BOSTON, Mass. [August 27, 2024] – A casual stroll down Lower Broadway in Nashville can be dizzying. But beyond the bachelorette parties, mobile bars on wheels, and the sea of drunken revelers having the time of their lives, just off the strip and deep into the honky tonks and dive bars, lies the heartbeat of Music City: The live stage. When Nate Perry was stationed in the Army just over the Tennessee line in Kentucky, he and his soldier buddies would travel down to Nashville for a good time. But where the others would have a few drinks and try to meet girls, Perry was transfixed on the stage, watching musicians hold court and showcase their songs.
When Perry left the Army and relocated back to his native New England, forming a band became his focus. Fast forward a few years to the present day, and that goal has been realized: Nate Perry & Ragged Company arrived on the Boston scene earlier this spring with the streaming release of debut EP The Otherside of Everything, and now the record gets the physical product treatment, issued on compact disc on Tuesday, August 27, before the rising alt Americana band plays Notch Brewing in Brighton later that night.
The CD release of The Otherside of Everything, produced by Brian Charles at Rare Signals in Cambridge, surfaces ahead of two choice festival gigs fast on the horizon: An appearance at Thrive Music Festival on September 20 with GA-20, Crooked Coast, and others; and a gig at Team Haverhill’s River Ruckus alongside KT Tunstall, The 502s, and more on September 21.
From Notch to the festivals, each live show allows Nate Perry & Ragged Company to showcase their unique brand of alternative rock and Americana, a propulsive sound that takes the campfire storytelling ethos of alt-country and shifts it into rock and roll overdrive.
The five tracks on the EP act like mini-chapters of an overarching storyline of finding your way through life and the people you meet along the way: The urgent enchantment and upbeat thrust of lead track “Maria”; the twang-driven gallop of “All I Need”; a raw country glow in “Another Day”; the radio-ready pop-leaning euphoria of “Evergreens”; and a soulful spin around Southern blues in “Preacher.” The EP’s title, The Otherside of Everything, reflects Perry’s life after the Army, and the crazy years that have followed. And as the band’s vocalist and guitarist, he’s ready to present these stories to the listener.
“It’s about the end of one thing bringing life to another,” Perry admits. “A new beginning and an acceptance of the past. Regrets that you come to live with and acceptance that the past cannot be changed. Frustration at the current state you’re in and hesitantly holding out hope for a better future. Lyrically, the ‘happy ending’ arrives with ‘All I Need’, which reflects back on how tough it was and how seemingly everything gets better.”
Perry brought a bit of Nashville back with him to Boston, and while Nate Perry & Ragged Company are a bit of an outlier in this rock and roll town, the lyrical themes and glowing warmth of the record are universal in their ability to connect with the listener.
“Every song I write is a true story of mine, in one way or another,” admits Perry. “Entirely self-reflective and a bit confessional. Each song is about my life and specifically the last five years or so after the Army. These aren’t songs about partying or anything, and I’m also not claiming to be a genius writer, but I hope they hear the stories and find some common ground with us.”
Common ground is what led to the complete version of Nate Perry & Ragged Company. Perry first linked up with lead guitarist Mike Chandler through Craigslist just before the demise of the latter’s most recent band, and the pair rebranded their collaboration into Nate Perry & Ragged Company. They quickly recruited drummer Sam Demello and bassist Connor Milligan, and keyboardist Ollie Nash cemented the quintet shortly as recording began.
“Lyrically I think there’s a bit of everything that a wide audience can relate to,” says Milligan. “I think, too, that our melodies juxtapose nicely with some of our lyrical themes, especially when thinking about ‘Evergreens’. Lyrically, the song is on the darker, more brooding side, yet melodically it still has a driving more major key vibe which to me tells our listeners that even in dark times, you can still find some light.”
Chandler agrees, adding that the stories Perry brings to the table are made whole by the cohesive unit the band has become. Though they’ve been together as a band for a relatively short time, the chemistry that flows through the songs – both recorded and when performed live – is infectious. Nate Perry & Ragged Company come off like a band that’s been shaping their sound for decades, with camaraderie and brotherhood binding it all together. It starts with Perry’s guitar and notepad, and is completed by five musicians who operate as a unit.
Nate Perry & Ragged Company
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