November 16, 2000
Beaver Nelson Keeps Musical Roots In Texas
By Michael D. Clark, Houston Chronicle

It's a lot of pressure for a 19-year-old kid to be described as the future of Americana and roots music by Rolling Stone. Nearly a decade later Austin's Beaver Nelson is still hearing about those lofty expectations.

Now, as then, Nelson does not indulge himself in corporate magazine delusions of grandeur.

"I try to write good songs and make good records," Nelson said from his house in Austin. "I don't know whether (a Rolling Stone accolade) is good or bad."

If anything, the exposure gave Nelson, 29, a native of Houston, some much needed experience about the business of music. When he returns home to play the Continental Club Friday, he comes in support of his second album, Little Brother, a collection of music he is proud to say he had creative control over.

Little Brother, his first for Mississippi-based BlackDog Records, is a combination of searing Southern guitar rock with a solid foundation of Texas singer-songrwriter depth and Tennessee country heft.

As a teen-ager, Nelson spent his time getting acquainted with the music of Bob Dylan, Steve Earle and Townes Van Zandt. He would occasionally drive to Austin to play gigs and eventually moved there in 1991 to attend the University of Texas. He didn't last long as an academic, but became an honors student of the Austin music circuit. Locals like Don Harvey and Rich Brotherton soon became friends, and his gigs came to national attention after Rolling Stone spotted him.

"Austin's a wonderful place to get good. It's inspiring and challenging," Nelson said. "This town is so full of talented people, and a lot has been said about many of them. It's an honor to be mentioned in their company."

One of those held in highest esteem is Van Zandt. After one busted record deal with Columbia and another with Sony subsidiary, Lightstorm, it was Van Zandt's 1997 funeral that got Nelson refocused on music. The release of his debut, Last Hurrah, came a year later.

Many have tried to compare Nelson's sound to Van Zandt, but even over the phone his cringing at that notion can be felt.

"Townes was around, and he was brilliant. Then he died, and everybody gave a (darn)," Nelson said. "Everyone is touted as 'that next guy.' I guess we will all know 30 years from now."

And no, Beaver isn't his birth name, and it has nothing to do with Jerry Mathers.

"I've been called Beaver since the day I came home from the hospital," Nelson says. "My sister hated my guts, and it was the second meanest thing she could think to call me."

And what was the first?

"You can ask, but I won't answer."