American Nomad Music

Dear American Nomad fans,

I have some sad news to share with you all today. Hassan and Shiloh have different visions for their careers and have decided to pursue their music careers separately. Shiloh will no longer be singing for American Nomad.

You can’t replace someone like Shiloh. You move on and create something new. Shiloh has amazing talents and has brought so much to American Nomad. When I asked Shiloh to join the band a few years back I was floored with her talent and still am today. We are so proud of the music we have made together and will think back on our journey together with fondness. I urge everyone to support Shiloh’s next journey with her music. You know we will be rooting for her all the way.

As for the future of American Nomad, the project will continue. We will continue to write, grow, push ourselves to do our best, and play music from the bottom of our hearts for as many people as who will listen. We hope you continue to accompany us on our journey.

Thanks again everyone for your love and support. Love you all.

– Hassan

Hey all!

Hope you are doing well. We are coming up on our final Bay Area show of 2014. What a year it’s been too! Sometimes it’s hard to appreciate what you’ve accomplished in a music career. We do this thing that on paper seems crazy but sometimes feels like the most real endeavor we are a part of. We get paid in hugs, smiles, hands crashing together, respect, inspiration, and love. We get paid in new songs that we write, and the beautiful landscapes that inspire them. Here are some of the highlights we are especially proud of in 2014! We played The Independent, The Chapel, Freight & Salvage Coffeehouse, Slim’s and Ashkenaz, performed The Strawberry Music Festival, and the Grass Valley Fathers Day Bluegrass Festival, got interviewed by Dave Iverson from KQED Forum, sang on KPFA Radio, got interviewed by the San Francisco Chronicle, got into American Songwriter Magazine and Acoustic Guitar, was featured on Folk Alley, got Honorable Mention at Folks Fest Song competition, guest lectured a songwriting class at UC Berkeley, released a 13 song album called Country Mile, worked along side our amazing producer/mentor Laurie Lewis, toured though Alaska, the Northwest, Colorado, and LA, made lots of new friends, and wrote lots of new music. Feeling blessed right now for all the love and support from our friends, family, and fans. We couldn’t have done it without you.

Hey folks! Check out this Q/A session on American Nomad in the San Francisco Chronicle. Thanks Tony DuShane for the great questions.

Here’s an excerpt:

After a road trip across the country from Boston, Hassan El-Tayyab relocated to the Bay Area in 2009. He met Shiloh Parkerson, who ended up as his music partner in American Nomad. If you’re into Americana, the San Francisco band will not disappoint. It’s foot-stompin’ fun.
Lineup: Hassan El-Tayyab, vocals, guitar; Shiloh Parkerson, vocals, guitar; Adam Lowdermilk, upright bass, vocals; Brian Judd, mandolin, vocals; Aurora Bowers, fiddle, vocals.

Was there a band you heard when you were young that inspired you to become a musician?

HE: I found a collection of Robert Johnson recordings sitting on a display case. I listened to the CD multiple times and checked out a few books on his life and legacy. … I became fascinated with the folklore and his music. The experience left me with a huge appreciation for the blues, which became the backbone of my taste in music, eventually leading me to listen to rock, folk, bluegrass, country and even pop.

How does living in the Bay Area affect your music?
HE: Living here forces artists to think about how tech and art are merging together. There are so many new tools becoming available every day that we are constantly trying to keep up to date in order to stay connected with our fan base. The Bay Area is also a musical melting pot, which has a growing appreciation for contemporary Americana and bluegrass music fusing with other genres.

How did you come up with your band name and what does it mean to you?

HE: The name originally stemmed from a long road trip I took in 2009. … I’m also half Bedouin and half European immigrant, which makes me a certifiable American Nomad. In a nutshell, American Nomad is a metaphor for an internal and external journey humanity is on to fuel art, which essentially is our interpretation of reality.

Next gig: 8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 22. With Misner and Smith, Freddy and Francine. $10-$20. Viracocha, 998 Valencia St., S.F. (415) 374-7048. www.viracochasf.com.
— Tony DuShane, bandwidth@sfchronicle.com

Link to article:

http://www.sfgate.com/music/bandwidth/article/American-Nomad-Foot-stompin-fun-5904288.php

Hey folks,

Hassan here. I have some exciting news to share. I just bought a brand new guitar. I’ve been wanting a Martin D-18 for a few years now and it finally happened. I went down to Griffon Stringed Instruments down in Palo Alto and purchased it about 3 weeks ago. Getting a new guitar is a sacred act. This is probably the guitar I’m going to play for most of my career as a professional musician. It’s the guitar I’m going to write new songs on. It’s the guitar that I’ll be dragging around to venues all across the country.I’ve been trying to think of a name for my new pal but nothing is coming to mind. If you think of something, send me an email! A good guitar should have a name I think.

Here’s a couple small details about this guitar that a few of you gear nerds might be interested in. If not, I won’t be offended…. here goes! This Martin D-18 has a lot of unique features. It’s got a slightly wider neck than most guitars which I like. It makes it easier for me to bend strings. The guitar was made with 4 types of wood from all over the world. It’s got a sitka spruce top and a mahogany body. The fingerboard is ebony and the headstock is rosewood. To amplify the sound, I put a trance audio brand pick up in it called an amulet. They are a small company right out of Santa Cruz. This was almost a harder decision than getting the guitar itself. It works off new technology that I wish I could explain better. The result is a very natural guitar tone which I’m loving. Anyway, I digress. Enough guitar nerddom for today! Thanks for reading! Hope I get to play it for you in person soon!

Yesterday we had the honor of being interviewed by Dave Iverson on KQED’s Forum. It was a blast! Checkout the writeup and stream the archived interview on their site.