Digital Arts Camp and a New SongJuly 29th, 2011

This week, I taught the Audio Production section at the Digital Arts Camp here at DSU. There were two really great students in my class, Sara and Megan. We spent most of the week reverse-engineering a song (in other words, creating a cover) by Martina McBride and sung by DSU faculty member, Tracy Pardy. I added the instruments and backing vocals, and the track turned out sounding fantastic! Here’s the video that the students helped put together, complete with the song:

Digital Art Camp 2011: Audio Production from Nathan Edwards on Vimeo.

It was a really great experience, and I hope to teach it again next year. In the meantime, I finished recording a new track called “Bury Down”. I also want to record an acoustic version of the song, since that was how it was originally written. One of my students, Jake Ritzman, categorized this recording as “Shoegaze/Dreampop”. I couldn’t argue with genres like that, so that’s the label I’m going to keep. I’m not sure if I’m going to continue with this style or not. It is more of an experiment than anything. Enjoy the track!
Bury Down by Nathan Edwards

Milwaukee and a WeddingJuly 16th, 2011

I’m a bit late on this post, but we took a trip several weeks ago to Wisconsin to visit family and friends, and see our cousin Brian get married! It was great to stay at Cassie’s sister and her husband’s home (my brother-in-law) while we were in town, and also visit our good friends from Illinois who came up to visit. We also got to see the new apartment that my brother and his fiancee live in near the downtown! It’s a great little place, right in the heart of everything that Milwaukee has to offer, and also very close to the lake.  We visited around the area and also took a trip down to the Third Ward, which included one of our favorite stops, the Milwaukee Public Market.


It was very hot for the outdoor wedding, but we had an air conditioned reception area nearby, so everyone enjoyed the ceremony and then retreated indoors for some relief. I enjoyed shooting video for the wedding along with my brother, and I am working on getting the ceremony online. It was a really special day, and I was so happy to see that my cousin found such a fantastic woman to be his wife. I was also so happy for my uncle Ed and my Grandma. They were both so proud to be a part of the day. Cassie took some great pictures that really capture the mood of the ceremony:



Our families hosted us for several days in our hometown before and after the Milwaukee visit, so we really made the rounds! I even got in a 6:30am morning run with my dad one morning (and I haven’t been up that early since). This weekend, Cassie and I are looking forward to heading back to Sioux Falls to see our friend Chris Champion play with his band at Jazz Fest, which we have heard is a really big event for the city. I’m just hoping it’s not too crazy hot outside. Still, you gotta love the summer!

A Music & Camping Weekend GetawayJuly 10th, 2011

Last weekend was quite a surprise! I got booked for a last-minute gig at a lakeside restaurant called “Bracco” at a resort in Okoboji, Iowa called “Bridges Bay”. Since it was several hours away, Cassie and I decided to pack up our camping gear and stay for a night at a nearby campground called Marble Beach.
The whole trip was a fantastic getaway! The restaurant and venue overlooked a beautiful lake and was a perfect setting for an acoustic show. My favorite fan was a cute little girl who was about 3-years-old who sat up front and was grinning ear-to-ear for half the show. I even dedicated a song to her. The crowd was fun and the place got continually more packed as the night went on.
I would highly recommend the area to anyone wanting a nice getaway either to a resort or for camping. The restaurant treated us great, and we got to enjoy a bit of the great outdoors. It actually rained some that night, but we braved the elements like a couple of camping pros. We wrapped up the trip with some shopping and sushi in Sioux Falls on our way home. This week we hope to catch up on some house projects and otherwise just keep living the good life!

Show with John Statz at Latitude 44July 4th, 2011

Happy 4th of July! During his midwest tour, our good friend John Statz came through and played a show with me at a fantastic venue in Sioux Falls, Latitude 44! To make the night even better, my parents came and visited for the weekend and checked out the show. The turnout was pretty modest (especially due to a huge car show that was going on that night), but we had a great time. I would most definitely go back either to play another show or check out other bands. I even got Cassie to come up and sing a couple of songs with me!
We spent the rest of the weekend enjoying the great weather and hanging out around town. Dad and I also got in a round of golf. Don’t worry about what my score was, just know that we had a good time. We are now just finishing a busy and fun weekend visiting Milwaukee and going to my cousin’s wedding! More on that to come…