“I was kind of a loser, so I saw hundreds of shows at the Orpheum, Foxboro, Boston Garden,” said indie singer-songwriter Matt Nathanson from his tour bus. “As a kid, I spent three nights a week at concerts.”
Even when he wasn’t of clubgoing age, the Boston native spent his time admiring the New England music scene. “And then there was that weird phase at the Arsenal Mall.”
“I grew up all my life in Boston,” Nathanson said. But then he moved away to sunny California. “I think I needed a change. I definitely wanted to get away from the winter.”
But with an upcoming show at the Roxy on Saturday to promote his new album, Some Mad Hope, Nathanson is ready to forgive the fickle New England weather.
“I love Boston. I really find that when I see other Boston people, I get all sort of homesick,” he said. “The Departed will be on cable and I’ll be like, ‘I miss my home.'”
But he doesn’t sound like the traditional Beantowner (no pahking the cah in Hahvahd yahd for Nathanson). Instead, he combines the vocals of traditional ’90s alt. rock with love struck lyrics.
“When I get to Boston, I always feel like the radio speaks to me more than it speaks to me anywhere in the country,” Nathanson said.
“Inspiration comes . . . from an amazing art exhibit to an episode of Gossip Girl: really anytime there’s interaction,” he said. “I spend everyday wide open to having my mind blown.”