Nathan Carroll (musician)
Encyclopedia
Nathan Carroll is a country singer-songwriter
and guitarist based out of Edmonton
, Alberta
. Originally from Winnipeg
, Carroll has been highly praised for his solo work as well as his work as a studio and touring back-up musician. Carroll is especially known for working closely with fellow Edmonton artist Brock Tyler.
, Manitoba
, where he began his solo career (specifically composing the music for a play) and as a musician in the bands Dawn Treader and Senor Feo. He then relocated to Edmonton
, Alberta
, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in music with majors in voice and guitar performance. After developing the songs on the album by playing at open mic shows around Edmonton
, Carroll recorded his debut album, The Tie-In to Dyin’, in one weekend. Drawing comparisons to local country artists like Corb Lund and country-rock legends such as Ryan Adams
and Gram Parsons
, the album was released in early 2007 to high praise and with a sold out album release party.
After the release of his album, Carroll continued to perform in and around the Edmonton area before setting out on a co-headlining tour of Canada called the Hearse, Verse and Stars tour with fellow Edmontonian (and the producer of Carroll’s record) Brock Tyler in the spring of 2008. The tour included stops in 15 Canadian cities, mostly in Western Canada
but also getting out to Toronto
, Hamilton
and Ottawa
in Ontario
. Despite the busy-ness of his solo career, Carroll continues to accompany many other artists both in the studio and on stage. Carroll is a touring member of two Edmonton based bands, the Wheat Pool and the James Murdoch Band. He has received studio credit on the most recent Wheat Pool album, Township, as well as on an EP by the country influenced Young Wire Wicks and a Christmas album by jazz singer Kim Fast. Nathan Carroll can also be seen backing up Edmonton soul group, the Carrollettes. As well as his career as a musician, Carroll works as a guitar
instructor and a pastor
in the Edmonton
area.
The Wheat Pool – Township (2007)
James Murdoch Band – In Transit (2007)
The Young Wire Wicks – EP (2008)
that he plays the music of Johnny Cash for his infant son.
Nathan Carroll's sound is an obvious reflection of these influences. Carroll's website declares that his music is “Country Western for the Masses”. The music is country-rock with take off solos by Carroll himself throughout the album; solos which have garnered praise at live shows. The most common comparison that his musical sound earns is to Gram Parsons, especially when he employs a female back up singer to remind the listener of the Gram Parsons
-Emmylou Harris
partnership.
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
and guitarist based out of Edmonton
Edmonton
Edmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta and is the province's second-largest city. Edmonton is located on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Capital Region, which is surrounded by the central region of the province.The city and its census...
, Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
. Originally from Winnipeg
Winnipeg
Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...
, Carroll has been highly praised for his solo work as well as his work as a studio and touring back-up musician. Carroll is especially known for working closely with fellow Edmonton artist Brock Tyler.
Musical career
Nathan Carroll grew up in WinnipegWinnipeg
Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...
, Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
, where he began his solo career (specifically composing the music for a play) and as a musician in the bands Dawn Treader and Senor Feo. He then relocated to Edmonton
Edmonton
Edmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta and is the province's second-largest city. Edmonton is located on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Capital Region, which is surrounded by the central region of the province.The city and its census...
, Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in music with majors in voice and guitar performance. After developing the songs on the album by playing at open mic shows around Edmonton
Edmonton
Edmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta and is the province's second-largest city. Edmonton is located on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Capital Region, which is surrounded by the central region of the province.The city and its census...
, Carroll recorded his debut album, The Tie-In to Dyin’, in one weekend. Drawing comparisons to local country artists like Corb Lund and country-rock legends such as Ryan Adams
Ryan Adams
David Ryan Adams is an American alt-country/rock singer-songwriter, from Jacksonville, North Carolina. Initially part of the group Whiskeytown, Adams left the band and released his first solo album Heartbreaker in 2000...
and Gram Parsons
Gram Parsons
Gram Parsons was an American singer, songwriter, guitarist and pianist. Parsons is best known for his work within the country genre; he also mixed blues, folk, and rock to create what he called "Cosmic American Music"...
, the album was released in early 2007 to high praise and with a sold out album release party.
After the release of his album, Carroll continued to perform in and around the Edmonton area before setting out on a co-headlining tour of Canada called the Hearse, Verse and Stars tour with fellow Edmontonian (and the producer of Carroll’s record) Brock Tyler in the spring of 2008. The tour included stops in 15 Canadian cities, mostly in Western Canada
Western Canada
Western Canada, also referred to as the Western provinces and commonly as the West, is a region of Canada that includes the four provinces west of the province of Ontario.- Provinces :...
but also getting out to Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Hamilton
Hamilton, Ontario
Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Conceived by George Hamilton when he purchased the Durand farm shortly after the War of 1812, Hamilton has become the centre of a densely populated and industrialized region at the west end of Lake Ontario known as the Golden Horseshoe...
and Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
in Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
. Despite the busy-ness of his solo career, Carroll continues to accompany many other artists both in the studio and on stage. Carroll is a touring member of two Edmonton based bands, the Wheat Pool and the James Murdoch Band. He has received studio credit on the most recent Wheat Pool album, Township, as well as on an EP by the country influenced Young Wire Wicks and a Christmas album by jazz singer Kim Fast. Nathan Carroll can also be seen backing up Edmonton soul group, the Carrollettes. As well as his career as a musician, Carroll works as a guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
instructor and a pastor
Pastor
The word pastor usually refers to an ordained leader of a Christian congregation. When used as an ecclesiastical styling or title, this role may be abbreviated to "Pr." or often "Ps"....
in the Edmonton
Edmonton
Edmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta and is the province's second-largest city. Edmonton is located on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Capital Region, which is surrounded by the central region of the province.The city and its census...
area.
Frequent collaborators
Nathan Carroll often collaborates with a small group of musician-friends both with his own music and own their albums and concerts. Brock Tyler produced and played on Carroll’s debut album as well as co-headlining with Carroll on their first cross-Canada tour in the spring of 2008. Carroll also frequently works with David McGregor and Jeff Coutts, who make up the duo the Young Wire Wicks, giving both of them playing credits on his album as well as receiving credit for his guitar work on their debut EP (on which Brock Tyler also played the drums). On his album, Carroll is backed up by singers Heather Donily and his wife, Heidi Carroll.As a supporting musician
Kim Fast – Missing the Mistletoe (2006)The Wheat Pool – Township (2007)
James Murdoch Band – In Transit (2007)
The Young Wire Wicks – EP (2008)
Influences & sound
In interviews and in his music, Nathan Carroll has been very open about his musical influences. In an interview with Vue Weekly magazine’s Eden Munro, Carroll spoke about how he had the music of Ryan Adams in mind when recording his album, stating, “I really wanted that same in-the-room kind of a feeling. It was the first time I’d heard an album that felt like it could have been written and recorded 40 years ago.”. On the song “Down on my Knees” from his album, Carroll lifts two lines straight from Gram Parsons’ “In my Hour of Darkness” and inserts them seamlessly into his own song. His album also contains references to his appreciation for the music of Bruce Cockburn, Hank Williams Sr, Townes van Zandt and Kris Kristofferson. He also mentioned in an interview with Sandra Sperounes of the Edmonton JournalEdmonton Journal
The Edmonton Journal is a daily newspaper in Edmonton, Alberta. It is part of the Postmedia Network.-History:The Journal was founded in 1903 by three local businessmen — John Macpherson, Arthur Moore and J.W. Cunningham — as a rival to Alberta's first newspaper, the 23-year-old...
that he plays the music of Johnny Cash for his infant son.
Nathan Carroll's sound is an obvious reflection of these influences. Carroll's website declares that his music is “Country Western for the Masses”. The music is country-rock with take off solos by Carroll himself throughout the album; solos which have garnered praise at live shows. The most common comparison that his musical sound earns is to Gram Parsons, especially when he employs a female back up singer to remind the listener of the Gram Parsons
Gram Parsons
Gram Parsons was an American singer, songwriter, guitarist and pianist. Parsons is best known for his work within the country genre; he also mixed blues, folk, and rock to create what he called "Cosmic American Music"...
-Emmylou Harris
Emmylou Harris
Emmylou Harris is an American singer-songwriter and musician. In addition to her work as a solo artist and bandleader, both as an interpreter of other composers' works and as a singer-songwriter, she is a sought-after backing vocalist and duet partner, working with numerous other artists including...
partnership.