New Music You Should Hear!

Recently a man by the name of Will Champlin opened for my Chris Nathan. Chris has had some great openers, and others that are well...not so great. When I heard Champlin, however, it was more than great music...I had an eargasm! He writes, performs, and produces catchy pop tunes that get stuck in your head, but you don't hear them on the radio every other hour. In fact, you don't ever hear them on the radio! Champlin grew up touring with Santanna (how cool is that?), and resides in Southern California. He's currently recording and writing in Nashville, TN, and I'm eagerly awaiting his solo debut independently released album. If you enjoy catchy pop music without all the hype, check out Will Champlin. My favorite song is "Now That We're Fallin".

This morning while working on various writing projects, I asked Chris for suggestions on music to listen to while I work. He said, "Matt York." I instantly fell in love. Not only is York "the real deal", he also seems to be a nice, down-to-earth guy (unlike many other singer/songwriters). York's music is raw talent at it's finest. I can't say enough about him, other than check him out for yourself and you'll know what I mean. He's similar to Dave Barnes, Matt Wertz, Marc Broussard, and John Mayer, but without all the hype and diva-like attitude. His song, "Lucky Man" has been on repeat in my CD player all day.

**Christina - PV's Nashville girl of music and gossip news.

The Rockstar Life Ain't So Glamorous!

A few months ago I claimed I was going to start a weekly tour update. However, that obviously has yet to happen. Instead I am committing to you...my readers...to do a monthly update. That's a bit more realistic with my insane schedule.

As some of you may or may not know, I'm engaged to singer/songwriter Chris Nathan: www.chrisnathan.com

I've learned over the last year that the most difficult job is being the girlfriend/wife of a musician, particularly the lead singer. They get all the attention, have all the band mates seeking them for leadership (and a paycheck), and have the most "groupies".

With the bad, comes plenty of good. And in my case, I have my soul mate...so there's much more good than bad. Chris, my fiancee, treats me like a queen. There's nothing I can't do with him by my side.

We returned to Nashville a few weeks ago after being on tour nearly 2 months. This was the not-so-glamorous type of tour. Me, 4 boys, and our adorable photographer, Leah Falkowski, all crammed in an '87 old church van (aka "The Cream Machine"). We went from North Carolina-to-New York-to-Ohio-to-Alabama-to-Tennessee. Sometimes we'd stay in a beautiful hotel with a priceless view of downtown and a bed that was fit for a king, other nights we'd sleep in the very crammed van, or we'd be in the middle of nowhere and we'd stay in the only hotel in the small town, in which I was praying there weren't bugs in the beds! No matter how rough the tour got, or how much the other band members despised me being on the road with them (after all, I'm just the fiancee...why am I on tour with them?...why should they or any of the fans show me respect?), I wouldn't change a thing. There were those dramatic moments where the band members argued about me being on tour with them and showed me little-to-no respect, but we pressed on and worked through things...just like any dysfunctional family would. It was all worth the trials, because now we are back in Nashville, Chris is getting the industry attention his talent and voice deserve, and I'm still right by his side. He knows no matter how hard it gets, I'll be right there. When he fails, I fail. When he succeeds, so do I.

I've grown tremendously, and after being crammed in a van for 2 months, I've become much closer to my fiancee. He knows what I look like when my hair's a mess and I have no make-up on, and he still tells me I'm beautiful ;) There were moments where I had to get ready in the van before a show and well...this was the result:


Big things are happening for Chris' career and I'm thrilled to be a part of it! Chris is playing an acoustic solo show for a charity tomorrow, I'll update y'all and let you know how it goes, as well as other exciting news!

Also, Chris' music is starting to get radio play beginning May 13. I'll let y'all know what stations in your city to listen for him and request him!

**By Christina - the rock star wifey! www.chrisnathan.com

Radio!!!

Indie artist, Chris Nathan, (also in celebration of Black Crowes release today, since his music sounds similar to theirs), was on a really cool radio program tonight. The radio show is called "Jack Sass"...ha, get it? Any way, Chris Nathan also happens to be my boyfriend and if you listen to the archive of this radio show you'll get to hear me call in under my alias name, Veronica. I think you'll dig it:

http://www.corporatesuckfest.com/

www.jacksassradio.com

...let me know your thoughts...
* By Christina, aka Veronica

And That's Who I Am...

I'm currently in Tampa, FL with my boyfriend, indie singer/songwriter Chris Nathan, and it's quite relaxing. He's here playing a few shows this week, and who knew that being on the road could be so relaxing? For those of the readers who are unfamiliar with me (I tend to keep my private life...well, private), let me indulge you in who I am :) My name's Christina, I'm 23 years old, and am a California girl living in Nashville, TN. The first question people usually ask when they find out I'm from California is "why did you move to Nashville?". The answer is simple: music! For as long as I can remember I wanted to be a professional singer/songwriter. I wrote my first song when I was 2 years old about Frosty the Snowman...he even had his own baby snowmen in the song...it was a folk song I guess because it didn't rhyme but it did tell a story. When I was 9 years old I wrote and recorded what I considered to be my first big hit, ha! This song was called "One Night"...and it was about living your life all for that one night you die in hopes to see God. I still remember the lyrics: We live, we learn, we love, we cry, we try, we fear, we die all because of one night...errr...something like that. Pretty deep for a 9 year old. By the time I was 16 I had my first press kit finished (a full demo, photos, bio) and I sent it out to every record label I could think of. It didn't get me too far, but by the time I was 18 I was playing churches and festivals and eventually got to sing accapella in front of major record labels and MTV. Unfortunately, they all said "you're too bubble-gum pop and innocent, your voice is too simple, but you look great! why don't you think about modeling and being in music videos?" It was a flattering way of telling me I can't sing but at least I'm hot!


Needless to say when I turned 20 I gave up pursuing a singing career and focused on writing. I've won several essay contests, my poetry and reviews have been published by several publications, and my passion for music is undeniable...why not combine music and writing? Now here I am...I write music reviews, I'm a full-time journalism/art student, and I get to travel with the love of my life on tour and be surrounded by music everyday. My dream was always to live life in a tour bus and listen to great live music every night. My Chris Nathan (who some of you may remember I wrote my first review for Planet Verge on Chris) has one of the top indie albums ever made, and is one of the best live performeers/singers I've ever seen. His voice is what vocalists dream of, and I get to experience it every night at his shows when we're on the road. It is truly a gift from God! And for those of you who didn't read my review on Chris (shame on you!), if you like the sounds of the Black Crowes meets John Mayer with a spin of Dave Matthews Band then you'll love Chris Nathan because he sounds JUST like that description. All this babbling to say, God answered my prayers, just not in a way I expected...He did it in a much better way. And now my readers know who I am and what my life entails. If there is an interest, I'm going to start writing weekly updates of what it's like to be the girl next to the rockstar and life on the road. A behind-the-scenes journal from a different perspective.


-PV Girl Christina, the one forever beside the 6'6" rockstar ;)

The Next Mr.A-to-Z

At 6'6" and long, scraggly hair, it’s hard to miss Chris Nathan in a crowd. And once he steps onto the stage, it’s even harder to take your eyes away from him. His voice is raw and true, just like his lyrics. The melodies get stuck in your head, and within the first five minutes of his set the audience quickly sings along and participates in the musical love festival that Nathan has begun.

Nathan has somehow managed to combine that acoustic singer/songwriter sound that so many of us love, with emo, rock, hip-hop, and country. His sound was described by one audience member as “countrymo: it’s country and emo!” Nathan also plays a variety of covers in his set, including Jason Mraz, Oasis, and “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” theme song that we all love to sing along to.

As Nathan gets into the music, his hat doesn’t stay on his head long; his hair can’t seem to be confined by a hat and nor can he. His lyrics are infectious, honest, and true to his life, who he is, and the man he hopes to become. Some personal favorites of mine that will be on his upcoming debut album (due out in October) are “The Contender” in which he sings “I’ve been wasting my time, stepping over the line,” and you can tell he means it. Other tracks include “Bonnie and Clyde” where he tells the true story of the infamous couple, Bonnie and Clyde, from start to finish. “Bad Habits”, which we all can relate to in some way. “Stone Me” written by his producer, Terry Sawchuk, rings true to anyone who’s struggled in those oh-so-confusing love relationships that you can't live with but can’t live without. "All Four Seasons" with lyrics and vocals so full of pain you can't help but hurt along with him. “Girl By The Window” is the tune that makes every female wish and hope was written about them. Every singer/songwriter has to have a song for the ladies, right?

Although, you may not have heard of Christ Nathan until now, once you hear his debut album, or catch a live show of his, you will never be able to forget his name, his songs, and that smile that surely will make your heart melt. For more information on Chris Nathan check out: www.myspace.com/chrisnathanmusic

-written by Christina V.- the Nashville PV girl that believes no press is bad press!(www.myspace.com/christinaisawesome)