Connecting Through the Blues: Nathan Quick Shares His Houston Story

It can be the most tight knit small town where you know everyone, or you can submerge in unfamiliarity and draw inspiration from sights never seen. There are definitely places that have seen me come up in my craft, one being Avant Garden. I've spent many nights on the patio writing, and also performing at the open mic there. This is where I really got in the music scene.

Mcgonigel's Mucky Duck is a great listening room. I am a resident musician at the Duck and I love playing there because of the old school dinner show vibe. It's comfortable, and a great place to get a proper pint. White Oak Music Hall is new, it has awesome lighting a great stage and the best sounding rooms in Houston. Continental Club has nostalgia and history. So many great names have played in those walls. The vibe is laid back and fun, always a good time! The 8th Wonder Brewery has one of my favorite beers all around. Very spacious outdoor stage with good vibes. Lots of room for people to hang out and listen.

My dad. He was a blues and rock musician before I was even a thought. I'd gotten into traditional blues and classic rock through him. I then picked up the guitar on my own and started listening to vinyl of Hendrix and Cream and learned the riffs. I also got into old country for the songwriting and it inspired me to write myself.

I didn't really have a choice. I was submerged in the blues and songwriting and country and classic rock. Writing became apart of me, I connected with it, same with the guitar. It's my passion and what I am created to do.

I want people to feel connected. To have someone connect to what you play or what you sing is inspiring to me. I want to give people, the feeling that I get when I hear that one lyric that makes you smile or that brings tears to your eyes. Or hit that one note that sings on a guitar, that makes your hairs stand up on the back of your neck. I want people to take my music however they want, in their own walk of life, and hold onto it.

Houston is a great city to make the kind of music I make because it's Houston. The blues, old country, singer songwriters, rock ’n’ roll, so much of this music is stemmed from here. The story that Houston has created, fits like a puzzle piece with the music I make. The city embraces all kinds of music and there are so many opportunities to play or watch music every night of the week.

I love that there are so many different cultures here. Also, the food! Houston has an enormous variety of different kinds of foods and so many great restaurants. You'll never get tired of eating out and discovering new spots that are truly quite splendid.

For such a growing gigantic city, Houston has a lot of space. There's always a park or trail you can take to wind down and breathe. Last but not least, the music scene. Houston's music scene and art scene are growing exponentially. There are so many that appreciate the arts here and that means the world to an artist.

For more blues inspiration, click here.