Tag: Mixtape

The Maiden Name

The Maiden Name

The Maiden Name is two parts hip hop, one part post-rock, with a dash of indie pop thrown in. At times I was reminded of Why?, a bit of Astronautalis, and a dash of Furthermore, Gorillaz and Mewithoutyou. But seriously, I’m being blown away as I listen! This is the kind of rap a therapist makes in his basement, and it’s amazingly accessible. Within the first song, “Mixtape,” you are able to go from tapping your toes to putting yourself down for a nap. These songs have a great cadence with clever phrasing and are the right pace to win me over in historic ways.

As 2014 is winding down, I think it’s safe to look forward to 2015 and the release of the first official The Maiden Name record and the awesomeness that it will bring with it.

Here’s a bit of Destroy Nate Allen trivia for you: Krispin Mayfield, the man behind The Maiden Name, wrote a little song years ago called “White Flag” that inspired my song of the same name. It’s been a very long time since he’s released an album and I assure you it was worth the wait!

For more info visit: themaidenname.bandcamp.com/

The Maiden Name is contributing a song to Nate Allen’s Kickstarter Mixtape. 

The first The Maiden Name release is streaming  below.

dead words

Dead Words

Dead Words (Dallas, TX) play East Bay styled pop punk inspired by the likes of Green Day and The Descendants. They’ve been touring heavily for the last few years, fine tuning their guitars to carve their sugar coated hooks into your skull.

This young and diverse band enjoys pizza and video games. If you give Dead Words pizza they will give you hugs. If you let Dead Words play your video games they will not sleep. I know this from experience. They served as the backing band on the first Pac-Away Dots tour and this mixtape would not be complete without them.

They will be contributing their song “3 for 3” to the kickstarter mixtape.

For more info visit: facebook.com/deadwordstx

Dead Words will be touring again in November. Catch them at a show and tell them Nate Allen says, “Hello.”

The Rocking Dead tour

11/7 – Broken Arrow, OK @ Rudy’s House
11/8 – Joplin, MO @ Solace Music Venue
11/9 – Des Moines, IA @ Underground Rock Shop
11/10 – Minneapolis, MN @ 1082 16th Ave SE
11/12 – Fargo, ND @ The New Direction
11/13 – Sioux Falls, SD @ TBA
11/14 – Kearney, NE @ TBA
11/15 – Hutchinson, KS @ TBA
11/16 – Oklahoma City, OK @ TBA

Kat Jones

Kat Jones is impressive. She uses her five octave range to communicate so much more than the words formed by the command of her voice.  Her songs swell and plunge, holding you captive until the final note diminishes and you are released from its otherworldly grasp. Her classy rock n’ roll comes from dark, hard fought places.

In 2001, Kat Jones and I met in Nepal and then randomly reconnected a few years later at Tomfest. I became her booking agent in the not-so-distant days of cold calling venues, and we both learned a lot about booking shows and planning tours. She has since become a touring machine.  Right now she is blowing minds in Europe.

Check out the rest of her current European Tour here.

Kat’s song “Muevete” will be part of our kickstarter mixtape.  Her greatly anticipated album, I Am Young Warm Blood, is pending release.

Learn more at katjonesmusic.com and on her bandcamp.

 

Kickstarter Launch

Welcome to our pre-order/fundraiser for Take Out The Trash, the debut album of my new project, Nate Allen and The Pac-Away Dots. Since 2006, I’ve been touring the US as Destroy Nate Allen. Take Out The Trash marks a new season and direction for my music. These 10 vulnerable and explosive songs will have you humming all day long.

Take Out The Trash has already been recorded, mixed and mastered. Your help is needed to finance the printing of CDs and 12″ vinyl records. Our goal is to have every prize delivered in time for Christmas, with the exception of the vinyl which takes longer to produce.

One of our core values is COMMUNITY, so we put together a mixtape of over 30 bands! The independent artists on this playlist represent different genres and ideals, but the one thing that they all have in common is that they are friends of mine. Every reward package will include a download of this playlist. One package even has it on an actual 90 minute cassette tape.

Each day, I will be blogging on iamnateallen.com about a different artist on the mixtape. I’m hoping you discover a new favorite band while I’m at it. The first blog is about Bryan McPherson.

Please go watch our video and share our project with friends! 

Below is a glimpse of some of the fun ideas we came up with for the Kickstarter as well as more information about the album!

This is shaping up to be a fun month.

Nate Allen

Laser Etched Mason Jar

The album lyrics “I want to be open to everything but I don’t want to be broken” are being laser etched on 16 oz. glass mason jars by Tom Butler at Flying Eagle Gallery. Available individually and set of 4.

Greeting Cards

Nate has designed four original greeting cards with lyrics from the album printed on post-consumer recycled paper. Each card comes with an envelope and link to download the referenced song.

Some useful words about Take Out The Trash.

In 2013 Nate Allen found himself fresh off a long tour, unemployed, in his early 30’s, married and living in his parent’s spare bedroom. Everyone’s dream …

His plan was to take a sabbatical from touring, get an “after college job” and let life reassemble. Instead, wrestling with how blind he had been to the racism all around him, he accidentally wrote and recorded an album documenting his process in that tenuous season of life.

What started as an acoustic solo project turned into a full band recording channeling the sounds of Social Distortion, Old 97’s, Johnny Cash, David Bazan, Bright Eyes, The Pine Hill Haints, Against Me!, Violent Femmes, Larry and His Flask, and Slim Cessna’s Auto Club, to name a few.