Dr. Moore vs. Mr. Boyd: Nathan flies solo

Nathan more is a very humble man considering the great degree of talent and the song writing prowess he often displays at his shows. You’d think that a musician who has made it (in the sense that he makes a living doing his art) and has performed all over the country with various bands (ThaMuseMeant and Surprise Me Mr. Davis) would be more comfortable entertaining an audience that hangs on his every word. However he still can be found rambling about his lack of professionalism and apologizing for tuning on stage. Nathan is 37 years old and has just embarked on his first ever solo tour which much to his surprise, has gone quite well. He has a new album in the can, a magazine cover and a new manager - not to mention a very well received album that is barely a year old and an upcoming tour with Surprise Me Mr Davis, the band in which the Slip back him.

Last weekend the tour brought him to Parima, a quaint Thai restaurant located just off the famed Church Street walking mall in Burlington, Vermont. Parima has just opened an “acoustic lounge” with small tables illuminated by candle light, couches, love seats and various other comfortable relaxing devices. Complete with rich tapestries lining the walls and a piano in the corner, this is the perfect place to see a man sing his sorrows away with only an acoustic guitar and a harmonica at his disposal.

Nathan started the show (two glasses of red wine by his side) with “Mardi Gras Song” while interweaving a story of how he had sinned the night before and needed to confess, between the song’s actual verses. If there ever was a song with that exemplifies onomatopoeia it is “Mardi Gras Song”. With it’s jangly, Creole infused rhythm guitar and tick-tock clock sound effects you can actually feel yourself stumbling down Bourbon Street in search of your next hurricane. After the self-reflective and poignant “Blue Sky Blue” Nathan literally ripped his set list into pieces and declared that he didn’t need it anymore. An act that conveyed his desire to live in the moment the rest of the night.

A big chunk of the set was filled with new songs like the week old “Dumbo’s Ears” and “Mouse”, a tale of a late night musical reveries between himself and a pint sized rodent with a miniature fiddle and a thimble for drinking ripple. Nathan barely touched upon his latest solo album (2007's “In His Own Worlds”) signifying that he was playing for atmosphere that night and not for the possibility of possible album sales. My kind of show.

After a slew of older songs like “Lord Lord Lord”, "If I Didn't Love You" and “Talkin Walkin Round Town Blues” he closed with “Rolling Home”, a tribute to small town life and his brothers who live in Staunton, Virginia. In between the set and encore Nathan sat down on a bench on the stage and just absorbed the moment while engaging some of the crowd in some simple small talk, unsure of whether they wanted an encore or not. When one fan announced “We’re not ready to leave yet” he responded with a nervous laugh and quick quip “I guess this is an encore in the folk world”.

It’s nice to see a performer with no predisposition about how a concert is supposed to go. When a request for “Summer of My Fall” was yelled from the abyss he responded with playing that song, not skirting around the situation. Nathan plays music for himself first but knows he couldn’t be doing what he does without his small but loyal fan base. Although he is only playing for less than 50 people in a small room at a restaurant, he couldn’t be more thankful for it. As one of his lyrics goes “I may not be a star but at least I’m not trying”, well Nathan....keep doing what your doing and hopefully the rest of the world will catch on.

Set List: Mardi Gras Song, Blue Sky Blue, I Want to be in a Movie, Dumbo's Ears*, Lord Lord Lord, Before You Were Born, Mouse, Angel of Delight, Summer of My Fall, Muddy River, Don't Fall For Me, If I Didn't Love You, Walkin Talkin Round Town Blues, Meet the Man, Cowboy Anarchy, Rollin Home

E: Don't Have to Say You're Sorry (Til Ya Go), Tell Me More

*not sure of title. Joe Adler opened the show.