Nathan Smith

Nathan Smith is a Seattle based artist whose compositions blur the lines between contemporary, classical and traditional folk music. He strives to blend his love of classical percussion with singer songwriter traditions and incorporate new percussive elements to already established genres.

“I love the honesty and storytelling that comes with the singer/songwriter tradition, and it’s my desire to incorporate that sincerity into my own playing and composing. Music, to me, is about alleviating the player and listener from the struggles of daily life and creating a momentary world within a few minutes of music.”

Nathan Smith was born and raised in the Dallas, TX area surrounded by a dense jazz and gospel scene. Nathan grew up encompassed in drumline and drum corps. In the past ten years he has been involved in playing and teaching drum corps through out the United States.

Nathan graduated from the University of Missouri, where he studied classical percussion under Dr. Julia Gaines. In 2013, Nathan settled in Austin, TX, where he became part of the city’s thriving music scene. During his time in Austin, he developed a passion for singer/songwriter music, worked within many different music styles, and won Austin Unsigned Artist of the Year award, as well as the LA Music Critics blog’s number one single award and fan favorite awards.

In 2017, Nathan moved to Valencia, Spain to pursue his masters degree in Contemporary Performance from the prestigious Berklee College of Music, studying under Victor Mendoza. After graduating in 2018 he traveled around Europe playing at many renowned and historic jazz clubs and music venues. He currently lives in Seattle playing, teaching and loving the pacific northwest.