news
06/12/2011
HAPPY DECEMBER FRIENDS FAR AND WIDE….
So, no pesterings from us since the onslaught of pesterings surrounding Nathan’s
shortlisting in the MOJO New Voice Competiton in July - we thought it best to
give you some space! …So that’s all we’ll say about that! Onwards & upwards
We are very pleased to announce ” The Wee Winter Warmer Tour”
Over the next couple of weeks Nathan will be sharing the stage with some good
friends and very talented singer songwriters for what promises to be a handful
of very special intimate gigs to warm your winter cockles:
TOTNES: 9th December, with Martha Tilston and Carrie Tree, @ Bowden House,
7:00pm, £12
LONDON: 11th December, with Carrie Tree and support from Dan Korn, @ Harrison
pub, Harrison Street, Kings Cross, 6:30pm, £6 advance, more on the door,
Tickets: http://www.wegottickets.com/event/141410
LEWES: 16th December, with Carrie Tree, @ Zu Studios, Lewes, 7:00pm, £6
BRISTOL: 17th December, solo gig as part of “An Intimate Winter Affair”, @ Unit
15, Princess street, 8.30pm - late, £5
More info: http://www.facebook.com/events/#!/events/196034383815516/
LINCOLNSHIRE: 18th December, with Carrie Tree, @ Half Moon Pub, Alford, 25-28
west street LN13 9DG, 7pm, £3
And there we have it! a handful of lovely gigs before we return to our winter
hibernations, so if there’s a gig near you and you fancy joining us for the
evening, we’ll be waiting with smiley faces and open arms…
Thanks for your continued support and hope to see you soon! x
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21/07/2011
So, the madness is over! The final of the MOJO New Voice competition has been & gone. Nathan played his heart out and in a ‘Ballsy’ display of his songwriting abilities even wrote a song especially for the final! But alas, the title went to another ☹ perhaps despite the music industry proclamations self-penned songs were not what was required? Still, the experience has certainly provided inspiration… field recordings for that long-awaited album have begun and some sneak previews will be on their way to you in the not to distant future.
In the meantime, the McDonalds for the Mind music video will be filmed next month - please donate here if you’d like a piece of the action And Nathan’s back on the road and ready for some more festival action… Check him out at the following festies over the coming weeks:
1. Secret Garden Party, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire
*THIS WEEKEND! (22nd-24th July)
Nathan will be playing on the Small World Stage at 1.15pm on Sunday as well as at Lost Horizons & other stages over the weekend.
2. Fiddlers Green Festival, Rostrevor, Northern Ireland
Nathan will be playing 2 gigs on Tuesday 26th July - one an early afternoon folk club & the 2nd as part of the ‘Festival Melting Pot’ upstairs in the Cloughmore Inn on Tuesday night. Check the programme for further details.
3. Green Gathering, Chepstow (30th & 31st July)
Details TBC
4. Bimble Bandada, somewhere near Brighton (6th & 7th Aug)
Details TBC
5. Broadstairs Folk Week (8th – 11th Aug)
Nathan will be playing on every day from Monday – Thursday - Check the programme for full details
6. Small World Summer Camp, Headcorn (Aug Bank Holiday weekend)
Onwards and upwards & hope to see you in a field somewhere soon! ☺
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07/07/2011
Nathan is very pleased to announce that he has made it through to the final 5 of the new voice competition…
The final will take place on Tuesday 12th July at the Gibson studios in London where the 5 finalists will play 2 songs each in front of a panel of music industry judges.
A huge thank you to everyone that took the time to listen to the entries and cast a vote. Now keep your fingers crossed for Nathan as he enters the final furlong!!! 
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27/05/2011
Nathan’s song “McDonalds for the mind” has been shortlisted to the final 10 in the 2011 Glenfiddich MOJO Music Awards Honours List, ‘New Voice’ category… PLEASE VOTE FOR HIM by 12th June!!! The top 5 go through to the live final due to take place on the 12th July at Gibson studios in London…
To vote please visit:
http://www.mojo4music.com/mojo_honours_2011/new_voice.shtml
Please also give Nathan a helping hand by sharing the link widely… post it on Facebook, invite people to the facebook event, tweet it, text it, talk it up and generally spread the word and HELP NATHAN WIN A MOJO!
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23/06/2010
Dear friends,
Well it’s been an interesting journey since the last update… The operation on Nathan’s collarbone eventually took place on Sat 22nd May and since then he’s been holed up in Ireland resting, recuperating… and custom-making guitars… (Respond to this email if you’re interested in this little sideline!)
And here’s a pic of Nathan’s first ‘gig’ since his op:
playing to the cows
Now though, with almost full movement back in his shoulder, he’s ready for another summer full of festivals ☺ Here are some of the ones Nathan & the band will be at over the next couple of months, and there will no doubt be more to fill in the gaps as time goes on…
Glastonbury Festival: Thurs 24th – Sun 27th June
Once again Nathan will be at the Glastonbury Festival, enchanting crowds in the Green Futures area and thereabouts. There’ll be lots of chances to catch him (which is lucky as getting to gigs on time is nigh-on-impossible at Glasto!):
Wed night/Thurs morn: 1:30am on the Small World Solar Stage
Thurs eve: 8pm - Mandala Stage
Fri pm: 5:30pm - Lizard Lounge
Sat om: 3pm - Mandala Stage
Sun 12 midday - Small World Solar Stage
He’ll be playing with his favourite festival buddy Joe Hymas (on mandolin) and old friend Charlie Luffram (on keys) so it should be different but interesting…
Beatherder Festival, Lancashire: Fri 3rd – Sun 5th July
Nathan will be playing with Adrianne on cello and Bels on viola @ 3pm on Saturday 4th on the Smokey Tentacles Shisha Lounge stage. www.beatherder.co.uk
Fiddlers’ Green Folk Festival, Northern Ireland: Sun 18th – Sun 25th July
For the sixth year running Nathan will be over to Northern Ireland to the beautiful village of Rostrevor - between the mountains & the sea - to play at this wonderful Irish folk festival. Several gigs are in the pipeline so check back here nearer the time for more slots, in the meantime, this one’s confirmed:
Tues 20th July: 8pm on the Main Stage in the Square. www.fiddlersgreenfestival.co.uk
IndiGo World Music Festival, Carlow, Ireland: Fri 6th – Sun 8th August
Sat 7th Aug @ 2pm on the World Music Stage
A new festie in Carlow, near Dublin…
Broadstairs Folk Week, Kent: Tues 10th – Thurs 12th August
Tues 10th Aug @ 1pm in Harpers Bar
Wed 11th Aug @ 3pm in The Prince Albert
Thurs 12th Aug @ 1pm in The Charles Dickens
All venues are located in the town of Broadstairs and within easy walking distance of each other. www.broadstairsfolkweek.org.uk
Much love
Nathan & friends x x x
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16/04/2010
Dear friends,
Apologies for the long break since the last update… for once I have a good excuse: I’ve been laid up for much of the past few weeks – with a broken collarbone!
Big Break
Unfortunately, the “big breakage” happened just two days before we (myself and the 4 hugely talented musicians I loosely refer to as my band) were due to travel to Ireland to record my debut album. Words cannot describe the frustration I felt – particularly as the accident resulted from my decision to cycle down a mountain very fast… and with a lot more enthusiasm than skill!
This all took place in January and although my recovery seemed to being going well – I’ve been in Ireland writing lots and have sufficient mobility in my shoulder to play my guitar for a short while – the specialist I’ve been seeing has deemed an operation necessary in order to ensure a full and long term recovery. So, on 17th May I’ll be re-broken and fixed up – with a plate to hold me together – which will again render me completely useless for another six weeks!
Needless to say, album recording is on the back burner until my recovery is complete. But before the dreaded op I’ve managed to sneak in a couple of nice little gigs… so feel free to come down and have a laugh at my expense!
GLASTONBURY: Saturday 24th April (The Assembly Rooms)
Supporting Martha Tilston as she launches her new album ‘Lucy & the Wolves’. This will be Nathan’s first gig since breaking his collarbone just 2 days before he was due to record his debut album… oops!
From 8pm at The Assembly Rooms, High Street, Glastonbury, BA6 9DU
Tickets: £11 - Tel 01458 834677 or from Bristol Ticket Shop (Tel: 0117 929 9008)
LONDON: Thursday 13th May (Passing Clouds)
‘Guitar Night’ with 3 other top-class guitarists: Jon Gomm, Pino Forastiere and Stuart Ryan, brought to you by ‘The Magpies Nest’.
At Passing Clouds, 1 Richmond Road, Dalston, London (see website for directions)
Tickets: £6 in advance/£8 on the door, available from http://www.wegottickets.com/event/71942
Downtown
And for those of you who feel happier laughing at a distance, I’ll be on Northern Ireland’s Downtown Radio some time between 6 and 7pm this Sunday (18th April) being interviewed by Irish folk legend Tommy Sands. Listen online here or tune in to MHz: 96.4, 96.6, 97.1, 102.3, 102.4, 103.1, 103.4 or 1026 kHz if you’re in the area.
I’ll endeavour to be back in touch with more news once I’m ‘fixed’… which could be a little while yet…
Until then, enjoy the sunshine and beware of big hills & bikes
Nathan Ball & friends
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13/01/2010
Wishing you a very warm – if rather snowy – welcome to 2010! Whilst things may have been a bit quiet since before Christmas, there’s been lots of beavering away behind the scenes to bring you some new bits ‘n bobs…
Tour pix
Nathan’s Winter Wanderings tour of the UK was a big success – with lots of friendly faces (new and old) coming out to hear him play. Thanks to all of you who came down and made for a very special first ever tour. We’ve put a few photos of the gigs up on the gallery page at www.nathanball.com/gallery/winter-wanderings
Christmas in the studio & New You Tube video
After a couple of months on the road, Nathan travelled over to Ireland and spent much of Christmas in the studio recording as many songs as possible! By 1 Jan 2010, he’d recorded over 30 songs to help him decide on the final few that will appear on his debut album, to be released in the Spring.
To give you a taste of what’ll be on the album, some good friends have made a first attempt at a music video of one of Nathan’s most recent – and most relevant – songs ‘Stand Up’. You can view the video at: www.nathanball.com/gallery or on youtube at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWUCgQb2QY4
Nathan adapted the lyrics for ‘Stand Up’ from a Winston Churchill speech – both the song lyrics and the text of the original speech can be found on the lyrics page at: http://www.nathanball.com/stand-up
Nathan Ball on Spotify
With so many people listening to their favorite artists on spotify, we figured it was about time we made Nathan’s Footprints EP available there too. Check out www.spotify.com if you haven’t already and please let your spotify-loving friends know they can now hear Nathan there for free!
Debut album
Come February, Nathan’ll be back over to Ireland to record his debut album with the rest of the band. He’ll be helped along by record producers Tom Newman (Tubular Bells/Virgin Records) and Steve Fearnley. Check the website and watch this space for sneak previews of recordings and the latest news from the studio…
Until then… stay warm!
Nathan Ball & friends
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27/11/2009
Nathan is now just over half way through his Winter Wanderings tour of the UK. Thanks to all of you who have come to hear him play over the past few weeks and a warm winter welcome to those of you who signed the mailing list at one of the tour gigs.
The journey so far…
It’s been an amazing month travelling the country playing some beautiful gigs – from the jam-packed opening night in London town to the home-from-home that is the Penzance Arts Club… along the way selling out in Brighton, enchanting audiences in Stroud, Norwich and Nathan’s home town of Bracknell and a very special gig on a boat in Bristol with Martha Tilston… it’s been an incredible journey!
Welsh Wanderings
Next stop on the road is Bangor in North Wales where Nathan will be playing TOMORROW night (Sat 28th Nov) at The Greek, supported by quirky, experimental folk artist Stacey Cohen and her Wild Mountain Giants.
New Manchester dates
After that it’s over to Manchester (yes finally some Manchester dates!) for the first of 2 showcase gigs at the For Folk’s Sake Yuletide Special at The Bay Horse on Wednesday 2 December. The second will take place at the Green Room on Friday 11 December.
South Westerly collaborations
Following the first Manchester date, Nathan will be return to the South West for a series of dates with the inspiringly talented Tobias Ben Jacob of Roots Union…
3 December: EXMOUTH @ The Beachcomber 4 December: TOTNES @ The Barrelhouse
5 December: HEREFORD @ Café Green (Note the change from the previously publicised Glastonbury gig)
6 December: HAY-ON-WYE @ The Globe
And finally…
The tour will draw to a close with a final Northern date at the Sela Bar in Leeds on Sunday 13th December with the lovely people from Stone Soup.
After a busy couple of month’s touring, Nathan will head over to Northern Ireland for Christmas and although there are no Irish tour dates booked in, the traditional festive sessions will no doubt provide ample opportunity for even more musical winter wanderings…
Nathan Ball & friends
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30/10/2009
Thanks to all of you who came down on Wednesday – it was great to pack out the venue and felt like a good opening night to the tour!
I’ll be leaving London on Monday but before I get on the road I wanted to let you know about some just-booked tour dates, the time change for THIS SUNDAY’s Norwich gig with Brooke Sharkey, and my next moves…
NORWICH:
So - this Sunday (1st Nov) I will be playing the second date of my tour at The Cider Shed in Norwich. It had previously been advertised as taking place from 7.30pm on Sunday evening but it is actually an afternoon gig from 2.30pm, finishing around 5/6ish. Full details of the gig are available at here
NEW TOUR DATES:
Following an invitation to join up with the wonderfully talented Tobias Ben Jacob of popular folk band The Roots Union, I have now added a further 4 dates to my tour as follows:
3 December
EXMOUTH (venue TBC)
4 December
TOTNES @ The Barrelhouse
5 December
GLASTONBURY @ King Arthur
6 December
HAY-ON-WYE @ The Globe
If you’re based in the South West or on the Welsh borders – or know people who are – please forward the new dates on to them.
NEXT MOVES:
After Norwich, I’ll be in Stroud (Tues 3rd Nov) with local band Hot Feet and the following day (Wed 4th Nov) I’ll be supporting Martha Tilston at the Bristol Thekla. If you haven’t encountered Martha already, she’s certainly worth a trip to Bristol – but book ASAP as tickets are likely to sell out. You can also book advance tickets for the Bracknell gig on Sat 7th Nov and the Brighton gig on Wed 11th Nov – so please get booking if you’re planning to come!
I will write against once I’m on the road…
Nathan x
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21/10/2009
There’s now only a week to go before the opening night of my Winter Wanderings Tour and advance tickets are now on sale for almost all the gigs!
In between working on our new van-soon-to-be-home and rehearsing with the wonderful musicians who will join me on the road, I’m getting quietly but nervously excited BUT it would help me (and my nerves) out immensely if you could book your tickets to the gigs you’re planning on coming to! The 2 launch gigs for my latest EP sold out so get in there ASAP if you don’t wanna miss out!
Here’s a quick low-down of the forthcoming gigs and how to buy tickets - click on the links for full details and note the newly-added Penzance date and a great support act confirmed for Stroud…
LONDON 28 October @ The Magpies Nest, Islington
Tickets: http://www.wegottickets.com/event/58926
NORWICH 1 November @ The Cidershed
STROUD 3 November @ The Prince Albert
With support from Marianne Parrish & Jack Page of acclaimed local folk outfit ‘Hot Feet’. Tickets: 01453 755600
BRISTOL 4 November @ Bristol Thekla (supporting Martha Tilston)
Tickets: http://www.gigantic.com/alttickets/event_ate_10442a.html or call 0117 929 3301
BRACKNELL 7 November @ South Hill Park
Tickets: http://tinyurl.com/lwxpvz or call 01344 484123
BRIGHTON 11 November @ Latest Music Bar
Tickets: http://www.wegottickets.com/event/60365 or call 01273 687171
NEW DATE: PENZANCE 20 November @ Penzance Arts Club
Tickets: 01736 363761 
BANGOR 28 November @ The Greek
LEEDS 13 December @ Sela Bar
This is the last piece of news I’ll post before we get on the road after which I’m unlikely to be in the south of England anytime soon… So, if you’re based south of Birmingham, please try to make it to one of the tour gigs. And if you can spare a minute or two, please invite your friends to the gigs!
Nathan x
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