Nicholas Altobelli

Band History

“The days of longing, long for days.” A lyric taken from the song, "Can You Feel the Wind," fittingly describes the premise of Nicholas Altobelli’s third LP, Radio Waves and Telephone Wire, released on May 31, 2011 via Dalton Records. It is a follow up to his 2010 release, The Regulator, which was critically acclaimed in the Dallas/Fort Worth/Denton music scene and some outsiders, comparing his nine song LP to a “judicially edited anthology of short fiction” (DFW.com) and a “kind of fare that gnaws at your soul” (Americana UK). The concept for Radio Waves and Telephone Wire started shortly after the release of The Regulator in the summer of 2010 while briefly contemplating whether or not to continue with his music career.

For this effort, Nicholas travelled down to Austin to record the entire album in one six hour session with co-producer, Britton Beisenherz (Doug Burr, Collin Herring, Seryn) at Ramble Creek Studios. The album also features a duet (Bluebonnet) with Whiskeytown co-founder and current Small Ponds member, Caitlin Cary. Most of Altobelli’s songs and albums come from a single image and this one is no different … a prehistoric time when technology was new and limiting, but expanding. A new post-war world when everything was changing with still the sense of uncertainty running in the background.

The songs were written quickly and the demos were recorded twice. Even the week before the official studio session, there was still fine tuning and more songs were being written and erased. While still keeping with the acoustic, traditional folk feel, there are a few instances of experimentation. Like the explosion of electric guitar in "Ballad of The Fortune Teller," and Britton Beisenherz’s “flying saucer” noise in "Can You Feel the Wind." What is different about this LP from Altobelli’s previous LPs is that this is a “double sided album” with an intro, intermission, and outro. The album is split into two parts with part two beginning with "When the UFO Landed." With Radio Waves and Telephone Wire, once again Altobelli documents life’s ageless challenges that have been played out with individuals throughout the years, creating a timeless piece of songwriting.

information submitted by the artist

Members

• Nicholas Altobelli guitar, harmonica, lead vocals, mandolin, vocals

Sound Description

An eclectic mix of folk and country.

Influences

Bob Dylan, Ryan Adams, Jeff Tweedy, M. Ward, Gram Parsons

Albums by this artist

Streetcar Visions Released 2008

Waiting for the Flowers to Bloom Released 2008

Dog Years Released 2009

The Regulator Released 2010

Radio Waves and Telephone Wire Released 2011