The Nadas

Independent Music Browse By Name

Begins with A Begins with B Begins with C Begins with D Begins with E Begins with F Begins with G Begins with H Begins with I Begins with J Begins with K Begins with L Begins with M Begins with N Begins with O Begins with P Begins with Q Begins with R Begins with S Begins with T Begins with U Begins with V Begins with W Begins with X Begins with Y Begins with Z Begins with Number

Independent Music Browse By Region

Alaska Arizona California Colorado Florida Hawaii Illinois Iowa Kansas Kentucky Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Nevada New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Rhode Island Tennessee Texas Vermont Wisconsin Canada Germany Japan Mexico United kingdom

Independent Music Browse By Style

Adult Contemporary Alternative Blues Buegrass Celtic Children Classical Comedy Country Dance Finnish Folk Gospel/CCM Holiday Jazz Native American New Age Polka Pop Rap Rock Storytelling Tex-Mex World

 

For a band with nearly 15 years behind them, the Nadas sure marked a lot of firsts with their new album, The Ghosts Inside These Halls.
 
The roots rockers' sixth studio release is their first produced by the band, their first recorded in their hometown of Des Moines, and their first as a fivesome. But perhaps most notably, it's their first time truly baring their souls. 

"We have always been very honest in our music, but with this record we have allowed ourselves to be totally exposed," explains singer/guitarist Jason Walsmith, who co-founded the Nadas with fellow singer/guitarist Mike Butterworth as Iowa State University students in the early 1990s. "It's raw and open. We're also very comfortable with who we are as a band and as musicians and I think that comes through in the record. We aren't pretending to be anyone or act like a band we aren't."

That rawness is reflected in the album's title, which comes from the first line of the first song.

"I thought it symbolized where we are in our careers," Walsmith says. "We have reached a certain amount of success, but there are always those thoughts in the back of your head, 'What if I had just done this instead.' Those are the ghosts to me."

Like so many American bands, the Nadas started as a way for its members to pass the time between classes. Unlike so many American bands, the Nadas outlasted their educations and rode a growing fan base to a genuine, honest-to-goodness career.

While Butterworth is known for his rock 'n' roll intuitions (on perfect display in his live cover of the Beastie Boys' "Sabotage") and Walsmith for his alt-country roots, they work flawlessly as a songwriting unit, skillfully evoking the romance, introspection and uncertainty of living life on one's own terms in the 21st Century.

Altogether, the Nadas have sold more than 75,000 albums through their own Authentic Records, including 2003's Transceiver and 2005's Listen Through the Static, both produced by Todd and Toby Pipes of Deep Blue Something.

The Nadas have also been called the "Best College Band You've Never Heard Of" by Playboy, had one of their songs ("Walk Away") become the official elimination song on Speed Channel's "Pinks" show, and were one of the final four bands for Bon Jovi’s Have a Nice Day band competition -- all the while steadily touring the country in Meatloaf's old tour bus, named Meatloaf (of course).

The Ghosts Inside These Halls builds on that memorable career not just by taking the band in new directions, but by giving fans another dose of ear candy to remember their hook-ups, break-ups, milestones and hangovers by.

"Jason and I have always helped with each others' songs, but with this record we truly collaborated more than ever before," Butterworth says. "And that definitely made for our best material yet."

"Blue Lights," with its clean, soulful rhythm guitar track and dense vocal harmonies on the chorus, is equal parts spiritual uplift and arena rock ballast. "Good Night Girl," meanwhile, begins with celestial, bell-like guitar tones before drummer Ian Shepherd's snare cracks wide open into as powerful an anthem as anything the Nadas have ever recorded.

Lyrically, the album chronicles all the things that go along with embarking on your 30s, wives, kids, house payments and the like.

"The beautiful thing is our fans have grown up with us, so it makes it even easier for them to relate to at least something in every song," Butterworth says.

Which takes us to yet another first on The Ghosts Inside These Halls: the first Nadas song inspired by a children's book, "TK."

"The lyric 'I've been near and I've been far/ Boats and planes and trains and cars' came to me because my four-year-old son has a book called 'Boats, Planes, Trains and Cars,'" Walsmith laughs. "His bedtime reading has been engrained into my head."

The Ghosts Inside These Halls Dubbed the 'Best College Band You've Never Heard Of' by Playboy, The Nadas have spent 13 years making their band a household name. As spokesmen for the One.org campaign (a campaign to make poverty history), the writers of "Walk Away", the official elimination song on the Speed Channel's show Pinks, and finalists for Bon Jovi's Have a Nice Day band competition, The Nadas have been steadily touring the country in Meatloaf's old tour bus, curiously dubbed...Meatloaf. Their new release, The Ghosts Inside These Halls builds on a brilliant catalog of rock-meets-alt-country, and their ever-growing fanbase proves that their talent is truly authentic. CD Price: $14.97

Listen Through The Static If you weren't familiar with the Nadas' music and took a gander at the cover of their seventh release overall, 2005's Listen Through the Static, you may be fooled into believing that they're either a DJ collective or a retro rock outfit. After all, there is clearly a pile of well-worn vinyl album covers neatly stacked one on top of another, as well as what appears to be some sort of ancient recording equipment (or a record player). But don't be fooled, upon further inspection the Iowa-based band is cut from the same melodic roots rock cloth as such chart-toppers of yesteryear as Fastball and the Gin Blossoms. The Nadas carved out their niche years ago, and they admirably continue to stick to their guns (from both business and artistic standpoints). ~ Greg Prato, All Music Guide CD Price: $14.97

Transceiver The album's title comes from a device that is supposed to do just that, transmit and receive. This is their fourth studio album and sixth overall, and was produced by Todd and Toby Pipes of Deep Blue Something and mixed by Stuart Sikes (The White Stripes, The Promise Ring). A blend of Mike Butterworth's rock and roll intuitions and Jason Walsmith's alt-country roots. CD Price: $14.97

Coming Home This long-awaited Authentic Records release showcases the maturity The Nadas have developed through seven years of playing together. Tight four-part vocal harmonies and the addition of keyboardist Paul Wright and percussionist Billy Hawn make Coming Home the most professional release to date. CD Price: $14.97

Show To Go The first live album from the heartland foursome. Boasting great sound and a minimum of crowd noise, this is an excellent sampler for first time listeners. Fans of the group may notice that these versions do not differ much from the originals, but what it basically adds up to is a slightly muddy sounding "best of" album. The versions of the sweeping "Ends Meet" and "Beautiful Girl" are standout tracks, while the always wonderful "Rock Star" rounds out the live portion of the album with a humorous sendoff. CD Price: $14.97

New Start One of the Nadas best written and performed albums. Guitarist and vocalist Mike Butterworth sets the mode with the "happy" tune "Ghost" and Jason Walsmith follows with the fan favorite "Daisy". The two exchange songwriting duties through the album wonderfully, each adding a distinct sound. They do a great job of mixing both slow and up tempo songs to create an interest with each new tune. CD Price: $14.97

---