This 15 years in the making overnight success story of singer/songwriter Matt Nathanson comes courtesy of Coalition Of Independent Music Stores head Don VanCleave. A full year after release, Nathanson's album is breaking big at AAA radio and his fall headline tour hits most of the nation's top 2000-2500 seat theatres. Don writes:
I was talking to our friend Jordan Kurland today about his artists (Deathcab and many others) and his bitchin' festival - http://www.treasureislandfestival.com/.
We started discussing our plans for releasing an indie store exclusive with Matt Nathanson, another of his artists. Matt recorded instores at both Park Avenue in Orlando and Fingerprints in Long Beach with us. We mashed the best of the two onto a release we are putting out (with Vanguard) on August 5th called "Left and Right".
I first became aware of Matt years ago...
I am sure Reg was playing him on his show or something. I have seen Matt several times thru the years and he is super funny. And crude. And a great performer.
So, Jordan and Matt went to school together. I remember it was down in Clairmont, CA, home of Ben Harper and the might Rhino Records. They have been working together for 15 or 16 years I recall. I knew Matt could make a living doing his thing but Jordan started telling me that all hell was starting to breaking loose.
With the second single, "Come on Get Higher", he is looking at:
- Currently Top 5 at AAA and #2 on the AAA Building chart.
- Top 25 on Hot AC chart
- Video was added to VH1 yesterday
- Digital sales of the single up 16% this week.
- Soundscan for the record up 27% this week.
- Over 70k total scanned!
- Two month headline tour this fall including the Warfield in SF (2300 cap), Nokia Theater in NY (2100 cap), two Berklee (2400 cap), two TLA's in Philly (2000 cap), two HOB in Chicago (2600 cap), etc.
- Album was released nearly a year ago and the first single from the album, 'Car Crash,' was serviced over a year ago!I just thought it was very cool that these guys have been grinding it out, year after year, fan by fan and now he is blowing up. LOOK at those ticket numbers. Anyway, could not have happened to nicer guys. That goes for Vanguard also. Great work.
Don VanCleave
Coalition of Independent Music Stores
