News

January 16, 2010

Happy new year to all! This year is suiting up to be a great one. There are some Major changes in the works. For starters I have return to my position at Gus Zoppies Music Center as a guitar and bass instructor for private lessons. I will be taking students Monday thru Thursday nights. If you are interested in taking lessons you can call (586) 978-1816 for available time slots. Lessons are $20 per 1/2 hour. I have a promotion going on for all students. If you refer a new student that takes at least one full month of lessons I will give you 2 free lessons.

Also, I am leaving Arts Academy in the Woods. This was a hard change to make but I am looking forward to spending more time working on the many projects I have had in the works for some time now including new solo guitar tunes, an acoustic duo and songwriting with Jon Vidal, and Jazz music with Chuck Bartel.

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

School has been back in session now for a couple of months. This year at Arts Academy in the Woods I am teaching 3 guitar classes, a piano class and Jazz band. It has been a lot of work so far. Far busier that I have ever been before. But tomorrow I get to reap the rewards as my students will be performing in their first concert this year. "Come Together" a choral and instrumental concert will begin at 7pm. It is free and open to the public, however we will accept donations to the music department during the event. For more infomation click here.

Also happening at AAW, we have David Blair coming in for a live poetry and music performance on Friday, October 30th. This will be the second year we have been fortunate enough to have such an inspirational artist perform for us. If you have not heard of Blair before please check him out. The assembly is free and open to the public but you must check in at the front office to recieve a guest pass if you would like to attend. The assembly will start at 2:17 and will last till 3:10. Click Here to watch video of Blair.

Thursday, July 23, 2009

Summer vacation is flying by!! Whew! This week there a ton of performances to check out. For starters I have 2 gigs with 7MJ this FRI/SAT at Lake Point Yacht Club in Livonia (rocking room with a great patio). Then on SUN I am playing solo at a new venue, Gala Bistro in Farmington (check out the shows page for more info). And on TUES I will be playing a second show at Vintage Tavern in Port Huron with Jon Vidal. I am very excited about this show since the first show with Jon and I as a duo went very well and I get to exercise my vocal chords again. Vintage Tavern is a great listening roow with incredible food, spirits and atmosphere. Even if you are not able to make this show I strongly reccommend heading out to Vintage Tavern for dinner, it is worth the drive!

Jenny Brady and I finished the promo video for AAW!! Video production was provided by Electric Image Studio. There are two versions, a 30 second and 10 minute. I am proud to announce that the song at the end of the 10 minute version was written and recorded by Jon Vidal and I at Studio 1946 and features Jillian Bundy on vocals! Watch out for Jilli! She is an incredibly talented young lady that is destine for greatness. Her debut CD is in the finishing stages and will hopefully be ready soon. As for the video you can check it out on the AAW YouTube page. Please leave a comment and let us know what you think. Also there are over 50 videos uploaded from the events at Arts Academy.

The summer has not been all work... My wife and I did manage to get away for a few days here and there. We spent 2 days in Saugatuck! Wow! Amazing beaches. Wish we could have stayed longer but being only 3 hours from home hopefully we will get to cruise out there again before summer ends. We also journeyed back up to Alpena to visit with the family. Rejuvinating as always!

Thursday, June 25, 2009

Summer vacation from AAW has begun... I am trying to unwind while getting ready for some great summer gigs. For startes this coming Tuesday, June 30, 2009, my good friend Jon Vidal and I will be performing our first gig together as an acoustic guitar duo playing tons of our favorite pop tunes. This will be my first attempt at lead vocals! We will also be performing our original solo material thoughout the night. The show will start at 8 PM at The Vintage Tavern in Port Huron. MAP

Also, 7MJ is booked just about every weekend till the end of the year. Check out the shows page to find a place near you. If you have suggestions for venues you think might be looking for some good entertainment email me the name and location and I will be very greatful for the leads.

As for everything else... I am still working on it... The 3rd CD is still in the works, Studio 1946 is still working on some great projects that I can't wait to share with you, Arts Academy in the Woods is still accepting new students and to the best of my knowledge I will still be the guitar instuctor at AAW next year (although enrollment may be limited this year so please enroll early), I am still available for private lessons throughout the summer, and I am still working with Chuck Bartel & Jullian VanSlyke to put together more jazz performances.

Monday, March 30, 2009

Baker's Keyboard Lounge

This past Tuesday night I had the opportunity to play at Baker's with a new jazz trio. My first time going to Baker's was many moons ago when I was still in high school. It was a dream of mine all the way back then to perform on that stage with my own group... although I had performed many other nights in the past with other groups this was a milestone for me. Chuck Bartels and Julian VanSlyke made the music of that night one to remember! There are a few new vids up on the music page and maybe more to come from that night... Stay tuned as the venture unfolds....

Tonight was the first night that I took the time to record some first takes of some acoustic material that has been on the back burner for quite some time. The material is now getting revisited and polished up... Everything has been getting rusty due to time working and playing and recording with 7MJ. I enjoy all of the other music project that are going on it just makes a world of difference to do my own thing for a minute. Now that the ball is rolling and the fingers are pickin' things are looking up!

Dec 16, 2008

Acoustic show tonight! I am really excited! I have not done an acoustic show in quite a while other than a song or two here and there. Not only am I playing an acoustic show, I am playing it at Bakers Keyboard Lounge, one of the most respected stages in the world of Jazz music. It is always such an honor to play there, but tonight is especially exciting because I will be playing my original music. I can't wait!

Also, need to mention that this Thursday, December 18th is also a very big deal for me. The AAW Guitar Ensemble Holiday Concert will be a 7pm on The Woods stage inside Arts Academy in the Woods. While teaching was never my goal in life, it has proved to be one the most satisfying experiences in my life, especially at AAW. I am so proud of the progress of my students. Many other them have gone well beyond learning to play a few tunes or cords but have let music take over their souls. This concert will include all 5 classes playing together both holiday favorites as well as some of the other classic songs we have been working on throughout the year. This is a free concert that is open to the public. Even if you are not involved with this school or its students come check out the amazing things that are going on here! I promise you will be inspired!

Happy Holiday!

Nate

Dec 11, 2008

So one of these days I am hoping will slow down just long enough for me to update the news regularly. Couple of quick announcements... I have added some new performances to the shows page, some with 7MJ (the top 40 cover band I have been working with for the last 2 years), some with the Cary Heller Quintet (an old friend that just recently asked to play some dates) and of course some for AAW and The Woods.

“The Woods” is a fresh, bi-monthly concert series and art fair dedicated to the advancement of the arts in the surrounding community. It is my intention to raise arts awareness in our community and encourage the creative pursuits of youth, while providing a safe, all-ages environment for their peers who come to see them. Check out more about The Woods at www.myspace.com/thewoodsartvenue.

Also, I have recently finished building a home recording studio. This has been something I have wanted to do for many years and it is with great pride that I announce it is up and running. So far I have been recording a few close friends. While this studio is far from glamorous it gets the job done, and quite well I might add. I am very pleased at the results thus far (as soon as we have finished projects I will post some tunes for you to check out (assuming my good friends don't mind of course). I haven't quite found the time yet to work on my own tunes yet... but soon.

Happy Holidays!

N

September 23, 2008

School is back in session. As the director of the guitar program at Arts Academy in the Woods September is always a busy month. Putting together new material, staff meetings ect... This year I am also taking a more active role in the production of the Friday afternoon assemblies. Every Friday there is a performance assembly where the students and staff get on stage and perform for the school. This year assemblies are better than ever! If you would like to check out video of them check out the AAW YouTube page.

Also this year, we will be putting on a battle of the bands concert in November. We are inviting students for all schools to participate. If you or someone you know is interested in participating please email me for more information. More info on this event TBA.

In other news, I am building a recording studio in my basement. It is in the final stages...carpet goes in Wednesday!!! I am very excited to start recording my 3rd acoustic disk as well as a jazz fusion disk. More on that as it happens.

 

Feb 17, 2008

Yesterday I had the opportunity to share my music with some up and coming guitarists from the Toledo area at the guitarfest at Toledo School for the Arts. The performance was a lot of fun and the clinic I gave seemed to go over really well. I opened for Brian Vander Ark at Mickey Finn's Pub in Toledo last night and it proved to be an incredible experience. This was my second opportunity to open for him. The first time was quite a messed up experience because of the Toledo riots that took place the same night a few years ago. I really did not get a chance to talk to him because of all the chaos. Last night was cool, met him and we talked briefly. He is a really nice guy, down to earth and that really reflects in his music...

Jan 2, 2008

The last six months to a year has been crazy busy and music for a while took a little of a back seat to other things in life. I got married, bought a house, and am working on my master's degree in secondary ed. Musically I have gotten back into playing bass and keys in a rock band and have been getting a good a** kickin on my vocals. (never was that much of a singer).

I am in the process of writing new material. For some reason it is happening slowly.....really slow. The recent performances has taken me back to songs that I have not played for quite some time..so long that I had to pull out my own CD to relearn....absolutley rediculous!