About Red Eye Gravy Records’ First Artist
Nathan Beaver
Nathan Beaver, an Atlanta-bred singer-songwriter and folk rock musician, began his music career in the vibrant music scene of Athens, Georgia, playing drums for the band Conflict of Interest. He later performed with Curbside Crush, eventually breaking away to become a solo performer. Beaver has released two solo studio albums: Point B (2004) and Universal You (2010), which includes contributions from Mark Van Allen on pedal steel, Clay Cook (of the Zac Brown Band) on electric guitar, and Kevin Leahy (former Shawn Mullins drummer who performed on Mullins's 1998 #1 hit single, "Lullabye") on drums. He also released, in 2001, a Live at Eddie’s Attic compilation recorded at the famed Decatur, Georgia, music venue that nurtured the early careers of Shawn Mullins, John Mayer, Sugarland and the Indigo Girls. He currently lives in Nashville, Tennessee.
Universal You
With one live and one studio album under his belt, Beaver began work on his second studio full-length, Universal You, in 2005. When recording was approximately 80% complete, the studio lost everything through a technical glitch. Devastated and running out of money, Beaver put recording on hold, and a year passed before he could even talk about getting back into the studio.
Eventually, Beaver met acclaimed producer Will Robertson, and the two agreed that Robertson would take over production of the album. In 2009, Beaver started recording again in earnest, this time in Robertson’s studio. In the summer of 2009, he took a sabbatical from his marketing job to finish the record. This was largely accomplished, though some additional tracks were recorded later in the year.
Universal You was at last released in June of 2010, with shows in Athens and Decatur. The album includes the existential ballad “Piecing Together the World” and “Mason Jar,” a perennial favorite at his live shows. The hit single, “Clever,” is about his girlfriend, Jessica.
“I’m just so proud of this,” said Beaver. “Sure, I had setbacks, but I didn’t have the money to just make an album. I had to work, work, work, save up a thousand dollars, then go record for a week. … It all came out of my pocket.”
The album reflects not only admirable perseverance, but also a deepening of Beaver’s lyrics and a more refined and authentic musicality. Will Robertson’s production ably showcases Beaver’s smooth tenor vocals with instrumentation that supports but never gets in the way.
Universal You is distributed by Red Eye Gravy Records.
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Collaborations
The Brilliant Inventions
Beaver frequently collaborates and performs with Atlanta-based folk rock band The Brilliant Inventions.
Mike Killeen
Beaver and Mike Killeen performed together in both Conflict of Interest and Curbside Crush. They continue to collaborate occasionally on their respective solo projects.
Johnny Clash
For a 2008 benefit concert, Beaver joined an ad hoc band of both professional and amateur musicians to raise money for cancer research. The band billed itself as the (unlikely) musical marriage between Johnny Cash and The Clash.
Influences
Beaver is most strongly influenced by several one-man, folk rock singer-songwriters, including David Wilcox, Jeff Buckley, James Taylor, Ryan Adams, Matthew Kahler and Shawn Mullins.
Discography
- Live at Eddie’s Attic (2001)
- Point B (2004)
- Universal You (2010)
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