Neil Nathan, Alan Semerdjian, Blow Up Hollywood

Sensitive Singer/Songwriter or Glam Rock Animal?
If you think no one can be both, you've never met Neil Nathan.
From his mirror ball masked lead role in the Off-Broadway rock opera, "Automatic Superstar," to his folky cover of ELO's "Do Ya" featured on the Californication Season 2 Soundtrack, Neil has mined these extremes deftly. They are also on display in the film "Descent," starring Rosario Dawson, in which two of his acoustic ballads and one of his garage rockers are featured. That vintage number was produced by The Go's Bobby Harlow and the experience was so gratifying for both he and Neil, that they decided to do a full album.
For Nathan's debut LP, The Distance Calls, Harlow brought together the Motor City's top rock-n-rollers in Dean Fertita (QOTSA, Raconteurs), Kenny Tudrick (Kid Rock, Detroit Cobras), John Krautner (The Go), Joey Mazzola (Sponge, Detroit Cobras), Danny Methric (The Paybacks, The Muggs), and Loretta Lucas (Sisters Lucas). Neil recalls, "They were like a rock n' roll Dap Kings. Or Booker T. and The M.G.'s. Total pro's, it was intimidating to even sing over the tracks."
The result is a very mature and varied record filled with echoes from rock's halcyon days. But the effortless beauty of Nathan's voice combined with Harlow's measured production makes this album both modern and unique.
Moments of Tom Petty, CCR, Neil Young, T Rex, Elvis Costello, Small Faces, Nick Drake, The Who, The Stones, Velvet Underground, Springsteen, and The Band are all evident. But when have you heard one artist pull from such a disparate group of songsmiths and rockers alike? Mathew Smith (Outrageous Cherry, The Go) thought the record sounded like Alice Cooper meets Cat Stevens. There's a match made in some Island of Dr. Moreau laboratory.
From the T Rex meets Queens of the Stone Age modern rocker, "Better Be Goin'" to the Matthew Sweet meets Jayhawks country rocker "Disappear," to the almost gospel Van Morrison feel of the acoustic piano ballad "Don't Walk Away," this record has a lot going on.
The Distance Calls also includes Neil's folky cover of ELO's "Do Ya." Jeff Lynne had to approve its use on Showtime's Californication and he loved it. "Any time I'm feeling low, I just think of that and smile," says Nathan.
On the heels of his Californication Soundtrack success, which also features Sheryl Crow, Warren Zevon, Nick Cave, and Rob Zombie, Neil has inked a licensing deal with North Star Media; home of such luminaries as Mudhoney, Rod Stewart, Bonnie Raitt, and the one and only, Cher.
When asked to comment on recording The Distance Calls at Detoit's Tempermill Studios (which Bobby, Neil, and engineer Jim Kissling collectively refer to as "The Blessed Sessions"), Nathan blurted "I've got three more albums already written. Let's get back in there!"