Too often, a music writer needs to draw upon famous references to illustrate a performer’s virtues. Nevertheless, I’m compelled to say that Matt Nakoa and Paul McCartney — in his youth — share some vital characteristics. In the exhaustive bio-saga, The Beatles, author Bob Spitz depicted how a darkly good-looking Paul McCartney burst upon the tiny scene of a Quarrymen performance at a church festival. Spitz quotes a bystander who described the collision of Paul and John Lennon this way: “Paul came on as very attractive, very loose, very easy, very confident — wildly confident. He played the guitar well [better than anyone else in John’s first band]. I could see that John was very impressed.” In other words, Paul, beyond everyone else, was fluid. Besides their physical similarities (they’re also both left-handed), what connects Nakoa and McCartney for me is Matt’s fluidity. When I watch him sing and play, his smooth, masterful delivery takes my breath away. It’s electrifying. Paul McCartney came by his gifts seemingly by heredity; his father had been a musician and instilled in him a love and a skill for it. How Matt Nakoa acquired his musical ability is something more of a mystery. From a Seed … Matt grew up on a goat farm in upstate New York in the small town of Smyrna, midway (about 124 miles each way) between Albany and Lake Ontario. He didn’t show a marked interest in music early on, preferring, as W.B. Yeats put it, “the sky blue trades” of boyhood, like climbing trees. However, when he was 8, the usual magic of Christmas became something more. He noticed that many people who went caroling hadn’t sung at all the rest of the year and, joining them, he was suddenly aware of the richness and beauty of the music. In school, he showed an unusual depth of understanding of music and was persuaded by a teacher to join the school chorus. At an age when most kids are eager to follow the pack, Matt revealed a strong sense of independence. The Christmas carols led him to appreciate classical music, something his parents and friends just didn’t get. He bought a CD of major classical works and listened avidly. In high school band, he played the trombone and became infatuated with big band music, connecting its richness with classical works. At 12, he became enthused with learning piano, somehow knowing how it worked without being shown. He’d stay after school long after everyone had gone home, playing a piano in the dark, until a janitor shooed him out. At home, late for dinner, he assured his parents he wasn’t dabbling in drugs and just wanted to play piano. He brought them to school to show them he could do it. It took a year, but they bought an upright piano for the home. Matt found an exceptional private teacher who broke him of bad habits he’d learned on his own and helped him develop as a performer. In time, Matt was able to quit doing farm work and start earning money playing piano. During this time he was also acting and singing in school plays. Before he was out of high school, Matt had made a CD of his favorite classical works and his own compositions and was doing mini tours in the summer, playing craft fairs and cultural centers. His objective was to go to The Juilliard School and become a concert pianist. The Age of Dissent When he was 16, Matt started listening to classical rock (Led Zeppelin, etc.) and decided he wanted to sing in a band. He began to write his own songs (not very good, he says), which left his piano teacher aghast. He rebelled against doing regular schoolwork in favor of playing piano and his grades fell. Matt told his parents that he didn’t want to go to college and just wanted to become a traveling musician. They insisted that he go to school. His application to Julliard was filled out but remained unsent, but when he liked what he saw in a Berklee College of Music brochure, Matt traveled to Boston and auditioned. He applied for and received a scholarship to the Vocal Performance program. From Berklee to Piano Bars He sang and played piano for a lot of groups at Berklee and learned guitar to better communicate with guitar players. After graduating, he was in a band, The Fens, with a friend, Roman Williams, with whom he wrote songs. The band broke up after a year or so, and Matt drifted, playing piano bars in New York City long into the night to pay the rent. Matt felt he was good, but couldn’t gain any traction. Finally he asked a college friend, Eric, what to do with a new song he had written. Finally, Fox Run Eric took him to Neale Eckstein’s Fox Run Studio in Massachusetts to spend a weekend figuring it out. Neale is a longtime folk music enthusiast who also happens to be a top-notch photographer and performs and records folk music at Fox Run with some of the singer/songwriter community’s brightest stars. Recognizing Matt’s talent and connecting with him as a friend, Neale gave Matt extended studio time to record his first eclectic rock/pop album Light in the Dark (2012). He also suggested that Matt attend the Northeast Regional Folk Alliance (NERFA) Conference and, in the various hotel room showcases, play his songs with just an acoustic guitar. Matt followed his advice and began getting positive responses. He realized that he’d found a home in the singer/songwriter community. It was a place he could play in a variety of styles and still fit in. Matt then made his second, mostly acoustic album at Fox Run, A Dozen Other Loves (2014), which was more at home in the singer/songwriter realm. That same year, Matt was named a New Folk winner at Kerrville Folk Festival and selected as an Emerging Artist at Falcon Ridge Folk Festival (he was also voted one of the most wanted to return). On A Dozen Other Loves, there are songs of loss that are dark and emotionally revealing (“Tip of My Tongue,” “Barefoot Dancer”) and some that rock out (“If You’re Tryin’ to Break My Heart”). Whether he’s playing guitar or piano, Matt can mesmerize an audience and confer a sense of joy. In doing just that, he has come to realize the sense of purpose we all seek. And we are thrilled. And we are amazed. www.mattnakoa.com

Too often, a music writer needs to draw upon famous references to illustrate a performer’s virtues. Nevertheless, I’m compelled to say that Matt Nakoa and Paul McCartney — in his youth — share some vital characteristics. In the exhaustive bio-saga, The Beatles, author Bob Spitz depicted how a darkly good-looking Paul McCartney burst upon the tiny scene of a Quarrymen performance at a church festival. Spitz quotes a bystander who described the collision of Paul and John Lennon this way: “Paul came on as very attractive, very loose, very easy, very confident — wildly confident. He played the guitar well [better than anyone else in John’s first band]. I could see that John was very impressed.” In other words, Paul, beyond everyone else, was fluid. Besides their physical similarities (they’re also both left-handed), what connects Nakoa and McCartney for me is Matt’s fluidity. When I watch him sing and play, his smooth, masterful delivery takes my breath away. It’s electrifying. Paul McCartney came by his gifts seemingly by heredity; his father had been a musician and instilled in him a love and a skill for it. How Matt Nakoa acquired his musical ability is something more of a mystery.

From a Seed …

Matt grew up on a goat farm in upstate New York in the small town of Smyrna, midway (about 124 miles each way) between Albany and Lake Ontario. He didn’t show a marked interest in music early on, preferring, as W.B. Yeats put it, “the sky blue trades” of boyhood, like climbing trees. However, when he was 8, the usual magic of Christmas became something more. He noticed that many people who went caroling hadn’t sung at all the rest of the year and, joining them, he was suddenly aware of the richness and beauty of the music. In school, he showed an unusual depth of understanding of music and was persuaded by a teacher to join the school chorus. At an age when most kids are eager to follow the pack, Matt revealed a strong sense of independence. The Christmas carols led him to appreciate classical music, something his parents and friends just didn’t get. He bought a CD of major classical works and listened avidly. In high school band, he played the trombone and became infatuated with big band music, connecting its richness with classical works.

At 12, he became enthused with learning piano, somehow knowing how it worked without being shown. He’d stay after school long after everyone had gone home, playing a piano in the dark, until a janitor shooed him out. At home, late for dinner, he assured his parents he wasn’t dabbling in drugs and just wanted to play piano. He brought them to school to show them he could do it. It took a year, but they bought an upright piano for the home. Matt found an exceptional private teacher who broke him of bad habits he’d learned on his own and helped him develop as a performer. In time, Matt was able to quit doing farm work and start earning money playing piano. During this time he was also acting and singing in school plays. Before he was out of high school, Matt had made a CD of his favorite classical works and his own compositions and was doing mini tours in the summer, playing craft fairs and cultural centers. His objective was to go to The Juilliard School and become a concert pianist.

The Age of Dissent

When he was 16, Matt started listening to classical rock (Led Zeppelin, etc.) and decided he wanted to sing in a band. He began to write his own songs (not very good, he says), which left his piano teacher aghast. He rebelled against doing regular schoolwork in favor of playing piano and his grades fell. Matt told his parents that he didn’t want to go to college and just wanted to become a traveling musician. They insisted that he go to school. His application to Julliard was filled out but remained unsent, but when he liked what he saw in a Berklee College of Music brochure, Matt traveled to Boston and auditioned. He applied for and received a scholarship to the Vocal

Performance program.

From Berklee to Piano Bars

He sang and played piano for a lot of groups at Berklee and learned guitar to better communicate with guitar players. After graduating, he was in a band, The Fens, with a friend, Roman Williams, with whom he wrote songs. The band broke up after a year or so, and Matt drifted, playing piano bars in New York City long into the night to pay the rent. Matt felt he was good, but couldn’t gain any traction. Finally he asked a college friend, Eric, what to do with a new song he had written.

Finally, Fox Run

Eric took him to Neale Eckstein’s Fox Run Studio in Massachusetts to spend a weekend figuring it out. Neale is a longtime folk music enthusiast who also happens to be a top-notch photographer and performs and records folk music at Fox Run with some of the singer/songwriter community’s brightest stars. Recognizing Matt’s talent and connecting with him as a friend, Neale gave Matt extended studio time to record his first eclectic rock/pop album Light in the Dark (2012). He also suggested that Matt attend the Northeast Regional Folk Alliance (NERFA) Conference and, in the various hotel room showcases, play his songs with just an acoustic guitar. Matt followed his advice and began getting positive responses. He realized that he’d found a home in the singer/songwriter community. It was a place he could play in a variety of styles and still fit in.

Matt then made his second, mostly acoustic album at Fox Run, A Dozen Other Loves (2014), which was more at home in the singer/songwriter realm. That same year, Matt was named a New Folk winner at Kerrville Folk Festival and selected as an Emerging Artist at Falcon Ridge Folk Festival (he was also voted one of the most wanted to return).

On A Dozen Other Loves, there are songs of loss that are dark and emotionally revealing (“Tip of My Tongue,” “Barefoot Dancer”) and some that rock out (“If You’re Tryin’ to Break My Heart”).

Whether he’s playing guitar or piano, Matt can mesmerize an audience and confer a sense of joy. In doing just that, he has come to realize the sense of purpose we all seek. And we are thrilled. And we are amazed.

www.mattnakoa.com