He’s one of the most talented humans on the planet, and now the great Nathan Cavaleri has dropped the video for his latest single ‘Before You Check Out’.
If the name Nathan Cavaleri doesn’t sound familiar to you, the chances are close to perfect you’re more aware of him than you think. In fact, Cavaleri’s career is so notable that the 38-year-old’s life is set to be the subject of an upcoming episode of Australian Story this August.
Picking up a guitar for the first time as a young child, Cavaleri was playing along to his favourite blues records by three, playing electric guitar by five, and by six, he’d already netted a cool $270 from his debut busking gig.
Sadly, the aspiring artist was diagnosed and treated for leukaemia soon afterwards, with the Starlight Foundation helping him to meet his hero, Dire Straits frontman Mark Knopfler. By the time he was ten years old, you could see him on the likes of Hey Hey It’s Saturday, or touring alongside big names such as Jimmy Barnes, Diesel, BB King, Etta James, and Bonnie Raitt.
He’s performed for US President Bill Clinton, he was sought after by the likes of Prince and Madonna, and by the time he was 12, he was signed to Michael Jackson’s MJJ Records. Oh, and that’s before we start to talk about his career as a child actor (which included a spot on Baywatch).
Needless to say, he’s the very definition of a musical legend, and with numerous bands and releases behind him (along with a few personal demons), Cavaleri is set to look ahead to the future, with his first solo record, Demons, set for release on August 6th.
Check out a mini-doco on Nathan Cavaleri’s life:
To celebrate the upcoming release of the album, Cavaleri has recently shared the new single, ‘Before You Check Out’. Despite its musical proficiency and warm, tender sound, it’s one that is rooted in sadness, with the track being written for a cousin who sadly took his life a few years back.
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“I strongly identified with what he went through and wished I had reached out to him,” Cavaleri explains of the song’s origins. “Having battled my own demons, I wondered whether my experience would have helped.
“I contemplated what I’d share if time could show mercy. I would share how our thoughts and beliefs colourise our experience and skew our perception of the world, giving us a false sense of reality – a notion that helped me to expose the root of many of my physical and mental health issues that were mistakenly believed to be out of my control.”
Complemented by a powerful self-directed clip that captures the sentiment of the song (that is, that our views of the world can be tainted by projections of our past), the single is undoubtedly one of the most arresting and mesmerising songs you’ll hear (or, in the case of the video, see) for quite some time.
With his new record out on August 6th, Cavaleri is also set to head around the country on tour later this year, with performances in New South Wales and Victoria (along with a just-announced Bluesfest slot) set to keep him busy in the near future.
“In contrast to my younger years as a performer, the Demons tour will see me connecting to audiences in an intimate story-telling type of way,” he explains. “As a kid I had something to play, now I have something to say.
“My set will be strung together with epic and incredulous stories of growing up on the road, to how my connection to music deepened when I was battling Leukaemia as a kid, to the lessons I had to learn in more recent years dealing with mental health demons.
“Light and shade of the set mirrors the extreme dynamics of life experiences which I try to express in a raw and relatable way.”
While tickets to the majority of these shows are on sale now, be aware that with COVID-19 social distancing rules and regulations in place, these gigs will only go ahead if deemed safe to do so.
Check out ‘Before You Check Out’ by Nathan Cavaleri:
Nathan Cavaleri’s Demons National Tour
Friday, October 2nd
The Rhythm Hut, Gosford, NSW (All Ages)
Tickets: Humantix
Saturday, October 3rd
Stag & Hunter, Newcastle, NSW (18+)
Tickets: Oztix
Friday, October 9th
Brass Monkey, Cronulla, NSW (18+)
Tickets on-sale soon
Friday, October 30th
Camelot Lounge, Sydney, NSW (All Ages)
Tickets: Stickytickets
Sunday, November 1st
Heritage Hotel, Bulli, NSW (18+)
Tickets on-sale soon
Thursday, November 12th
Sooki Lounge, Belgrave, VIC (18+)
Tickets: Oztix
Friday, November 13th
The Catfish, Fitzroy, VIC (18+)
Tickets: Trybooking
Saturday, November 14th
Live At The Bundy, Bundalaguah, VIC (All Ages)
Tickets: Trybooking
Friday, November 27th
The Baroque Room, Katoomba, NSW (18+)
Tickets: Trybooking
