Nathan Holscher

“Nathan Holscher has made one of the best Americana records of 2009.”- Americana UK

“Holscher’s acoustic folk borders on Ryan Adams’ rock with Damien Rice’s haunting vocals.”- Metromix Cincinnati

“Nathan Holscher’s brilliance is in his storytelling with a CD full of rich characters who have some issues.”- Cincinnati Enquirer

All of Holscher’s songs have the ability to mesmerize . . .falling somewhere between the spaciousness of Joe Henry and the lithe Pop of Damien Rice. . . with Holscher giving voice to those deepest, saddest emotions all of us have. Only he has the talent to turn them into pure poetry.”- CityBeat

On-line version at http://news.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20091006/ENT03/910060352

Nathan Holscher’s brilliance is in his storytelling with a CD full of rich characters who have some issues. There are road songs, love songs and plenty of soul searching. There is lots of yearning, restless hearts and pleading for personal identity in Holscher’s writing. His husky, whispering voice sets the perfect storytelling mood for these often haunting tales.

Holscher, who says he’s a voracious reader of novels, has crafted tunes in the best storytelling tradition – create a character, a setting and see where it goes. Not surprisingly, among his biggest inspirations is Bruce Springsteen’s “The Ghost of Tom Joad.” “I think some of the most compelling stories to tell happen to have a haunted feel where perhaps the character is heading into some personal void,” he says.

It’s also refreshing that Holscher writes in the third person cleverly helping us observe his characters. As he puts it,” “I’m not just taking pages from my diary. I keep my personal life personal and don’t really sing about it. I let the stories become the focus.”

Holscher is from a small town in Illinois, graduated from Earlham College in Richmond, Ind., and spent some years traveling the Southwest and Midwest. He landed here a few years ago working for a river conservation group. And he discovered local producer Ric Hordinski, who produced this album and a solo release three years ago.

“I thought if I had to do this kind of music I had to go to Austin or Nashville, but that’s not the case with Ric being here. And it’s a very supportive music scene.”

Holscher’s CD should surely get plenty of attention across the country and in Europe in Americana circles (It is getting airplay on WNKU-FM). Holscher will open for Robbie Fulks at the Southgate House Nov. 13.

Brian O’Donnell’s interview for WVXU’s Around Cincinnati concerning the release of Hit the Ground.  Check it out at:

http://198.234.121.108/aroundcincinnati/083009_NathanHolscher.mp3

“Two years ago, young singer/songwriter Nathan Holscher (pictured) released his second album, Even the Hills, a moody, mesmerizing slab of ethereal, transcendent Americana that helped make Holscher — then a relatively new Cincinnati resident after a few years bouncing around the Midwest and South — a much buzzed-about local artist. Holscher has taken the formula from his debut and improved on it with the new release, Hit the Ground. And this time he’s not alone, using the name “Nathan Holscher & the Ohio 5” to give props to his current back-up band of ace local players.

It’s fitting that this isn’t marked as a solo release, because the band definitely helps give Holscher’s intimate story-songs more presence. There is a clear chemistry between the songwriter and the group, and the chemistry between Holscher and producer/guitarist Ric Hordinski (who also recorded Hills) once again proves to be magical.

Holscher’s gruff, whispery vocals are so engaging they immediately draw the listener through the atmospherics and straight to the guts of his characterdriven tales. The album seethes twilight sadness, thanks to the full combined efforts of all involved. Like Hills, expect Hit the Ground to get attention from Americana outlets across the country, in Europe and beyond.”

-Mike Breen, CityBeat, August 26, 2009

To see the on-line version, visit http://www.citybeat.com/cincinnati/article-18616-hit-the-ground-soaring.html