Nate Livingston has an unusual resume. A lot of musicians supplement their hard-won artistic income with something relatively low-stress, maybe even undemanding. Livingston chose a different kind of job: When he’s not busy playing music, he’s a heavy equipment operator.
“Right now I’m working for a paving company,” Livingston says. “I’ve worked for a crane company, a dirt company. I grew up with somebody who had a farm and I just started using their equipment and I moved up to small construction, and from there, I knew somebody, and they helped me get into the union.”
That’s not the only unexpected thing in his resume — he’s also been a model for J. Rich men’s clothing in Northampton. Thanks to that connection, J. Rich also served as one of the most interesting settings for any recent Valley CD release party. “It was kind of unique, doing it in a clothing store,” Livingston says. “It went pretty well and I had a pretty good show — there were maybe 50 or so people at a time coming in, and mostly people I didn’t know.”
Livinston’s music possesses some equally unusual characteristics. His new solo album, Into the Madness, is hardly the stuff of madness. He leads the proceedings with a voice that’s deeper and less bombastic than that of most rock singers, and that lends his songs a nice idiosyncracy. Where a lot of performers belt out notes or stretch for the highest possible end of their range, Livingston navigates melodies more subtle than bombastic, letting his voice weave a comfortable spell. That has its challenges, too — fewer vocal acrobatics and less rhythm-centric singing create fewer obvious hooks. In part because of that, and in part because of instrumental work that echoes the subtlety, Into the Madness feels more like a slow drift into Livingston’s musical waters than a bold ploy for grabbing a listener’s attention. Instruments like organ, trumpet, and piano and drift in and out, providing dreamy textures. Everything is tied together by slow, raw-edged guitar playing.
Livingston’s not always been a guitar player, though. “I started playing drums in fourth grade. I played Beatles and stuff like that, then when Nirvana came out I switched to guitar and started learning their songs. It was an easy route, but it kind of hit the spot. I played drums in bands for a while, but I wasn’t happy with it, and I decided to create my own music.”
His music contains echoes of his influences, bands like the Beatles and Radiohead, but with Into the Madness, Livingston has created a distinctive sound, one not easily tied to easy expectations. The album isn’t his first solo effort, but it’s the first, he says, that he’s put a concerted effort into getting heard. In part, that’s because this album features players and an engineer/producer with higher-profile musical histories than most.
Danny Bernini, who co-founded Northampton’s Spirithouse Music after working at The Hit Factory in New York City, mixed the album with the help of Charlie Braun, Northampton singer/songwriter who’s shared stages with some big names. Braun served as producer.
“A friend introduced me to Charlie Braun, and he was the person who kind of helped me out,” Livingston says. “I liked him off the bat. We started recording a couple of songs. I had a friend who was going to play drums, but that kind of fell apart. Charlie told me, ‘My brother plays drums for Hall and Oates. I think he’d be up for playing on your album.’ ”
Michael Braun toured with Hall and Oates from the late ’80s through 2010, and he’s also played with Billy Joel, Todd Rundgren, Carly Simon, and a host of other musicians. Both Brauns contribute a lot to Into the Madness — Michael on drums, and Charlie on a host of instruments including accordion, synth, organ and glockenspiel.
Now that he’s got a well-hewn album, Livingston is pondering his next moves. He says he wants to put a band together, though for now he’s playing some solo shows. Beyond that, he’s not quite sure of his trajectory. He seems focused on doing things carefully and smartly: “I definitely want to play out with a band — I just don’t want to play to an empty room.”•
Nate Livingston shares the bill with Jordan Threadgill Dec. 8, 8 p.m., Bishop’s Lounge, 41 Strong Ave., Northampton, (413) 586-8900. For more info, visit natelivingstonmusic.com.
