Music
Press
“Either The Reverend Nathan Brady Crain is a genius, or he knows how to link up with ‘em, because the opening four minute tune (on Blow It All), a 48 bar blues taken at breakneck clip from front to back, features a MONSTER BLUES GUITARIST (Sean Harkness) with multi-genre potential, and establishes the young feller as an EXCELLENT, FUN-LOVING DUDE…the first cut alone is worth the price of the disc.”
- Eric Park of Woodlark Music (also formerly of Park & Larkin…as in Patty Larkin), Redwood California
Vermont Native Rev. Nathan Brady Crain is a modern folk trickster, spinning humor filled acoustic tales of woe, and drunkenness, all to a steady Americana beat...most apparent in Crains songwriting is his ability to pen casually poetic tunes wrought with emotion...an interesting mix of the sublime and the ridiculous...a sure bet for an interesting live performance...
- Ethan Coven, Seven Days Weekly News, Burlington, VT
“If you haven't seen The Reverend Nathan Brady Crain, make an effort to do so. His show is one of wit, thought, humor, love, and more humor. Brady has an innate ability to laugh at himself and everyone else around him and somehow make a point. He will leave you with something to think about and laugh about at the same time. Book him and see him, while you still can afford to do so.”
- Chad Hollister, front man for CHAD, Entrain, and (occasionally) Motorplant
- Various Kudos
THE REVEREND NATHAN BRADY
CRAIN. BLOW IT ALL: LIVE AT THE
NAKED DINER (self-released, CD) —
Vermont native Rev. Nathan Brady Crain is a modern folk trickster, spinning humor-filled acoustic tales of woe, drunkenness and public nudity, all to a steady Americana beat. Blow It All is a recording of a live gig in which the songwriter entertains innocent bystanders, a.k.a. bar patrons. Joined by friends Sean Harkness on lead guitar and Brian Abernethy on bodhrang drum, the trio cruises through 10 original neo-country folk tunes.
You Can’t Handle the Blues” begins the show with twisted tale of a relationship where there were “so many things that we could have owned/but you’d a sold ‘em all just to stay stoned.” Not exactly knee-slapping humor, yet Crain is able to emote the subtleties and darkness of a struggling relationship.
With a smooth, warm voice, Crain pulls the listener comfortably into a song, only to then unleash either a devilish satirical rant. Musically, the recording sounds fantastic. Crain’s acoustic guitar is understated and augmented greatly by Harkness and Abernethy.
What’s most apparent in Crain’s songwriting is his ability to pen casually poetic tunes wrought with emotion. A tear-stained tale of loss, “Danvers” follows the pain of a man who “is a victim of a sickness/for which there is just one cure” - getting back his girl. When finally reunited, Crain recounts, “it was like when I saw her/she was the only woman left alive.”
The heartbreak continues with ‘Good Enough,” an exploration of “a time when there’s little time to follow dreams/we find ourselves a space another day when we can breathe.” The song builds around the empty refrain, “In a town with shingles on the houses/tarpaper on the garage/ good enough is good enough for today/good enough is good enough for today”
“Mail Order Bride” flips the feel of the record & It’s a cynical blast chock-full of jokes, prostitution and the joyous sing-along chorus, “how do you say in French/bugger off, you stupid wench/Qqu’est ce que c’est just let me be.”
An interesting mix of the sublime (“My Life”) and the ridiculous (the nudist-anthem title track), Crain proves to be a solid songwriter and a sure bet for an interesting live performance. Check it out yourself this Saturday at Manhattan Pizza & Pub,
— Ethan Covey
- Ethan Covey
Discography
"Blow It All" - a live album recorded at the Flynn Theatre in Burlington, VT.
You Can't Handle the Blues - a single at 400 country and 600 acoustic radio stations.
Photos
Bio
Brady is a Solo/Duo/Trio singer/songwriter playing energetic, soulful acoustic Americana. Classically trained in theatre and voice, Brady can slide effortlessly between folk, dirt floor blues, reluctant country, and driving bluegrass. With over 100 songs of his own and 300 covers, Brady has the variety of material necessary to please the most discerning of audiences.
When accompanied, Brady employs musicians of exquisite cross-genre ability, such as Windham Hill recording and performing artist Sean Harkness (guitar), Bob Coons (guitar, Jerry Garcia Band), Gordon Stone (Banjo and Pedal Steel for GSB, Phish, Pine Island, and many others). Brady has shared the stage with Reid Genauer (Assembly of Dust, Strangefolk), Spookie Daly Pride, MTV music licensing phenoms Motorplant, members of the Jerry Garcia Band, NYC East Village ragtime sensation Chris Lowe (Van Ronk ragtime) and more.
If you are looking for a family friendly show sung by a thoughtful, clever tunesmith, a toe tapping cover show with a rippin' lead player, or any combination of the two, you have found it.
Brady has a proven track record in colleges, bars, listening rooms and ski resorts from New York City to Boulder, CO.
Drawing from a dizzying array of influences, your audiences will love him for his voice, his lyrical sensibility, his self-effacing humor, and the variety of his songwriting styles.
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