Western Songwriting with Nathan Jacques

Hailing from the quiet, wooded, mountain towns of New England, Nathan Jacques is a singer/songwriter now based in Los Angeles, CA. Contrary to his geographical roots, Nathan paints deeply woven narrative stories in cinematic soundscapes that are undeniably and irresistibly Western.

​Starting with his 2021 debut album, ‘Loud Mind’, Nathan has been building his brand and following, offering something different than the traditional country trend taking Los Angeles and the rest of the country by storm. His unique sound features powerful yet soothing baritone vocals shepherding audiences through dramatic stories in song. Showcasing a wide range of influences, listening to Nathan Jacques feels like traveling through time and dreams into landscapes of classic films and records of old.

Nathan shared the process behind his song All I See. Download the lyrics to follow along.

We talked about:

• The passing away of Quincy Jones
• Memetic music, a term we learned about after last week’s episode with Nancy Blue
• How Nathan was very deliberate about his verse melodies to maintain tension
• Writing an upbeat song with dark lyrics
• What it means for Nathan for be a “Western” artist and how that differs from Country Music
• How Nathan wrote notes for a larger concept album and story first
• Keeping the chords simple, but playing with tension and release by holding onto chords for extended time
• Be sure to check out Nathan’s music videos – they are fantastic!