ARCHIVES
“A collection of reviews and articles culled from the Library of Kindness…”
The Stranger: Up & Coming Article
The Stranger Weekly (October 2008)
by Barbara Mitchell
Like Nick Cave, Nathan Wade seems to have spent a lot of time reading the Book of Revelation (and a healthy dose of Cormac McCarthy) and then retooling those gothic, apocalyptic themes into musical form. Doom, dread, death, and destruction figure prominently in The Chroma Session EP but—-like Cave—-Wade finds beauty in the darkest corners. In fact, it’s highly doubtful that another songwriter could’ve written an ode to convenience-store robbers like “Skoal Bandits” and had it come across so timeless and gripping. In the wrong hands, this kind of visceral country-noir easily falls into gimmicky territory; with Wade and his Dark Pioneers, it sends shivers down your spine in the best possible way.
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Preview Article for “Random Acts of Kindness: A Darfur Relief Event”
Randomville Webzine (September 2007)
by Jeff Siwanowicz
Americana gets a new voice and feeling through the nomadic Nathan Wade, whose travels have taken him across the country to land in the Pacific Northwest. His Post-Apocalypse Americana is a combination of blues and gospel vocal styles, steel guitar tones and brilliantly picked acoustics. An intricate blend of the darker side of acoustic music, Wade’s sharp lyrics and smooth sounds combine to create a well balanced dose of Roots Americana at its best. If Jeff Buckley and Leadbelly had collaborated on a record, it would sound something like Nathan Wade’s gut-wrenching craftsmanship.
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CD & LIVE REVIEW: Nathan Wade, The Dead Leaves Sing
Washington Blues Society Bluesletter (February 2007)
by Malcom Kennedy
As with so many of our local blues artists, Nathan Wade defies categorization. Is it blues? Is it folk? How about: it’s just darn fine music. Nathan sings and plays acoustic and resonator guitars. He is accompanied by fiddle and/or mandolin on several tracks of The Dead Leaves Sing as well as acoustic bass and drums. The CD was recorded on Bainbridge Island, direct to 8-track digital, with no overdubs. I find Nathan to be a talented singer, an accomplished guitarist, and an extraordinary songwriter. I particularly enjoyed the delta bluesy sound of “Sweat Through.” I would also like to remind Washington Blues Society members that Nathan was very well-received when he played the acoustic set at our January Blues Bash at Highway 99–we do our best to feature solid acoustic and electric sets at each Bash, and his set was memorable. Remember his name and look for him; catch a show. You’ll be glad you did!
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POST-APOCALYPSE AMERICANA: CD Review & Live Preview
Cascadia Weekly (December 2006)
by Carey Ross, Music Editor
Seattle musician Nathan Wade has dubbed his brand of roots-based music Post-apocalypse Americana. While this is a cool-sounding descriptor, I’m not entirely certain what it means. What I am sure of, however, is that Wade does not exactly tread at the lighthearted end of the song spectrum. With a debut release called The Dead Leaves Sing, chock full of songs given such carefree titles as “The Reaper’s [Son],”"Suicidal Revival,” and “Dry Up Like a Dream,” there is little doubt that Wade’s music could properly be described as dark. And not just dark, but profoundly, poetically, biblically dark…He sings blues-tinged, gospel-informed folk songs about killers, loners, addicts, and forgotten souls with a conviction that suggests a fascination with the fringe that goes far beyond lyrics on a page. He can also belt out a murder ballad with the kind of melancholy swagger that is more than a little reminiscent of another of his influences, Nick Cave.
Despite all the gothic depression, death, sin and redemption, Wade’s music is surprisingly accessible–some songs could even be considered catchy. In the words of a critic who reviewed The Dead Leaves Sing: “There are enough dark pleasures here to entice and cajole a sheckle from even the deepest dungaree pocket.” Now, I do not have even the barest idea of what a “sheckle” might be, but you shouldn’t let my ignorance deter you from discovering Wade’s post-apocalyptic world for yourself.
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NATHAN WADE: MidPoint Music Festival Preview
CityBeat Cincinnati (September 2006)
by Mike Breen, Music Editor
Deeply traditional in both tone and spirit, [Nathan] Wade’s recently released CD, ‘The Dead Leaves Sing’, was inspired by the songwriter’s love of historian/chronicler Alan Lomax and his field recordings, particularly the Southern Journey compilation. Wade translates the Country Blues sensibility of the those old recordings, filtered through his own perspective, but he also gives them an extra layer of genuineness and intimacy by recording them out “in the field,” at various spots around Bainbridge Island (an old schoolhouse, a lodge in the woods, a room overlooking the coastal shoreline). The results are hauntingly soulful and moving, just like those old Lomax recordings that stirred him initially. Dig It: Murder ballads, Nick Cave, “Post-Apocalypse Americana.”
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MidPoint Music Festival Performance Spotlight
Randomville Webzine (September 2006)
by Mackenzie McAninch
Seattle solo artist Nathan Wade had me from the first note, playing music that sounded like Tom Jones making an effort to play Americana. While Wade can sing, his best skills were at picking away on and playing slide guitar on his acoustic. Here he channeled some Neil Young and old Delta Blues, sometimes even quickly tapping his guitar in beat to sound like bongos on songs like “[Dry] Up Like a Dream.” Wade claimed he wasn’t happy with his voice tonight*, saying it sounded like he had a puppy in his throat, but the crowded room (myself among them) disagreed.
[*Editor’s Note: Nathan was suffering from laryngitis (brought on by severe bronchitis); he still managed to play the show, but was far from full voice.]
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The Muse’s Muse: CD REVIEW of ‘The Dead Leaves Sing’
The Muse’s Muse Webzine (July 2006)
by Kevin Zarnett, Staff Music Critic
On his excellent debut CD The Dead Leaves Sing, Seattle’s Nathan Wade explores the dark and gritty side of roots and Americana, drawing resourcefully on blues and gospel to find its shape. Wade is a fierce and dynamic blues guitar player, which is thoroughly demonstrated, but his songwriting never lets that one component define the CD. There’s a brief progression and melody that occur in The Final Blow that has more of an early pop sensibility, not to mention the child-like “deedle-eedle-dee” vocable of Seen the Glory. The song Suicidal Revival deserves special mention; an intimate, lyrically deft and shaded folk number, with perhaps a flash of early Dylan influence (a la Don’t Think Twice), is a definite goosebump effort. In addition to Nick Cave, the lyrics bare the influence of more gospel-inspired blues, evident in titles like Seen the Glory and The Reaper’s Son, with the song Long Black Lilies reminiscent of Blind Willie Johnson, both lyrically and in its mood and delivery - another of the CD’s achievements.
Nathan Wade is a strong and engaging singer, and varies his vocal treatments throughout the disc, continually showing he has one more layer to reveal. The performances, both vocally as well the guitar playing, were so strong I became curious as to how they were recorded, and wasn’t surprised that most of it was done live as opposed to overdubbing - but yet it still has the feel of strong record-making; the subtle background vocals on Season for the Crows, or fiddle and mandolin seasoned here and there, along with acoustic bass and drums. Describing his own music as Post-Apocalypse Americana, which seems apt, Nathan Wade realizes his vision, right down to the album artwork, in an authentic and convincing fashion.
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Americana UK: CD Review of ‘The Dead Leaves Sing’
Americana UK
by Del Day, Staff Music Critic
The press release labels this “Post Apocalypse Americana” and, to be fair to them, it’s a fair description. Given that those once lonesome pathways and trails dissecting the American underbelly seem to be as populated these days as the M25, with anyone donning a murder ballad or plaid shirt labeled ‘country noir,’ Wade has cut out the middle man and set himself for the worst case scenario. Given the nature of the songs–addition, murder, redemption, even a visit from Lucifer’s spawn–this is pretty listenable stuff. The endless list of characters are all painted with a fine detailed brush, the tales of woe and despair are prime (if slightly un-nerving) fireside entertainment and the overall mood edgy to say the least.
A fine guitarist, a sort of damaged Chris Smither or slightly less angular Chris Whitley, Wade sings with no certain amount of soulful swagger that, if I am honest, sits a little uneasy on these ears. Still don’t let me put you off. If you like your Americana hard boiled, blues drenched and served with grits on the side then there are enough dark pleasures here to entice and cajole a sheckle from even the deepest dungaree pocket. Hell, grow a beard, start digging that shelter and really let yourself go.
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The Dead Leaves Sing: Socket Shocker Magazine Review
Socket Shocker Magazine (August 2006)
by Jason Manriquez, Music Editor
If you’ve ever wondered what 16 Horsepower might sound like if they covered a [Dave Matthews Band] song (despite how this may sound, I don’t mean this in a bad way), you’re in luck. Images from a life strayed from the path to salvation and the long winding path that returns one there abound. Gothic tales of country life and sin, redemption and yet more sinning. Again, fans of 16 Horsepower (and maybe Jeff Buckley’s more acoustic/country side) will want to check this out.
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CD Baby Review: “The Dead Leaves Sing is Americana at its best.”
CD Baby (July 2006)
by Johnnie Eckert
It’s rare that I get my hands on a CD that I can listen to from start to end without hitting the “skip” button at least once, this CD was one of those rare occasions. Nathan Wade takes you through a musical journey of love, religious redemption, murder, rusty souls and a few little nooks and crannies of the Americana backroads. Nathan’s soulful voice and fantastic guitar playing has been recorded so that it feels like you are sitting a few feet away from him and listening to his tales of life and death in an intimate way that is rarely presented these days. This CD will no doubt be on my rotation of favorites for a long time coming and I would suggest you also put it on yours. Great music, good stories and maybe a lesson or two learned. You can’t go wrong.