Nashville is full of people that have come from near and far in search of a dream to make it in country music. Rarely these days do you hear of someone who is a born and raised Nashvillian striving to make it with Music City being such a transplant city now. Well, meet the unicorn that is Nathan Thomas.
The contemporary country artist has had music surrounding him his whole life as he is the son of an in-demand musician who has played for some of country music’s biggest names including Del McCoury, Barbara Mandrell, Kenny Chesney and Brooks & Dunn. Thomas would often have jam sessions playing on his toy guitar and it was his love of playing that led to him forming a band as a teen that garnered a development deal with EMI.
During his teen years, he did as any teen does and rebelled against his father, but not in a teen angst kind of way. Thomas rather went away from his country roots and towards the rock world instead. Over the years that followed, Thomas played the Broadway/2nd Avenue honky tonk circuit with his band the Nathan Thomas Band.
Eventually Nathan decided to venture out on his own, and spent over 18 months writing his debut project, Simpler Times, with a group of some of Nashville’s best song writers. Thomas set out to write an album full of compelling lyrics that anyone can relate to. In the time spent writing the album, Thomas and company churned out 35 songs that were narrowed down to the seven that made the cut.
The album’s title track was actually the last song written for the album.
“I had been writing all year, trying to find the right song to glue it together. When you’re writing a record, you want it to be a body of work, to tell a cohesive story, even if it’s different. At this season of my life, and I think a lot of people can relate to this, we all lead lives with a lot of noise. We have these permanent distractions that are in our hands called iPhones, and we’re connected to everything, but we’re as least-connected as we’ve ever been from a realistic perspective.”
Thomas feels that the title track touches every song on the album lyrically and that overall theme of the album is about “getting back to what’s important.” The married father feels it’s important to get out of the daily noise, relax, and enjoy simpler times.
It goes without saying that his father has been a huge inspiration on him being the musician he is today. As a song writer, Thomas turns to Eric Church, Ben Rector, and Dave Barnes as inspirations. He started out as a drummer first before moving to guitar and looked up to Phil Collins.
Those inspirations were focal points in the sound of Simpler Times as Thomas wanted that arena sound production you hear in Keith Urban and Rascal Flatts records. The album is a great mix of fist-pumping anthems and emotional, intimate songs.
Thomas’ long time passion for song writing really shines on the album and especially on the song “Distracted.” The song details him not being there in a relationship despite being right next to them. Nathan confesses in the song, “I’ve been distracted, I’ve been away when I’m right here.”
The album reminds us of the importance of really connecting with people outside of our phones and technology and how crucial it is to slow down and enjoy the life around you sometimes. From relationships to parenting and to nearly every life issue, Simpler Times has you longing for just that.
Nathan Thomas will be hosting an album release concert on March 6 at the Analog inside the Hutton Hotel at 7:00. Tickets can be purchased through his website. The album will be available on all major streaming services on the 6th and you can follow Nathan on Twitter at @nathan_c_thomas and Instagram at nathanthomassongs.
Steven McCash is the Music Columnist for SoBros Network. He is the pioneer of New Music Friday, highlighting each week’s new releases in the world of music, in addition to the occasional live show review. Follow on Twitter: @MC_Cash75
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