Nathan Schram

From its start, Nathan Schram’s second solo album Nearsided aims to get a listener’s attention. The stirring, mournful swells of sound on “Golden Gate,” feeling like a documenting of a ritual conveying increasingly intense emotion, finds Schram, also known for his work as a classical violist in the GRAMMY Award-winning Attacca Quartet, testing what further possibilities can be conveyed in the studio. Ignoring the impositions of genre terms in favor of a flowing variety of approaches and moods, from exultant joy to glowering darkness, Nearsided is, as Schram puts it, a testimony to the powers of exploration.


While Schram produced nearly every sound and performance on Nearsided he is quick to acknowledge the work of others in turn. Besides Stevens, other guests on the album include drummer Antonio Sanchez bringing his talents to “Portalegre” and Shahzad Ismaily contributing Moog and further treatments to “Pathetique.” Meanwhile, the gentle closing piece, “Where We Are Not,” is based on a theme from one of the unquestioned legends of rock and roll, David Crosby.


“Do I really want this album to be listened to after Shostakovich’s 8th Symphony? Or after deadmau5? I mean, ‘yes’ to all. I want people to walk away like one does with a great movie. I want them to see things they’ve never seen before but have a familiar emotional connection. A little laughing, a little crying, and a big breath of fresh air.”