“Smart Music for Idiots”
This quote about Nathan Asher and the Infantry, from Michigan’s Clarkstown News, captures a defining quality of the band’s music. Nathan Asher & the Infantry have something new and challenging to say, and they say it in a way
that makes people want to listen. The Infantry’s sound combines a distinct, modernized version of Dylan and Springsteen’s earliest full band work with anthemic rock-n-roll, reminiscent of U2, early REM, and The Clash. Asher’s lyrics punch through the music, bridging the gap between the lyrical dexterityof hip-hop and the melodic and emotional subtlety of traditional songwriting.
The six young men from Raleigh, NC have created a new sound that is both folk-influenced and ultra-modern. The songs are driven by interwoven organ, piano, guitar and harmonica lines. A fiercely ragged but controlled stage show has emerged from these six long time friends and studio-quality musicians who repeatedly push the envelope to create meaningful music that is greater thanthe sum of its parts. The rhythm section is pounded forward by two brothers who have performed together their entire lives. Asher, an award winning poet, songwriter, and playwright, has a distinct and powerful gift for storytelling. The
Infantry proves a band can hold crowds that are equal parts Indie rock college kids and classic rock fans captive for two and a half hour marathon sets without resorting to cover songs or stage gimmicks.
http://www.nathanasher.com