Get Down and Get With It

Photo by Nicole Szalewski

Welcome GLG's latest Guest Blogger, our "Electric warrior with a soft side," (I can't stop using that quote), Neil Nathan. When Nathan decided what his guest blog would be about – bands he loves that the rest of us need to know about – the title hit us, Get Down and Get With It. The name of this column is also a song by the kicking glam rock band Slade. Perfect! And now...

Get Down and Get With It

"I Wanna see everybody get up off your seats, I want you to clap your hands and stamp your feet! And get down and get with it!"

This is hip-shaking, sweat-drenched Maximum R&B. The kind that gets jaded Williamsburg hipsters up and dancing, despite their cooler than thou exteriors. This is power-pop with lush vocal harmonies that stick to your brain like candy-coated crazy glue. This is rough and humble garage rock with a sensitive psychedelic swagger. It's OK to cry man. Now go beat down that asshole hitting on your woman at the bar. Just make sure you're wearing a finely tailored suit and your shoes and hair are perfect. That's right, perfect. This people, is The Above! And the debut album (self-titled) from these Brooklyn Mod sensations is the best 60's golden nugget this side of The Naughts! As lead singer/songwriter/guitarist/producer/engineer/director/debonair extraordinaire David Horowitz says at the onset of "West End Supermarket," "We gonna have a party!"

"I wanna see everybody get up off your seats, I want you to clap your hands and stamp your feet! And get down and get it!"

"Keep on rocking,"

Neil Nathan

quotes used without permission from Noddy Holder!

The Above-West End Supermarket

The Above-Bollywood Woman

The Above-It's Good

The Above-Special Somethin'

Find The Above on MySpace


The Above - "Don't Believe in the Light" from David Alan Horowitz on Vimeo.

Each Wednesday (well, you know how musicians are, so maybe every other Wednesday....) the GLG blog will treat you to a Guest Blogger pulled from our creative group of artists who have a lot to say. All the time. We love them for that. Click Here to Read More..

Neil Nathan Celebrates Detroit-Inspired Album and Video Starring Rosario Dawson

Living in New York has it's benefits. Soon enough, though, us non-New Yorkers will get to hear and see NYC's Neil Nathan. On July 20th, Nathan will be throwing a shindig at Highline Ballroom in NYC to celebrate the New York release of his Detroit-rock-inspired album (produced by The Go's Bobby Harlow) The Distance Calls. In addition to playing songs from the new album (national release date is August 24), fans will get to see the killer videos of the album's lead single "California Run," starring Nathan and his former roommate, actress Rosario Dawson and the video for "When the Rain Falls."

P.S. GLG's Golden Bloom will be playing as well. I might shed a tear that I'm missing this show, so if you live in NYC, you best attend!




“The ‘California Run’ and ‘When The Rain Falls’ videos are two sides of the same coin, that wondrous and sometimes very painful thing we call love," says Nathan of the videos. ‘California Run’ is about the joy of searching for and finding your fated true love and ‘When The Rain Falls’ is about the heartbreak of losing him or her. Co-Directors Ric Serena, Vaj Potenza and I were intrigued by the idea of parallel videos.”

Pirate Vinyl and Green Light Go Publicity Present:
Neil Nathan's Record and Video Release Show
Tuesday, July 20th
Highline Ballroom
431 W. 16th Street, New York, NY
(212) 414-5994
8:00 PM
Tickets: $12 in advance or $15 the day of the show
With special guests Alan Semerdjian, Golden Bloom and Featherweight Click Here to Read More..

The Go's Bobby Harlow Produces New York Artist for Upcoming August 24th Release

Neil Nathan Shows Love for Detroit with Upcoming Album Produced by Bobby Harlow of The Go

It's safe to say that New York City's Neil Nathan is a fan of Detroit music and he's also a lifelong supporter of the Tigers. So it was only natural for the guitar man to travel to Detroit Rock City to record his debut LP, The Distance Calls, set for release August 24th, 2010. Nathan reached out to Bobby Harlow, a member of the seminal Detroit garage-rock group The Go (Jack White appeared on their Sub Pop release) to produce. “Bobby Harlow is absolutely one of my favorite singer/songwriter/producers,” gushes Nathan. So to the “D” he went where Harlow assembled some of the Motor City’s finest rock musicians as Nathan’s backing band. The all-star lineup included Dean Fertita (The Dead Weather, QOTSA), Kenny Tudrick and Joey Mazzola (Detroit Cobras), John Krautner (The Go), and Ross Westerbur (Deadstring Brothers).
With a dash of NYC glitter and a Detroit fuzz and stomp, The Distance Calls effortlessly mingles jangly pop rock with Nathan’s mellower singer/songwriter side, showcasing a musician clearly influenced by the ‘70s, without being overtly obvious. Some may sneak up on you, but every song leaves you with a catchy chorus. His love of iconic ‘70s music couldn’t be clearer than his folky version of Electric Light Orchestra’s “Do Ya.” Impressed by Nathan’s version, mega ELO man Jeff Lynne gave it his blessing for inclusion on Showtime's Californication Soundtrack. Nathan’s music has also appeared in the Rosario Dawson (Nathan’s former roommate, who also guest stars in his music video for “California Run”) film Descent.

Matthew Sweet, Cat Stevens, and Detroit stomp come to mind on The Distance Calls while remaining distinctly Nathan. There are few musicians out there that can pull off this kind of disparity in their sound, but Nathan and Harlow (who also sings on one of the tracks) succeeded.

Nathan credits Harlow for merging the songs into a coherent album and helping reel in his diverse musical qualities, which all begin with an acoustic guitar and a voice. With the addition of Harlow’s production and the musicians backing him, Nathan now has a powerful collection of songs to stand the test of time. After a few EPs, The Distance Calls is finally the album Nathan wanted to make. “It really showcases the style of songs I like to write; from hard rock to folk to countrified rock to garage to power pop,” he says. "We really wanted to create a varied listening experience that had an underlying emotional depth that is rare on modern rock records.” Neil Nathan is an electric warrior with a softer side.

The Distance Calls Track Listing
1. Do Ya
2. California Run (free mp3)
3. When the Rain Falls
4. Highways (free mp3)
5. So Much More
6. Get On
7. Don't Walk Away
8. Disappear
9. Never Enough
10. Too Late
11. Eyes Wide Open
12. Sweet Darlin'
13. Better Be Goin'
14. Far Off
Click Here to Read More..