Nathan Bell and his special guest Annie Mosher will make their Sundilla debuts on Friday, September 16. Showtime at the AUUF is 7:30; admission at the door will be $15 but advance tickets cost just $12 and are available at Spicer’s Music, The Market at Blooming Colors, and online at www.sundillamusic.com. A valid military ID allows you to pay advance prices at the door. We’ll have free coffee, tea, water and food and as always attendees are invited to bring whatever food or beverage they prefer.
Nathan Bell came to Sundilla via The Sundilla Radio Hour, when his 2014 release “Blood Like a River” became an instant hit, and a sure-fire selection as one of SRH’s Top Releases of the Year. The next February he tracked us down at the Folk Alliance Conference, thanked us profusely for the airplay and support, and asked what it would take to get booked to play Sundilla. We shook off the surprise long enough to say “We were wondering what it would take to get you to come!” From this mutual admiration society came the promise to book Nathan at Sundilla as soon as possible; that day is finally here.
It isn’t just Sundilla that admires Nathan Bell. He has shared the stage with the likes of Townes Van Zandt, Emmylou Harris, Kathy Mattea, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Ricky Skaggs Taj Mahal and Norman Blake. If it sounds like he has been performing for a long time… he has. Nathan Bell has lived life. At 56, the wizened songwriter’s weary voice bleeds experience. He’s seen both sides of the coin—traveled the nomadic, bohemian path of the hard-luck troubadour, and found comfort and meaning in the stability of a family, a home and a near two-decade corporate gig. And now, with a guitar back in his hands where it should be, he’s ready to tell the tale. But it’s not just his own story he’s after. It’s a story of America, of the working classes—both blue and white collar.
Bell is a songwriter’s songwriter, the son of a poet and professor. His songs are concise narratives; he’s got a keen eye for detail, and an unapologetic penchant for the political, populist humanism of his literary heroes John Steinbeck, Jack London and Studs Terkel.
Between his early record deals, his gig as a Nashville songwriter, and his regular appearances at the Bluebird Café, and his three latest albums, there was a gap of about 15 years where Bell tried to live an ordinary life. Bell says the time he took to live life, work a straight job, get married and have children was the most important thing he could’ve done to become a better songwriter. “I was always trying to write songs older than I was, experiential songs,” he says. “To spend 15 years managing people, doing a job every day, working 60 hours a week, and being happy doing it—that’s a really different thing than a struggling artist being pissed off all the time. So I came back with a deep appreciation for things I didn’t understand before. If I didn’t take that time off, I’d be half the writer I am now.”
Appearing with Nathan will be his longtime friend and sometimes collaborator, Annie Mosher. She’s a Kerrville New Folk award-winning singer/songwriter. She is a winner of the Texas Wildflower Music Festival, a beloved regular at Nashville’s own Bluebird Cafe, and a longtime member of the sassy Nashville-based group Girls With Guitars. Annie is featured regularly at events sponsored by the Nashville Songwriters Association International, as well as at clubs and festivals from The Cactus Cafe in Austin to Sundance beyond. This November she has been selected as the 2013 guest singer/songwriter for the ACLU Lifetime Achievement Awards and Bill of Rights Ceremony. And her song “Goldfish” was recently produced and recorded by British pop icon and Beatles producer Alan Parsons.
When Nathan Bell and Annie Mosher take the stage at Sundilla, it will be the first time for both. But it almost assuredly won’t be the last, and the audience will be left with two questions: what took so long, and how long do we have to wait for the next one?
So join us on Friday, September 16, when Nathan Bell and his special guest Annie Mosher play Sundilla. Showtime at the AUUF is 7:30; admission at the door will be $15, but advance tickets are just $12 and available from Spicer’s Music, The Market at Blooming Colors, and online at www.sundillamusic.com. A valid military ID will let you pay just $12 at the door. Free coffee, tea, water and food will be available, but as always the audience is welcome to being whatever food or beverage they prefer.