A friend of mine, Michael McCall, is a music journalist who resides in Nashville, Tennessee. He was one of the first folks I encountered when I moved there in 1996, and we wound up running into one another at various shows over the next five years. You can tell a lot about how in sync you are with someone by the amount of events you see one other at. And so when I get a recommendation from him, my ears perk up. Nathan Bell is the artist and his music is brand new to me, so let us discover him together. I do love the idea that you can instantly get to someone's website; listen to music, peruse their bio, and look at some video. That is as it should be, but it is amazing how many artists still make you dig for this stuff. In Nathan's case, there is still more to be pondered.

Nathan Bell lives in the Chattanooga area. He practiced his craft early in his life, releasing albums in various incarnations, but put away his 'childish things' to have a career and a family. Then after thirteen years he was laid off, and the guitar was once again found its way into his hands. If you would like to get to know him a bit better, his bio is here. He is releasing two albums in close succession, and so he is about to reenter the scene. He has been writing with a vengeance since he started back making music in 2007. Blood Like a River is about his life now, Black Crow Blue is his trickster's tale of a remembered life. The video I found on his website is an homage to legendary hockey player Goldie Goldthorpe, whose real life bad-ass escapades were the inspiration for the character Ogie Oglethorpe in the film Slap Shot.

- Jessie Scott