October 18, 2001
Beaver Nelson Stays Busy between Music, Road, Having a Son
By David Hand, American, Hattiesburg, MS

To make a ripple in Austin's talent saturated music market is quite a feat; to make the splash Beaver Nelson has made is almost miraculous.

For an artist of Nelson's caliber to be playing in the Hub City is a windfall for Hattiesburg music lovers starved for quality songwriting and musicianship.

Nelson began his songwriting career at a summer youth camp. A counselor introduced him to the musical sounds of Bob Dylan, Townes Van Zandt, The Rolling Stones and others. He then followed in the footsteps of his predecessors and sold 800 homemade cassettes to camp friends.

He moved to Austin in 1991 and enrolled at the University of Texas. He dropped out after one semester and embedded himself in Austin's live music scene. He began playing open-mike events before building a solid local following in the live music capital.

His career has had its share of ups and downs. He was labeled the next big thing by Rolling Stone at age 19. He twice signed major label deals that did not yield a record. Currently he is with Black Dog Records in Monticello.

Nelson's songwriting is very cognizant of the events and surroundings of his life. His lyrics are not void of thought and reasoning, as is much of today's over-produced and polished radio formatted pop. Not surprisingly, he cites Dylan, Van Zandt and Bruce Springsteen as the main influences on his writing.

His voice is a mix of Gram Parsons-like soulful mourning and Tom Petty grit. There is even a touch of Elvis Costello cynicism that can be heard in Nelson's vocal arrangements.

Nelson backs his song craft with a superb band. Scrappy Jud Newcomb provides some full throttle guitar licks, while bassists Michael Cornbread Traylor and drummer Mark Patterson lay down a solid backbone to the overall groove.

Q: You have been called one of Austin's best singer/songwriters, but you really are a very tight rock band as well aren't you?
A: Well yeah, we are. I play some solo shows and the band doesn't really write songs together. But even though I play 85 percent of my shows with a great band, I've been tagged singer/songwriter. You just sort of get that singer/songwriter tag being from Austin.

Q: Tell me about your approach to songwriting. Do you get an idea for a song and kick it around with the band or do you have a finished product beforehand?
A: It's a little of both. 99 percent of the songs are done by the time I get them to the band. Sometimes we will really mess around with them and take a different approach. I play with people who know where I am coming from musically and there is not a whole lot of discussion that's necessary.

Q: I've read that you have had some internal conflicts between religion and spirituality. You have even taken some college courses in theology and religion. Has this been an influence on your songwriting?
A: Oh sure, a lot of my songs are spotted with this kind of imagery. I wouldn't say I have an academic approach to it. I don't have time. Between being on the road and having a son, I stay pretty busy. I have taken some courses though, at the Presbyterian Seminary in Austin. I will probably take some more.

Q: You have had some nightmarish experiences with the music industry. What advice would you give anybody contemplating a music career?
A: Quit. Well, I don't really mean that but I kind of mean that. It's a crummy business. What I tell people is that if you have to do it, then you are doing the right thing. But if you are not compelled to do it then don't. If it's something you kind of dabble around in, it's probably not a wise option.

Q: How has it been working with Jeffrey Reed and Chris Hudson at Black Dog Records?
A: I like those guys. They are really nice. I had worked with Jeffrey on a record about seven or eight years ago. That was before he had partnered with Chris and settled in Monticello. It's nice to record there and then go visit my grandmother.

Q: You were at Black Dog's Rock and Roll Summer Camp. What was that like?
A: (laughs) It had it's moments. You have got like 15 musicians who don't know each other and only five can be working at any given time. I was hoping for controlled chaos, but we got mostly chaos. It was the best and worst of all you can imagine out of something like that. I think a lot of good songs were recorded though.

Q: Is this your first time to play in Hattiesburg?
A: Actually I played in Hattiesburg about seven or eight years ago. I can't remember the name of the club or anything. It was a weird little gig with a weird little band. We were just kind of touring for fun (laughs). For all practical purposes, this is our first gig there.