Nathan Wiley (born ) is a musician and singer from Summerside,

Prince Edward Island Prince Edward Island (PEI; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is the smallest province in terms of land area and population, but the most densely populated. The island has several nicknames: "Garden of the Gulf", ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tota ...

, whose music blends modern rock and blues.

History

Wiley started out as a guitarist in a handful of local independent projects, including Electric Deadhead, The Plan, Space Opera and Evil Agents. He was also a member of The Tubetracks during a brief period when he lived in

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include ...

. His unique guitar style always contributed to the sound of the groups he worked with, most notably his adept skill at surf music, being heavily influenced by Dick Dale, among others. During his involvement in these groups, he did not do any vocal work, with the exception of a few songs from Space Opera, which mostly consisted of talking or yelling, but no actual singing.

Solo

In 2002, he released his first solo project, ''Bottom Dollar''. Not only was it his first solo effort, but it was a fully professionally produced CD, as opposed to the low-tech cassettes produced by all of his previous projects. While the surf influence wasn't evident, his talents as a singer and songwriter were startling, after so many years of being known as primarily a lead guitarist rather than a frontman. Some media reviews drew a comparison to

Tom Waits Thomas Alan Waits (born December 7, 1949) is an American musician, composer, songwriter, and actor. His lyrics often focus on the underbelly of society and are delivered in his trademark deep, gravelly voice. He worked primarily in jazz during ...

, but most fans seem to agree that, while some of the lyrics are similar to Waits' style, a closer comparison in lyric style would be

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...

. ''Bottom Dollar'' gained much critical acclaim: Wiley won '' Definitely Not the Operas Big Break Contest in 2002,Kelly, Jim (November–December 2002). "Nathan Wiley", '' Canadian Musician'' 24 (6): 78. and then won awards from the

East Coast Music Association The East Coast Music Association is a non-profit association that hosts an annual awards ceremony based in Atlantic Canada for music appreciation on the East Coast of Canada. Its mission is to develop, advance and celebrate East Coast Canadian mu ...

and

SOCAN The Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada (SOCAN) is a Canadian performance rights organization that represents the performing rights of more than 135,000 songwriters, composers and music publishers. The organization collect ...

. Tracks from the album received repeated airplay on

CBC Radio CBC Radio is the English-language radio operations of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. The CBC operates a number of radio networks serving different audiences and programming niches, all of which (regardless of language) are outlined below ...

. The video for the lead single "Bottom Dollar Baby" was played in rotation on the Canadian music station MuchMoreMusic, and remained in their Top 40 for several weeks. The album was released through the indie-friendly group Sonic, and was eventually picked up for distribution by Warner Bros. Records. The follow-up album ''High Low'' was released in 2004, and won him the Alternative Artist of the Year award from the East Coast Music Association. In 2007, Wiley released his third album ''The City Destroyed Me''.

Band

His band consists of his uncles Dale DesRoches (drums) and Tom DesRoches (bass). Occasionally James Phillips is also featured on lead guitar. Together these musicians also perform as Sweetheart Jim and the Brothers Grim, performing original material written by Phillips as well as cover songs.

Discography

* ''Bottom Dollar'' (2002) * ''High Low'' (2004) * ''The City Destroyed Me'' (2007)

References

External links

Nathan Wiley
official site {{DEFAULTSORT:Wiley, Nathan Year of birth uncertain Living people Canadian rock singers Canadian rock guitarists Canadian male guitarists Canadian male singers People from Summerside, Prince Edward Island Singers from Prince Edward Island Canadian male singer-songwriters Canadian singer-songwriters Year of birth missing (living people)