Two The Weekly Something posts in a row? Well, aren’t I a SLACKER.

Well, maybe. But only a little! I’ve been working on things but there are only SO MANY HOURS IN A DAY AND MY DOG IS SO DEMANDING GAWD.

But! I still have a TWS for you all. This time: music.

Ahem.

Once upon a time (this past March) in Ottawa, my friend Sarah and I made a pilgrimage to a local pub for a chill evening of adult beverages. When we arrived, the place was pretty quiet but there was a band kit set up so we settled ourselves at a table close by and waited for the show to start.

I don’t know about Sarah but based on the amount of instruments that had been set up, I was expecting a small band of some sort. What we got instead was a one-man musical army.

That one man was Nathan Bishop.

A singer and songwriter with a folky-rock kind of sound, Nathan turned out to be a man of many talents. A song would start with some beat boxing (pretty much an instant win in my books. But wait! THERE’S MORE!), which he would record as he went. Then would come the first instrument and then sometimes another, each recorded and overlapped until it was just him and his guitar sounding like they were accompanied by a full band.

We were endlessly impressed.

Also impressive? The fact that Nathan’s original music was just as great as the favourites he was covering. So. Much. Win.

What started as a spontaneous decision to hit the pub turned into a truly awesome night of good music and awesome people (as it turns out, Nathan is just as cool as he is talented. Getting to chat with him and his friends after his set was a nice touch).

I’ve stayed connected to Nathan and his music via Twitter and Facebook and on Wednesday, I spotted this in my mentions:

Life is awesome, bro. Thanks for asking!

And that, friends, is why Nathan is the feature of this TWS post: his debut album Lovers, Leavers and Believers has finally dropped and I can say with great confidence that it is EXCELLENT. That night at the pub was a wholly unexpected experience in a truly awesome way. What I love most about the album is how it takes me right back to that table, rocking out to the music of one incredibly talented man with a group of equally enthusiastic strangers. The music is exactly that: a good time. The best kind of time. It’s a vibe and it’s worth sharing.

Lovers, Leavers and Believers is available on iTunes, Amazon, and from Nathan’s site (among other places). Buy it (remember: supporting independent Canadian artists is way cool), love it and tell your friends. Also, if you get the chance to see him live, take it. Unless you aren’t a fan of good times in which case… Sorry?

P.s. This post was in no way sponsored or endorsed. I’m legitimately a fan and just wanted to share the love.