st. I thanked him for his service, then asked him when he served, and how many jumps he made.

Quietly and humbly, he said "Well, I guess I signed up in 1941 or so, and was in until sometime in 1945 . . . " at which point my heart skipped.

At that point, again, very humbly, he said "I made the 5 training jumps at Toccoa, and then jumped into Normandy . . . . do you know where Normandy is?" At this point my heart stopped.

I told him yes, I know exactly where Normandy was, and I know what D-Day was. At that point he said "I also made a second jump into Holland , into Arnhem ." I was standing with a genuine war hero . . . . and then I realized that it was June, just after the anniversary of D-Day.

I asked Shifty if he was on his way back from France , and he said "Yes. And it's real sad because these days so few of the guys are left, and those that are, lots of them can't make the trip." My heart was in my throat and I didn't know what to say.
I helped Shifty get onto the plane and then realized he was back in Coach, while I was in First Class. I sent the flight attendant back to get him and said that I wanted to switch seats. When Shifty came forward, I got up out of the seat and told him I wanted him to have it, that I'd take his in coach.

He said "No, son, you enjoy that seat. Just knowing that there are still some who remember what we did and still care is enough to make an old man very happy." His eyes were filling up as he said it. And mine are brimming up now as I write this.

Shifty died on June 17 after fighting cancer.

There was no parade.

No big event in Staples Center .

No wall to wall back to back 24x7 news coverage.

No weeping fans on television.

And that's not right.

Let's give Shifty his own Memorial Service, online, in our own quiet way. Please forward this email to everyone you know. Especially to the veterans.

Rest in peace, Shifty.

"A nation without heroes is nothing." "
(Roberto Clemente)

The Basement...a lot of firsts

Played my first gig here in Nashville this past Tuesday... first time playing solo, first time playing a bunch of the songs that I've been working on over the past two years.

Not going to lie I was pretty nervous, but everything went better than I could have hopped.

A great night all around, great crowd, great music.

A very heartfelt thanks to everyone who came out. More dates coming really soon, I'll keep ya'll up to date.

This is music...

Ten artist from Tennessee... clever name... Ten out of Tenn

Check them out they are all amazing!

www.10outoftenn.com

Slowly Going...gone

Here is the first incarnation of a new song I'm working on... well the lyrics at any rate.

Oh tell me what is going on, how long till all I've done is slowly going...gone

Tell me where are all the good men now, leaving only women and boys behind the plow

Hold me closer through the night, hold me till the sun at last is shinning bright,

Tell me what it is I want to hear, hold me close and block out the fear

For all desires as yet unmet,

Lovers are all leaving, leaving me alone

All my aspiring dreams upset,

My heart is heavy, failing in this arctic zone

Tell me where were you, when the bombs were dropped and the fuses blew,

Tell me where is there hope to carry on, when all i've done is slowly going ...gone

The Long Fall Back To Earth pt.1

It's been a while since I was truly excited about one of my favorite bands releasing a new record.

I think a large part of that is that albums don't carry the same weight that they used to, sure there are some exceptions. A true, concise record, a complete work of art just doesn’t really exist any more. The point of saying this is not meant to be a commentary on the state of the recording industry, I’m sure that will come at a later date, but to introduce the album that I am truly excited about.

I have been a big fan of Jars of Clay's music for quite a while, I still remember the summer before my freshman year of high school, sitting in my best friend Ethan's room listening to songs like Liquid, Flood and Crazy Times for the very first time. And I have to say that their last record "Good Monsters" has been my favorite record, second only to their third album, "If I Left the Zoo."

But there is something about this new record that has grabbed me and will not let me go. I have only heard bits and pieces and yet these fragments speak of the larger vision and heart of this record that is unlike anything I have seen or heard in a long time.

I think, if you will pardon the overused expression, that the reason for this is because this is where the rubber meets the road. They have descended from the perspective at 30,000 feet and examine life, love and social justice on a personal heart to heart level.

As a musician and a songwriter I strive to write about the things that move me, love and heartbreak, life and how the events and the very process of living affects and molds me and those around me. More importantly I want my music to carry a certain weight, I want it to mean something.

This is a very sensitive point for me in particular at this point in my life for several reasons as I am extracting this new batch of songs. I want it to be clear on the heart level as well as at 30,000 feet how my faith shapes my life and how my life in turn shapes my art. Because I am a desperate man with a desperate cause.

To be continued…

News to me...

This just in Coldplay to record in zero gravity! That's right, according to their blog, the band and producer Brian Eno will climb aboard their tricked out Boeing 727 later this year in an attempt to capture the perfect snare sound.

I don't care who you are this is just awesome!

Also I don't care what you say but Chris Martin is just a cool guy. I mean who else could do this and get away with it?

In other news...

So apparently the guys at South Park absolutely slammed Kanye West the other night. I didn't see it but Billboard Magazine said it was awesome. Actually, they didn't say anything of the sort, so let it be stricken from the record. They did say however, that as a result Kanye West was prompted to turn over a new leaf and "GET PAST MYSELF... I JUST WANT TO BE A DOPER PERSON WHICH STARTS WITH ME NOT ALWAYS TELLING PEOPLE HOW DOPE I THINK I AM"

In other news... apparently West types his blogs in all caps... and he considers himself pretty dope.

...hey man if it's your thing

Today marks the fourth time in two weeks that I have heard tornado sirens going off around my house. At this point I hate to say this but I haven't seen a tornado and I feel like they are just crying wolf. Which, when you think of it is a little bit alarming.

In other news... we had a really sweet session at Hummingbird. The players we booked were all just phenomenal, truly a privilege to work with such amazing musicians.

... I love what I do

Lastly, I have been writing quite a bit recently so stay tuned for more updates on that. I hope to go back in the studio sometime in the next couple of months to flesh out some of the demos that I've been working. But so far the ideas for the record that I've been spitballing with my friends have been very promising.

In other news... a friend gave me a copy of the latest Kings of Leon record, and it is amazing. So I feel very inspired/driven to make an equally great record.

....much love, nate

"From Whence Comes My Help?"

I lift my eyes to the hills.

From where does my help come?

My help comes from the Lord,

who made heaven and earth.

He will not let you foot be moved;

he who keeps you will not slumber.

Behold, he who keeps Israel

will neither slumber nor sleep.

The LORD is your keeper;

The LORD is your shade on your right hand

The sun shall not strike you by day,

nor the moon by night

The LORD will keep you from all evil;

He will keep your life.

The LORD will keep

your going out and your coming in

from this time forth and forevermore.

Psalm 121

Red Bull and Spinning Clouds

So yesterday was an interesting day.

I was on my way to work and I noticed that it was getting pretty cloudy and and it looked like the weather was going to get pretty nasty in a hurry. I didn't really think a whole lot about it because, well I work inside and I don't really worry about things like... you know, rain. So I went on my merry way.

I had left my house early because I wanted to stop and get a Red Bull before I went to work. Not an uncommon occurrence and I normally stop at the same gas station which is just down the street past the restaurant that I work at.

As I drove by the restaurant I noticed that half of our wait staff was standing outside, staring at the sky. Curious I look out my window and I kid you not, I saw a cloud spinning.

It was incredible! But I realized, spinning clouds are really cool to look at, but I have to ask myself this question...WHAT AM I DOING OUSIDE STARING AT SPINNING CLOUDS?

So I quickly decided that the Red Bull wasn't worth it, pulled into the Wallgreens parking lot, where I normally park my truck, grabbed my coat and walked quickly across the street to the restaurant.

Long story short, there were quite a few jokes made about hiding in our walk in cooler and dying. The sky got really dark and it rained really hard for all of 2 minute and it was all over.

Then we had to get back to work.

Corrections

Okay, so it was 8 songs total, like I said long day.

More to come soon.

Quick status update

Long day...long weekend for that matter.

I have been putting in a lot of late nights over the past couple of days trying finish up some revisions on a couple new songs that I've been working on recently. So I really didn't get a whole lot of down time this weekend.

Yesterday was a typical day at the office, still trying to work out the finer details on a couple new projects.

Today, I started out the morning by helping set up for a session at Hummingbird, then I drove down to the row to meet my friend PG to track a couple demos for the new songs that I had been working on all weekend.

All in all we tracked 7 songs
5 originals
2 covers (because we had time)

I'm beat and I am going to bed now.

Peace,
nb

Round 2

Working title: Grace

I'm a desperate man to suit my desperate cause, and everybody knows
Trying day and night to put these fears to rest, but they just wont go
I've been dancing round in circles holding close to my old sins
Building up my house of cards to watch it fall again
I need to find a hiding place
I need to feel your tender grace
There's a picture frame hanging on my wall, but he don't look like me
It reminds me when I thought I knew it all, innocent belief
I was 17 and proud of what I don't know
Now I'm Barely 23 and I feel so far from home
I need to find a hiding place
I need to feel your tender grace
I need to find a hiding place
I need to feel your tender grace

The Great Chuck Berry!

A couple of weeks ago my buddy Charlie and I sat down and wrote a song. We like it a lot, hope you do too.

Oh and his last name really is Berry, and he is a fantastic guitarist.

And I'll try and get a demo up soon.

Right now the working title is Renee.... I think

Hello girl, I know it's been a while

It must be strange to hear my voice on the line

Do you have somebody? do you spend your nights alone?

I've been sitting here for hours trying to dial the telephone

I wanna lay you down in the desert beneath this blanket of a sky

Far from the city lights and distraction we could lose ourselves tonight

Every day I get a little bit further away

But you keep walking through the back door of my mind

Renee, how I miss your loving arms

I guess you don't know what you've got until it's gone

I know girl, this will come as a surprise

But this fire inside me has been burning for quite some time

Is there room for redemption? is it too late to begin?

I wanna show you all the things I didn't have the nerve to show you then

I wanna fall into your ocean, let your beauty take me in

If I could hold you close I'd never let you go again

Every day I get a little bit further away

But you keep walking through the back door of my mind

Renee, how I miss your loving arms

I guess you don't know what you've got until it's gone

If you were here I'd be standing proud

If I could only say these words to you out loud

Every day I get a little bit further away

But you keep walking through the back door of my mind

Renee, how I miss your loving arms

I guess you don't know what you've got until it's gone

Yes it is February!

February Album Writing Month.... 14 Songs. 28 Days

What are you waiting for...Inspiration?

Check it out http://fawm.org/

"You can't wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club." — Jack London

Nothing New Under the Sun

So apparently U2 listens to Radiohead too, and vice versa.

But hey emulation is the highest form of flattery, or so they say.
Bottom line a good song is a good song, no matter who it sounds like, and the new U2 single "Get On Your Boots" is definitely worth a listen. And though I've never been a huge U2 fan I have to say that I've been casually following the recording process of their new record, so I look forward to hearing what the rest of record...whenever it finally comes out.

Heavy is the head that bears the crown.

Ok, so I'm in no way a die hard supporter of President Bush, in fact I'm probably just as dissatisfied as most of the rest of ya'll. But give the guy a break, it's not like the last eight years were a walk in the park, least of all not for the man sitting at the top of the totum pole.

And to be honest, I think everyone is in for a big surprise when President Obama actually sits behind the desk and starts making decisions that carry weight. Those that have been falling all over themselves trying to jump on the bandwagon of "Change" will finally realize that what glitters is rarely gold. You can't change course and expect things to turn around on a dime.

That being said, I wish our new President the best. I am an American after all and I take great pride in my country and it's leaders have my respect regardless of whether I agree or disagree with their politics.