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| Gilbert’s Nathan Dean finds a home in country music | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| By Chris Hansen Orf, Get Out | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| April 30, 2008 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
“I started hosting karaoke around the Valley for extra money — I worked at Graham Central Station and also at Roosters (on Main Street in Mesa),” explains Dean, who often imitated other singers in those Valley honky-tonks. “I had picked up a guitar in 2004 and started learning how to play and began writing tunes. “After speaking with Harry Luge Sr. (whose son, Harry Luge, is also a popular Valley country singer) and his wife, Nancy, at Country Thunder in 2005, they convinced me to quit doing the karaoke thing and put together a band and, when I did, they said they would book me for some dates at Roosters.” Dean, who moved to Gilbert in 2002 with his girlfriend (later his wife) to attend Arizona State University, got his start in music as a jazz drummer and as a singer in musical theater, but lack of paying gigs in the Valley theater community led to the karaoke gig ... which led to the formation of Nathan Dean & NQH. At Country Thunder USA last month, Dean performed one set on the main stage Saturday afternoon and, as the winner of a contest sponsored by a Tucson country station, played all day on a side stage in between headliners on the big stage. Dean and his band ripped through some impressive honky-tonk originals and classic country and rock covers. Dean says classic rock is big with the young country crowd, as evidenced by former Creedence Clearwater Revival’s John Fogerty playing a wildly popular set on the Country Thunder main stage Friday night. “I think the reason that you have John Fogerty at Country Thunder is because a lot of the patrons that are really into contemporary country these days are in their mid- to late 20s, like me,” says the 28-year-old singer. “When I was growing up, mostly all I heard was classic rock — CCR, J Geils Band, Pink Floyd — which is why we incorporate stuff like that into our stage show.” In a few short years, Dean has already released two CDs of his traditional honky-tonk originals (including his 2007 CD “Addicted to a Good Time”) . “I had thought about a possible move (to Nashville) for awhile, but I really like living in Arizona — not to mention after a recent visit I realized it just wasn’t a place I’d be interested in living,” Dean says. >> Nathan Dean and NQH perform 9 p.m. Monday, May 5, at Tom Ryan’s, 70 W Warner Road, Chandler. Free. (480) 792-1699 or myspace.com/nathandeannqh. Contact Chris Hansen Orf by email, or phone (480) 898-5684 |
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