Singing the Blues

The Virginia Sportsman

Nat Myers is a gritty blues revivalist with a deep, authentic voice. So, it makes sense that his songs caught the ear of the Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach, who’s well known for rebooting traditional sounds with a new edge, both on stage and in the studio.

After seeing video clips of Myers performing songs on social media, Auerbach invited the up-and-comer to Nashville to woodshed more tunes. They ended up cutting a dozen songs in three days, which resulted in Myers’ new album, “Yellow Peril,” a debut effort released on Auerbach’s Easy Eye Sound label back in June.

The record features rustic, fleet-fingered guitar picking and head-bobbing tempos, while also showcasing Myers’ savvy way with words. Before fully focusing on music, the singer-songwriter studied poetry at the New School in New York. While living in the city, Myers started busking on street corners and applied what he was learning to craft vivid lyrics, set in songs that call back the rural sounds of Delta and hill country blues.

In album standout “Roscoe,” a darkly toned tune co-written with Alvin Youngblood Hart, Myers narrates a cautionary tale about characters with sinister intentions.

Like the blues greats before him, he also uses music to address societal ills. In the title track, “Yellow Peril,” Myers takes aim at racism, inspired by his own experiences as a Korean American. Amid evocative acoustic slide playing, he laments old stereotypes and, towards the song’s conclusion, sings, “There never ever was no difference ‘tween you and I.”

“I wasn’t raised with a clear understanding of my Asianness, and I didn’t really have a consciousness about who I was as a Korean American until very recently,” Myers said in a statement about his new album. “I want this record to raise my folks up.”

Myers has been on the road touring in support of the new album. He will be back in Nashville in September, performing multiple sets at the Americana Music Fest.