“Above all, Nate Maingard is a brilliant lyricist. Listening to his album I am enthralled at his ability to string words together in a way that is altogether intriguing, imaginative and chilling. Combined with sensitive guitar chords, it’s enough to give you spine tingles.”
- Rachel Briant, Muse Magazine (Aug 25, 2011)

Hi! Nate Maingard here, indie/folk singer-songwriter and music collector, writing this blog for fans, friends and family (hi mom) who want to stay updated about my musical life as well as for people who are interested in reviews of really good (and usually very unknown) indie or folk music.

I have been playing guitar, writing songs and appearing on stage since 1998 and have been playing as a profession since the beginning of 2011. My love affair with listening to good music goes back to seven years old, listening to and being awed by Cat Stevens’ lyrics in Sad Lisa, and I’ve only become more enamoured with music over the years.

Please do follow my blog and say hello soon! To contact me via email, please click here.

Thank you for visiting!
Regards
Nate

“What you do not eat, I will devour…right down to the core.” These lyrics ring true of everything that is Nate Maingard: A passionate indie/folk singer-songwriter from Cape Town, South Africa, Nate lives his life completely immersed in his music and his joy of sharing it with his rapidly expanding South African and international audience.

In 2011 Nate played over 100 shows all over South Africa, performed at three festivals and toured tirelessly. He also recorded and released his debut album The Wild Land to much critical acclaim, one reviewer even going so far as to say “This has to be the most remarkable folk debut album in many a decade, and in my experience, in South Africa – ever!” (Helge Janssen, artslink.co.za).

In a small village on the Atlantic side of the Cape Peninsula, Nate grew up in his father’s guitar-making workshop. Maingard Guitars being some of the best in the world, he learnt from an early age the origins of good music: from the best wood to use when making an acoustic guitar, to the sounds of Cat Stevens, Nick Drake and The Beatles. Since those early days of saw-dust, Nate has made his very own instrument and sound to go with it. His voice has been compared to Radiohead’s Thom Yorke and Ben Gibbard (of Death Cab For Cutie fame), while his easy style and melodic music brings the likes of Damian Rice, Coldplay and Jack Johnson to mind.

When not touring, Nate is hard at work on his new EP titled Braver & Stronger, and is practicing with other Cape Town musicians to expand his sound in preparation for more touring and festivals in 2012. His aim is to “bring heartfelt, soul-filled indie/folk music even more into the ears and hearts of music fans in South Africa and the rest of the world.”

For updates about touring, gigs, life, reviews and general blogging, explore this website.

Nate is also very active on twitter (http://twitter.com/natemaingard), facebook (http://facebook.com/natemaingard) and tumblr (http://natemaingard.tumblr.com)