Nate Scoble
Singer-songwriter I started writing songs in my high school years in the East in the late 60s — those amazingly fertile years. Beatles, Byrds, Doors, Mothers, Stones, on the heels of my mother's Bach, father's Miles Davis, family's Rite of Spring and Pavane for a Dead Princess. She Said She Said. Pretty Ballerina. Then there were The Dead, Bitches Brew, Mahavishnu. I was still far more acted-upon than initiating.
• Some time in Berkeley, disturbed; family summers in Bennington, shapes seen across East Meadow under Woodford Mountain, through shimmering waves of birch leaves, around sun-hot rocks the icy water of the Roaring Branch flowed, we spread our towels on them when Van came up from New York. So much encouragement from the many relatives, now old on white-painted porches, caught when young in sepia at places like Lake Number Four in the Adirondacks, at The Shingle Shanty, in Pittsfield, in Furnace Grove.
• Got to transfer to UC Santa Cruz, moved there — happiest day of my life. Music composition studies, much hi and lo guitar, Richard Stover so impatient that I continued to play on that junker: why do you not invest in a professional instrument? Recuerdos de la Alhambra Ben Lomond Soquel, Faust, Mahler's Eighth in Norman O. Brown's living room, and the place and years there indeed beautiful beyond idealistic power to describe or to re-enact. My World Family & Friends, Jung with Mom. Stuff I started there, in the mid to late 70's, am finding and finishing now. The raw materials and impetus for FIRELIGHT and other work. Oh, and Never Mind The Boll--- . I can come back here? No more meadows and redwoods, ever again, to date.
• LA 79, little move into the 'big' world. Drawing, painting, printmaking, Otis/Parsons. Blue Daisies, Jeffrey, Nic, very very loud, "...I'm growing up to be a Beautiful Kid". Anti-Club, Lingerie. Met Spencer. Rolling in beer and freezing water in the show in the aircraft hangar. What Makes Donna Twirl? "Happy Project". "Nude Knight", "Virgette" — first and second solo CD's. Jr Magazine Art Director gets to be Art Director of new magazine, sure (somehow) I can work this career and still do...it. Well, no. Gt illness 95. "Startron And The Love Ring" at Glaxa, 96. Lead guitar in The Deadbeats. Freelancing, getting on (barely). Treatment. New Millenium. The New American Century. Fall of the towers. The end of glaciers? What repair for our broken world? Met Mike. FIRELIGHT. Decay. Dangerous curve and the performances there. My contribution to the noosphere? Now there is a notion of [e]motion, I believe that I speak more from my heart.
I have been an active singer-songwriter and guitarist for many years. My principal projects (performances and recordings) follow.
• The Blue Daisies (1982-1985); album, ‘Wilt’, (Iridescense #123, Michael Sheppard, producer, Ethan James, Engineer, 1985).
• What Makes Donna Twirl? (1985-1987); album, ‘What Makes Donna Twirl? / TonijeSala’ album released (PsychoAcoustic Sounds / Ralph, 1987).
• The Smash Cousins (later Future of Hell) (1988–1990).
• ‘Nude Knight’ solo CD (1987-1990), released under pseudonym Nils Shields (1990).
• Mouthsore with Russell Masuno (aka ‘Ginger Leigh’) (1991–1994).
• ‘Virgette de Godbunker’ solo CD of all-original material (1992–1993); album released under pseudonym Nils Shields (1993).
• ‘Startron And The Love Ring’, an avant-rock opera, performed at Glaxa Studios, Los Angeles (1996).
• Active member of Beyond Baroque Wednesday Night Poetry Workshop (1996–1999).
• Lead guitarist and co-writer with The Deadbeats (who wrote the song ‘Kill The Hippies’) (1996–2000).
• Song cycle: ‘Songs for Bob Enevoldsen’ (personal friend), music in jazz idiom (unreleased, 1997).
• Song cycles: ‘Lavendar Lovegiver In The Pansex’, ‘Darkheart’ (unreleased, 1999).
• Song cycle: ‘Kanan’ (unreleased, 2002).
• Song cycle: ‘Trystram Street' (2004-present); project in progress.
• Co-written art songs and bossa-nova-idiom songs with Weba Garretson, performed by her (2004–2006).
• 'Firelight' solo CD (released 2008; written 2000–2001; recorded 2001–2007). Performed by ‘Lovegiver’ musical project – Spencer Savage (drums/percussion) and Michael Gordon (saxophone). Engineer: Mark Wheaton / Catasonic.
• Song cycle: 'Slide Up!' (songs written 1978 – present); project in progress.
• Song cycle: 'Shimmer In Her' (songs written 2004 – present); project in progress.
• Solo performances at Dangerous Curve, Los Angeles:
12-17-06 (w/ Emily Haye and Brad Dutz)
02-11-07 (Kathy's B-day Concert)
03-11-07 (w/ Tom McNalley and Such Simple Ears)
07-11-07 (w/ Albert Ortega and Daren Burns)
08-12-07 (w/ Ogogo and Andre LaFosse)
09-09-07 (w/ Bavab Bavab and Vio-fonik)
11-30-07 (w/ ing)
02-03-08 (w/ Bavab Bavab and Ryan Tanaka)
05-17-08 (Michael Cho show closing)
02-02-08 solo performance, dangerous curve, los angeles.
