News
"His style is all his own" - NPR
"Brisk, self-contained, a little mysterious, and catchy enough to revisit again and again" - Paste Magazine
"Waterhouse remains as spirited as he is studious, crooning and belting at all the appropriate moments with a little bit of swagger." - All Music
After a sold-out European tour and ahead of the release of the documentary As The Wind – The Enchanted Life of Eden Ahbez, Nick Waterhouse releases ‘Monterey’ – a song long considered lost to the public by the legendary composer of the popular standard ‘Nature Boy’.
“There existed only a demo acetate recording of a member (John Harris) of the cult Los Angeles doo-wop group the Rivingtons which made its way to my ears via my Californio brethren Matt Correia (Allah-las),” says Waterhouse.
“In a way, it feels divined to have been delivered to me by these means, cut at the historic Western 2 studios in Hollywood, and played with such esteemed and familiar musical company - the rhythm section of Brian Lang on bass and Eric Jackowitz on drums, pianist Lee Pardini, second guitar John Anderson, and lead tenor saxophonist Mando Dorame. Pay close attention to the undertow pull as the band crests and the pre-solo bars drop into Mando’s loamy lead. I hope it takes you far away, but not too far from shore…”
A new documentary is set to release later this year, and this feels like an excellent time to join the pantheon of artists who have cut Eden’s material. ‘Monterey’ will be released digitally and on a limited 7” pressing.
Nick Waterhouse unveils a new animated video for "B. Santa Ana, 1986" off of his new record, Promenade Blue.
Behind the video he shares, "I first met the artist and animator of this video, Daniel Bermudez, in a bar called the Attic (RIP) in San Francisco as brilliant, manic 45s spun over the sound system. He and the irrepressible Primo Pitino ran one of the greatest parties of all time - ‘OLDIES NIGHT’ (intentionally generic title that betrayed the cosmic and freewheeling artistry of such a musical and atmospheric endeavor). He and I got together designing my first record labels at the letterpress he worked at. We’re both California natives and he’s done my tune more than justice with this Spaniel charcuterie passing through exactly the kinda world I aimed to conjure in ‘B. Santa Ana 1986.’”
"Nick Waterhouse is someone you misjudge at your peril." - Clash Magazine
LA-based troubadour Nick Waterhouse takes a spiritual look to the past on new album Promenade Blue due out this Friday on Innovative Leisure and co-produced by Paul Butler (Michael Kiwanuka, Devendra Banhart). In Nick’s musical and lyrical world, blue is a refraction of his life and memories — shadowing a deep, spiritual San Francisco that fostered his musical vocabulary but has now been stamped out irrevocably; evoking the endless tours, marathon recording sessions, and highs and lows of success he’s experienced in his decade-long career; conjuring romances that were doomed, loves that lingered, and hope for future days of parity and partnership; summoning spirits of people who have gone but permeate his mind forever. The world of Promenade Blue represents rebirth and reinvigoration as well as a clarity of purpose.
“I’ve spent a great deal of my time wandering through the world, and being mistaken for coming from somewhere else. Certain people seem better at branding themselves based on a sort of... spectacular regional mythos. And what I have observed in regards to my own pedigree is what I could only describe as a lifelong superficial conception of the Californian identity. I got to thinking - what’s a regional identity anyways? Especially in this digitally flattened era. How funny, I thought, would it be to turn this little droll talking blues I had been demoing into an off-handed delivered ‘anthem’ chorus (“uh, I don’t mind)? How Californian?”
Nick Waterhouse debuts single "B. Santa Ana, 1986" with SPIN Magazine “A Day in the Life” feature.
Nick Waterhouse unveils a Valentine's Day weekend release "Very Blue / Medicine" both from the upcoming album Promenade Blue (April 9th).
As Under The Radar reports: "LA-based singer/songwriter Nick Waterhouse sounds like a man out of time, almost as if he was transported straight from the ‘50s and ‘60s era he takes such deep influence from. Melding together strains of soul, jazz, R&B, and garage rock, Waterhouse, over the course of several albums, has hit on a tight vintage style, putting a modern twist on sounds of the past. On his fourth album, Promenade Blue, Waterhouse once again looks into the past, but this time rooted in his own life and memories, from career highs and lows to loves lost and found. Waterhouse has returned with two new singles from the project, “Very Blue” and “Medicine,” premiering with Under the Radar. "