Liner Notes-Nathaniel Carroll

Nathaniel Carroll, clad in vintage clothing, was obviously still trying to determine what vibe to put off when I met him: Should he play it cool, or should he talk about the sensitive guy he really is? The local artist-who is close to his family and fellow Springfield musicians (he's a member of the crew at local music website morawk.com)-has a self-described indie/pop sound and draws his inspiration from a source that is, perhaps, a bit more therapeutic than most.

Nathaniel says he writes songs about the questions he has in life-with lost love serving as a major theme in the first songs he performed, back in 2003. He was a freshman at Drury then, and most of those early tracks, based on his lost love turned muse-wound up on his debut CD in early 2004.

Heavy on melody, but workin' it with smooth lyrical prose, Nathaniel's music has a broad enough range to appeal to many age groups, even with the high school and college-age following he had gathered since appearing on the music scene. Among his non-heartbreaking inspirations are deceased classical composers like Claude Debussy (presumably picked up during his years of piano lessons as a child and teen), 1920s jazz artist Jelly Roll Morton, and the very-much alive Rufus Wainwright.

Nathaniel got his start in his hometown of Camdenton, but has been playing in Springfield since 2004. He says his favorite gig so far was at the House Café in DeKalb, Illinois. "I played there three times, they had a baby grand and the crowd was so supportive," says Nathaniel, who has toured on the East and West Coasts.  You can find him in Springfield at venues such as The Belmonte and The Outland and he's working on becoming a Monday night regular at Easy's.

Nathaniel is primarily a solo artist, but you can often spot him performing with a notable band or two as well. Regular cameos include his steady, The Party Line, as well as Faatherton, Outlaw Sea and Pretty/Ugly, the last two being what he calls some of his "favorite locals." On Sundays he'll be at the Brentwood Christian Church, leading some of their worship services. Nathaniel said he is very passionate about that particular "venue" because of the welcoming, liberal setting of the services. That being the case, he said there is no conflict between his very different hangouts on Saturday night and Sunday morning.

Right now Nathaniel's working on his second album. To record, he heads to Mack's Creek (near his hometown of Camdenton), to Audio Loft, the studio where his first album was produced. (Well, he goes as often as his full load of Drury classes will allow.) Looking ahead to the new album, Nathaniel gets excited, explaining that it is semi-live with a "lot of energy already." Look for it by Christmas, with possibly 11-13 songs. But who knows? Maybe he'll end up with a double album. "I'm not making any promises," he says.

Long-term, Nathaniel said he wants to continue working with the church and he hopes to release a record on some sort of label. Nathaniel's ultimate goal-and we haven't heard this one before-is to have one of his songs played on Seventh Heaven because he relates to the show. With his mom and his sister as leading ladies in his life, this not-so-bad-boy crooner will be playing a song for all the lovers and "lost in love-ers" at a bar-or church-in Springfield and beyond for a while to come.

You know, we're glad he showed us his softer side.