Madison singer-songwriter Jeremiah Nelson embarks on a national tour next month. Nelson sold out his March album-release show at the Frequency, and he continues to gain momentum as a songwriter and performer.
The album, Drugs to Make You Sober, is a collection of soundscapes, and it stands to win over new fans. But Nelson says the impetus for the tour is wanderlust, not promotion. "I get restless very easily, and I had just been going stir crazy," he says. "It's like 53% head-clearing existential therapy. I've never been to the Northwest or seen the redwoods or any of that, so it's as much an excuse to take myself on a vacation as anything else."
It's tough to believe that 23 shows in 11 states in 30 days will be a vacation, but Nelson says he'll have some down time. "I have some days blocked off just for writing and exploring, which I'm really looking forward to." The tour includes stops along the West Coast, as well as in Colorado, Wyoming, Montana and North Dakota.
He's traveling solo, but the tour was carefully constructed with Nelson's trademark collaborative spirit. "I'm going to spend a few days in Colorado with John Statz, who is great friend and cowriter," he says, naming a former Madisonian. He'll see some other cowriting pals in Portland, Fargo and Omaha, and Brianna Lane and another sometime Madisonian, Blake Thomas, in Minneapolis. "I definitely routed the trip to connect the dots between good friends."
