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KMSU and The NaKato present: Simon Joyner & The Echoes and Nate Boots
April 7, 2023 @ 8:00 pm - 11:00 pm
KMSU & The NaKato are pleased to welcome back to town Simon Joyner and his band, The Echoes. Opening the show will be North Mankato’s own, Nate Boots. This is sure to be a special evening of music, featuring two of the finest Midwestern singer-songwriters.
Simon Joyner is a world-renowned American singer-songwriter from Omaha, Nebraska who has released albums on independent labels since the early 90’s. His music is often compared to Leonard Cohen, Lou Reed, and Townes Van Zandt for its exploration of dark themes and its poetic storytelling. Gillian Welch calls him her favorite poet and Kevin Morby and Conor Oberst both claim him as a major influence. Despite being a songwriter’s songwriter, Joyner has flown under the radar for thirty years making challenging music which incorporates folk, rock, country, and experimental sounds. He’s touring with the four piece version of his band, the Echoes, which includes Megan Siebe, Sean Pratt, and Mychal Marasco.
“Omaha has given us the reigning heir to Henry Miller’s dark emotional mirror, Townes Van Zandt’s three-chord moan, and Lou Reed’s warehouse minimalism: his name is Simon Joyner.” — Gillian Welch
“Pound for pound Simon Joyner is my favorite lyricist of all time. He has shades of all the greats (Van Zandt, Cohen, Dylan) but exists in a space all his own … He truly is an American songwriting treasure. It is my hope that more people will discover his music and share in the unique joy that it brings.” — Conor Oberst
Nate Boots was born in Minneapolis and raised in a handful of small prairie towns in farming communities in southwestern Minnesota. The oldest of six children, he first made a name for himself playing basketball and then as a teenaged journalist for the Worthington Daily Globe. After travels—including an important half-year stay in Paris, France—he settled back in southern Minnesota for further study in writing and to raise a family. He co-founded The Porchlights, an alt-folk band, which released albums in 2014 and 2016, and Jim the Harpooner, which played sea chanties and Irish tunes. Currently, he plays both solo performances and ensemble performances with a band called The High Horses. Presently he lives in North Mankato with his three school-age children, who often play music along with him at home—and occasionally in public.
Check out Nate’s latest full-length “Upright Dust” here:
https://youtu.be/qdY1M4V3aK0
https://youtu.be/qdY1M4V3aK0