Nathan Xander

Nathan Xander writes songs that are steeped in the quiet, restrained tension of what Greil Marcus called the 'Old, Weird America'. His sixth album, Three Waltzes, is an acutely perceptive look at life’s transitional moments, capturing Xander and his band amid pivotal changes—a new lineup, Xander’s quitting alcohol, and the pandemic’s impact on musicians everywhere. With musical sensibilities inspired by latter day Nick Lowe, Tom T. Hall, and Paul Westerberg, Xander sorts through loss and evolving identity as he stands on the threshold of a new era in his own career. Originally from rural Union City, PA, Xander started songwriting at age eighteen, sparked by his habit of scouring record shops for first the classics, then the hidden gems and vinyl obscurities which tell a more lonely and mysterious tale. A self-professed crate digger and amateur musical anthropologist, Xander dove off the deep end into country, folk, and rock—sounds all woven expertly into Three Waltzes. He also credits the local music scenes of Pittsburgh, Chicago, and now New York City, his home for the last decade, for pushing him to grow as a songwriter. This drive to ever improve eventually brought him success playing shows with Justin Townes Earle, Tyler Childers, Lydia Loveless, Robbie Fulks, BJ Barham of American Aquarium, and Howe Gelb of Giant Sand.