34th & Now

Last year I had the privilege of being invited to a small gathering of fans in Connecticut on a Saturday afternoon for a private Reps-Only concert with Matt Nathanson. The event—which included little more than a picnic table, a guitar, Matt, 60 fans and a grassy backyard—came two or three weeks after Nathanson had played to a packed house at New York’s Madison Square Garden. It was, hands down, one of the best shows I’ve ever seen. With no bells and whistles, no backing band, hell, no amps or mics, Matt proved that all a real musician needs to move people is talent.

For 3 hours before and after the show Matt walked around and mingled with fans: telling jokes, taking pictures, signing stuff, even playing badminton when he saw there was a net set up which led to the following exchange:

Matt Nathanson: That is the largest shuttlecock I’ve ever seen!

Me: That’s what she said.

Matt Nathanson: Dude…NICE!

Now, everyone who knows me knows that Nathanson is one of my favorite artists of all time. In an era of auto-tune, sampling, Biebers, and record company dominance over who makes it and who doesn’t, he has made his way to the forefront of the music scene and to packed shows at Madison Square Garden the old fashioned way: constant touring, music with a whole hell of a lot of substance, and talent—serious talent. 

Armed with a few trusty acoustics, a soaring vocal range, cathartic lyrics, witty banter, and a strumming sensibility that makes you go “…what just happened?” Nathanson continues to embody the best of today’s singer-songwriters.