Nathan Gaunt
Encyclopedia
Nathan Gaunt is an award-winning Australian singer-songwriter. His debut EP, Nothingwomb, was released in 1999. His style is an eclectic mix of rock
, pop
, blues, and folk
. Along with vocals, Gaunt plays a variety of instruments including the guitar and piano.
, Northern Territory
, Australia
. His family moved to Alice Springs in the Central Australian desert and later settled in the isolated city of Perth, Western Australia
, where he was influenced by the diverse music scene that produced INXS
, The Sleepy Jackson
and Eskimo Joe
.
play on late night TV.
Since 1999, Gaunt has released four EP
s and four albums, including the critically acclaimed Headlights on the Hills. 2004's Escape and Return, which Gaunt co-produced with internationally acclaimed producer/engineer Jeremy Allom (who has worked with David Bowie
, Massive Attack
and The Pretenders
), contained the single Come Home. His most recent album is Halcyon Dazed which the Sydney Morning Herald said "channels the best of trip-hop, prog and alt-rock, soaring like some lost track from Radiohead
's OK Computer
." Regarding Gaunt, the newspaper also remarked that "Neil Finn
might have some competition when it comes to crafting sadly beautiful valentines."
Gaunt has won a number of awards from the West Australian Music Industry Association
(known as WAMi's), including "Best Male Vocalist" and "Best Guitarist."
He toured the United States for the first time in late 2007, with shows in Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, Philadelphia and Washington, DC.
2003
2005
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
, pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
, blues, and folk
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
. Along with vocals, Gaunt plays a variety of instruments including the guitar and piano.
Early life
Gaunt was born in DarwinDarwin, Northern Territory
Darwin is the capital city of the Northern Territory, Australia. Situated on the Timor Sea, Darwin has a population of 127,500, making it by far the largest and most populated city in the sparsely populated Northern Territory, but the least populous of all Australia's capital cities...
, Northern Territory
Northern Territory
The Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia, occupying much of the centre of the mainland continent, as well as the central northern regions...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. His family moved to Alice Springs in the Central Australian desert and later settled in the isolated city of Perth, Western Australia
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
, where he was influenced by the diverse music scene that produced INXS
INXS
INXS are an Australian rock band, formed as The Farriss Brothers in 1977 in Sydney, New South Wales. Mainstays are Garry Gary Beers on bass guitar, Andrew Farriss on guitar/keyboards, Jon Farriss on drums, Tim Farriss on lead guitar and Kirk Pengilly on guitar/sax...
, The Sleepy Jackson
The Sleepy Jackson
The Sleepy Jackson are an Australian alternative rock band formed in Perth, Western Australia. The band's name was inspired by a former drummer who was narcoleptic. The band revolves around the distinctive vocal style of multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Luke Steele...
and Eskimo Joe
Eskimo Joe
Eskimo Joe is an Australian alternative rock band formed by Stuart MacLeod on guitars, Joel Quartermain on drums and guitar and Kavyen Temperley on bass guitar and vocals, in East Fremantle, Western Australia in 1997....
.
Music career
According to Gaunt, the first musical instrument he played was the piano. He picked up his first guitar after seeing Jimi HendrixJimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...
play on late night TV.
Since 1999, Gaunt has released four EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
s and four albums, including the critically acclaimed Headlights on the Hills. 2004's Escape and Return, which Gaunt co-produced with internationally acclaimed producer/engineer Jeremy Allom (who has worked with David Bowie
David Bowie
David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
, Massive Attack
Massive Attack
Massive Attack are an English DJ and trip hop duo from Bristol, England consisting of Robert "3D" Del Naja and Grant "Daddy G" Marshall. Working with co-producers, as well as various session musicians and guest vocalists, they make records and tour live. The duo are considered to be of the trip...
and The Pretenders
The Pretenders
The Pretenders are an English rock band formed in Hereford, England in March 1978. The original band consisted of initiator and main songwriter Chrissie Hynde , James Honeyman-Scott , Pete Farndon , and Martin Chambers...
), contained the single Come Home. His most recent album is Halcyon Dazed which the Sydney Morning Herald said "channels the best of trip-hop, prog and alt-rock, soaring like some lost track from Radiohead
Radiohead
Radiohead are an English rock band from Abingdon, Oxfordshire, formed in 1985. The band consists of Thom Yorke , Jonny Greenwood , Ed O'Brien , Colin Greenwood and Phil Selway .Radiohead released their debut single "Creep" in 1992...
's OK Computer
OK Computer
OK Computer is the third studio album by the English alternative rock band Radiohead, released on 16 June 1997 on Parlophone in the UK and 1 July 1997 by Capitol Records in the US. It marks a deliberate attempt by the band to move away from the introspective guitar-oriented sound of their previous...
." Regarding Gaunt, the newspaper also remarked that "Neil Finn
Neil Finn
Neil Mullane Finn, OBE is a New Zealand Pop recording artist. Along with his brother Tim Finn, he was the co-frontman for Split Enz and is now frontman for Crowded House...
might have some competition when it comes to crafting sadly beautiful valentines."
Gaunt has won a number of awards from the West Australian Music Industry Association
West Australian Music Industry Awards
The Western Australian Music Industry Awards are annual awards presented to the local contemporary music industry, put on by the Western Australian Music Industry Association Inc...
(known as WAMi's), including "Best Male Vocalist" and "Best Guitarist."
He toured the United States for the first time in late 2007, with shows in Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, Philadelphia and Washington, DC.
Discography
- 1997: Orpheus (EP with Thrive)
- 1999: Nothingwomb (EP)
- 2000: Circledreams (Album)
- 2001: Fly (EP)
- 2002: Free Your Mind (EP)
- 2003: Come Home (EP)
- 2004: Escape and Return (Album)
- 2005: Blue Jean Baby (EP)
- 2006: Headlights on the Hills (Album)
- 2007: Halcyon Dazed (Album)
- 2008: See Ya Later Space Cowboy (Album)
Awards
2002- 2002 West Australian Music Industry (WAMi) Awards – Most Popular Local Original Blues Act
2003
- 2003 West Australian Music Industry (WAMi) Awards – Most Popular Local Original Male Vocalist
- 2003 West Australian Music Industry (WAMi) Awards – Most Popular Local Original Guitarist
2005
- 2005 West Australian Music Industry (WAMi) Awards – Best Male Vocalist
- 2005 West Australian Music Industry (WAMi) Awards – Best Guitarist