Nate McDonough
Springfield, Ohio, United States | INDIE
Music
Press
Future Legend – Nate McDonough
By J.T Ryder
Dayton City Paper
The clean, strong melodies of the Nate Mcdonough Band defy definition. It is an acoustic blend of pop and alternative rock that just hints at the blues and southern rock flavors found so prevalent in the Ohio regions. Nate McDonough, a Springfield native, has had an industrious career within the local music scene. He has been playing guitar since he was thirteen, eventually winning the local battle of the bands and talent competitions before moving on to performing in the local live music venues. He played in other bands, writing songs for other artists before recently branching out with his own band to hone the sound he has created.
The musical scene in Springfield has been a wellspring of talent. Grammy winner John Legend, who hails from the same class as McDonough, Tim Murray from Methods of Mayhem and singer songwriter Griffin House (Nettwerks) are but a few of the many talented names to light up Springfield's musical scene. Nate McDonough and his band may well be the next legends to hail from this city in the very near future.
- Dayton City Paper
JEKYLL & HYDE'S 3RD FLOOR
9 p.m.
Nate McDonough (Springfield, Ohio)
Rock
Springfield might be a small town, but it's spawned some big names -- Grammy winner John Legend, Methods of Mayhem vocalist Tim Murray, singer/songwriter Griffin House -- and now up-and-comer Nate McDonough. He began playing guitar at 13 and within two years was playing hometown bars to appreciative audiences. McDonough and his band are about to release their debut album.
Dig It: Good lyrics, tight harmonies, the art of the song. (BB)
- Citybeat Staff
Written by Mike Parker
Buddy Hollywood
There is always a certain amount of fear and trepidation when you evoke the name of the Boss, but there is an undeniable connection between Nate McDonough’s meaty, muscular vocals and the working class rock ‘n’ roll made famous by New Jersey’s finest. McDonough’s debut indie project is as straight-forward and unpretentious as anything on “Born to Run,” though not as intense as “Born in the USA.” Perhaps a better comparison would be another working-class New Jersey bar band, John Cafferty & the Beaver Brown Band (made famous by their work as the music behind the hit cult film, “Eddie & The Cruisers”).
The album opens with a modest rocker, “Take The World,” that effectively sets the stage for the easy going, driving-with-the-top-down music that is to come. The tune segues seamlessly into the driving acoustic ballad, “Make Me Lose.” McDonough and the band gets a little funky on “Undercover,” copping a bit of a Bon Jovi attitude. Although McDonough hails from the solid, Midwest stock of Springfield, Ohio, there is more than a passing nod to Southern Rock. If you didn’t know better you would swear you were listening to Third Day’s Mac Powell fronting Needtobreathe.
Best cuts include the gently meandering, “Wicked Things,” and the twangy, philosophical, “New Day,” with its admonition to forget the past and concentrate on the day ahead - “Last night I dwelled on everything that I did wrong /But today is a new day not just another day.”
http://www.myspace.com/natemcdonough
- Buddy Hollywood
Nate McDonough’s musical talent is unwavering, with crisp vocals, clean and consistent musical accompaniment, and catchy melodies. Reminiscent of Staind.
www.indiepro.com - Indie pro
The Nate McDonough Band
The Nate McDonough Band captures the audience with vibrant energy that rides through the air, intoxicating the listeners. They feed off of each other, constantly communicating through music. It is easy to see they are happy doing what they do, which increases the positivity in the crowd. They involve the crowd through music and performance. The viewers experience not only wonderful music but theatrics as well, including group toasts. 1, 2, 3...social!
The music is wonderful is an understatement. The Nate McDonough Band delivers what a fan expects to hear at a live performance. Their originals were better live than the recordings, because they were just as clear and crisp, but with more flare. The covers were astounding: they owned the covers they chose to play. The variety of covers was great, from Rage Against the Machine to Sublime to Billy Idol. Maroon 5 was even in the mix. They have the ability to appease a great range of listeners.
Musically, Nate McDonoughs vocals are powerful...he exhumes dynamism. The gravity of the vocals imparts dignity. What more to be said? Tom Blankens fingers were flying, the licks were clean and vigorous. Sam Whitaker was tight on the kit, very sharp, and the communication between he and Walter Snead on bass to set the tone was remarkable. Dave Emrich was solid on guitar, carrying the melody forward. There could have been more contribution from the keys, but David Borden certainly contributed with consistent vocals.
The Nate McDonough Band is invocative. They invoke a variety of emotions from the listeners, not just one emotion such as hopelessness or anger like other music genres. Driving an hour and a half to get to the show was definitely worth it. It was the best four dollars Ive ever spent.
Check them out at: www.natemcdonough.com
Rebecca James - Rebecca James
Discography
Still working on that hot first release.
Photos
Bio
Nate McDonough hails from the city of Springfield, Ohio. Some of Nate's earliest memories are of sitting at the feet of his father and listening to him play guitar, while his mother sang along to songs by John Denver. At age 13, Nate picked up a guitar, and was headlining his own shows by the age of 15. North High School, where Nate was a student, was a then-untapped well of talent, and as a teenager he studied and played music alongside six time Grammy Award winner John Legend and national headlining singer/songwriter Griffin House. As Nate's Springfield classmates began to break into stardom, Nate was writing and recording his own original material, which eventually led to his solo album release, "New Day". The album was met with critical acclaim, comparing Nate's working-class, everyman-style lyrics to a 'southern Bruce Springsteen', and hailing him as 'the next legend to light up the music scene'. The positive reception of Nate's solo material earned him regional airplay for the songs "New Day" and 'She's Down", and opening slots touring across the country for various national acts.
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