Presumably tired of waiting around for his go-to collaborators (think Steve Gunn, Black Twig Pickers, Hiss Golden Messenger et. al.) to book some studio time, modern banjo maverick Nathan Bowles has decided to go it alone with a solo album called Nansemond.
If the last time you thought that the banjo was cool was while your six-year-old self was watching Kermit the Frog sing “Rainbow Connection,” then check out the lead track from Nansemond called “Chuckatuck” below:
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You see? A banjo in the hands of Nathan Bowles can turn Appalachian hillbilly dirges into cosmic droning cinematic wonders. Take that Kermit and take that Southern stereotypes.
Nansemond is released November 18 on Paradise of Bachelors. Steve Gunn’s forthcoming Way Out Weather, which features Bowles’ banjo and drumming, is also coming out via Paradise of Bachelors on October 7. Double bonus.
• Nathan Bowles: http://www.nathanbowles.com
• Paradise of Bachelors: http://www.paradiseofbachelors.com