New NV Podcast Series!

I’m pleased to announce today’s debut of “Nathan Veshecco’s 5 Dubs,” a free iTunes podcast series where I discuss the “who, what, where, when, why and how” of songs from my first three albums. Episode 1 featuring “Therapy” from Alleys is now available for free download on iTunes. Please provide me with your valuable feedback about the show – what do you like, what do you wish was different? As always, thank you for tuning in and following the blog!

She Does Everything

I love a musician who can do anything. I especially love it when the talent for most of that “anything” is revealed after the musician’s foot has already gotten in the door (we know I love this about John Mayer). This week I’m showing up almost 18 months late to the Lady Gaga party, but it’s not because of the songs on the radio. I understand the appeal of “Just Dance,” “I Gotta Feeling” and other recession-era hits that offer our weekend “economy tune-outs” a much needed soundtrack. And as far as booze-soaked party jams go, “Just Dance” is one of the best. But that still was never enough to hook me. It took tuning in to Gaga’s VMA performance of “Paparazzi” to get me curious, then I did my YouTube research and came across an acoustic version of “Poker Face” from Sessions @ AOL. If you haven’t seen this performance, you really should.

After seeing this, I was in. I’m willing to go out on a limb and promise you that I’ve seen maybe four performances in the 00s that have been this inspiring. This goes in the folder of things to aspire to. Just look at the confidence, the sense of humor, the way she invites you in with her hands and doesn’t miss a beat when she needs to adjust her old bluesman sunglasses. I always assumed Lady Gaga was just a wilder Christina Aguilera. But it seems she’s also Judy Garland, Barbara Streisand, Nina Simone and Jim Morrison. More importantly, she’s not too much like any of these characters – she holds onto her own identity in the performance. The song I covered this week on my mailing list, “Eh, Eh (Nothing I Can Say),” is technically right in the Spice Girls’ collective zone, but coming from Gaga it sounds like something unique and new, because it comes from her own strange perspective. Enough gushing, here’s the significance:
If Lady Gaga is allowed success while being this weird, then there’s no stopping me or you. Embrace your quirks. Don’t be intimidated into a genre – try a little bit of everything and see what sticks, what feels like home. You’ve officially been validated, weirdos. Now go out there and make your magic.

Feats Of Musical Bravery #1

When Jack Nicholson first met director Alexander Payne to discuss the lead in About Schmidt, Payne said to the legendarily huge Hollywood persona, “Jack, I want you to play a small man.” I respect that. I enjoy seeing Big Picture artists tackle the occasional small wonder. But here’s the thing – John Mayer’s new lead-off single for Battle Studies, “Who Says,” dodges this anomaly. The song is deceptive. On the surface, it’s a quiet, broke-down bit of acoustic locomotion. Lyrically, it flirts with a recurring “why not?” message about, among other things, getting stoned. So you might cock your head at the choice of the song as a single, especially a first single on a much-anticipated fourth album. Think of not just the themes, but the expressions, of Mayer’s three previous “first singles” – from “I wanna run through the halls of my high school” to “someday I’ll fly, someday I’ll soar” and finally to “me and all my friends, we’re all misunderstood.” Pretty big ideas packed into anthemic, beautifully crafted studio pieces.

Now look at the ideas of “Who Says,” and you’ll see that it’s more than just “who says I can’t get stoned.” The song, while small in sound, has more going on emotionally than the previous three lead-offs combined. Why? Because it’s not about weed. It’s about freedom. Freedom of choice, freedom to exercise one’s right to be bold. And in assigning “Who Says” as the first knock on your front door from Battle Studies, Mayer dares to be a whole lot bolder than most artists today. That’s why the theme of this and future blog posts is “feats of musical bravery.” We need more artists with the confidence, the clarity, the inner narrative of honesty and strength that leads to truly inspiring art. It’s time to trade in the cool points and go for a happy heart instead. Small wonder, maybe, but I’ll take it.

Check out my cover of “Who Says” over at Tumblr.