NLDS Game 5 Brewers v Cubs is Saturday Night

Oh man, last night's NLDS Game 4 was a stinger. But the good news--that just means more baseball for the rest of us! The big NLDS-deciding Game 5 of the Milwaukee Brewers v Chicago Cubs series is tomorrow night and if ever the Brewers needed a rallying cry in catchy song form, now is that time!

Fortunately, I've already written one--Fear the Beer! Actually, it's an entire album about the Brewers, it can still serve as your soundtrack to this year's exciting playoff run, and CDs and digital downloads are available via Bandcamp: https://nategibson.bandcamp.com/album/fear-the-beer-a-musical-salute-to-the-milwaukee-brewers

Even more exciting, as of this Tuesday evening, the recording and manufacturing expenses for the Fear the Beer project have been covered (in less than two weeks!) and all sales from this week forward will be donated to the Wisconsin Humane Society in memory of the Brewers unofficial mascot, Hank the Ballpark Pup. Go Hank! Go Animals! And Go Brewers!!

Foot-Notes Playing the Barn Dance at the Old Barn on Capitol View 10/10

Tomorrow night (10/10) I get to play upright bass with Foot-Notes for the Barn Dance at the Old Barn on Capitol View. It's an amazing venue, we're expected to have beautiful weather, and there'll be a barn full dancers, musicians, artists, and folklorists (a group more broadly defined as, friends). I cherish these rare opportunities to play bass with Foot-Notes from Decorah, IA and I equally cherish the opportunity to polka, waltz, schottische, and two-step to the music of Madison's ScandiAm Jam.

Hope you can join us from 6:30-8:30! Free to all. No Brewers game. Punch and pie.

Fall Pledge Drive on Back to the Country 10/8

Howdy Friends, I'm excited to be hosting Back to the Country again tomorrow morning from 9am-noon (cst) on WORT FM. The theme this week is music that I think you will like and that will make you want to contribute to our Fall Pledge Drive. It's kind of a heady theme, but I played some of the tracks I plan to play for our puppy Gidget this morning and she was totally blown away.

I'm mighty proud to be part of a volunteer-driven, community-sponsored radio operation like WORT FM and I think now more than ever it's important to have alternatives to commercial radio and mainstream news. WORT's been around for 50 years thanks to the support of our listeners, so here's to 50 more years of community building through music and the arts! You can tune in via 89.9fm in southern Wisconsin, via wortfm.org, or streaming via the WORT app.

Milwaukee Record features Fear the Beer and Rushmor Records in Bay View now carries the CD

Oh my! On my way to the first ever Brewers-Cubs MLB Playoffs game last Saturday, I got a message alerting me that Jared Blohm had just published an article and album review of my Fear the Beer album for Milwaukee Record. I eagerly pulled over to read the piece and it is incredibly thoughtful and generous. Jared is a big fan of the Brewers, of sports-themed records, of all things Wisconsin music, and particularly of classic country music--so he is basically the exact person for whom the album was made. I so appreciate him taking the time to talk with me about it and for his enthusiasm for the project. Thank you, Jared! Folks can check it out here:

https://milwaukeerecord.com/music/nate-gibsons-fear-the-beer-gives-the-brewers-a-country-tinged-playoff-soundtrack/

After the game--and oh my, what a game it was!!!!!!!--I trucked over to Bay View to visit Dan at Rushmor Records--Milwaukee's longest-running record shop. I asked if he would like to see the new album and he eagerly snapped up 10 copies for the store! 

Folks can still order physical and digital copies of the album through Bandcamp (https://nategibson.bandcamp.com/album/fear-the-beer-a-musical-salute-to-the-milwaukee-brewers), but if one would like to have and hold it TODAY, Rushmor is the only record store in the Milwaukee area where you can pick up a physical copy. It's a great way to support local music, support local music stores, and support the WI Humane Society! 

And tonight, it's time for Game 2 of the NLDS. Let's hope for more of that Game 1 Magic! Go Brewers and Fear the Beer!!

Fear the Beer in The Cap Times on this Bandcamp Friday

At long last, today is Bandcamp Friday--a rare 24-hour occasion when Bandcamp waives all its fees and all sales go directly to the artists. If you haven't yet ordered your own copy of Fear the Beer, today is a great day to do so. https://nategibson.bandcamp.com/album/fear-the-beer-a-musical-salute-to-the-milwaukee-brewers

And in case you need a little extra encouragement, Ashley Rodriguez just wrote a really nice story about the album's inspiration, production, and release for The Cap Times here: https://captimes.com/entertainment/arts/new-brewers-album-fear-the-beer-blends-country-music-and-baseball/article_035b5232-1714-4c45-ae32-aa2b542f87f6.html

It's a great article with all sorts of behind-the-scenes photos of the sessions, an outtake of the album cover photo by Rachel, and even a surprise appearance of Gidget the Dog hiding inside Andrew the Guitar Player's guitar case. Many, many thanks again for your time and the story, Ashley!

The record was also featured in WPR's Wisconsin Today newsletter with a link to my in-studio performance of the title track, "Fear the Beer." Much love and gratitude, WPR!

And since you're likely already heading over to Bandcamp to check out Taylor Swift's new "The Life of a Showgirl," why not give "Fear the Beer" a spin while you're there?!

Fear the Beer is on Wisconsin Public Radio

Last week, WPR producer Richelle Wilson kindly invited me to talk about Fear the Beer - A Musical Salute to the Milwaukee Brewers on Wisconsin Today. The segment aired Monday (9/29) and she has since written up a blog post w/ photos to go with it. You can check out the blog w/ audio link here:

https://www.wpr.org/news/wisconsin-country-musician-fear-the-beer-milwaukee-brewers

Many thanks again to Richelle, Rob Ferrett, and the Wisconsin Public Radio team for inviting me to sing and talk about the record! The 2025 MLB Playoffs are officially underway and the soundtrack is now streaming on all major platforms (and still available via Bandcamp)!

https://nategibson.bandcamp.com/album/fear-the-beer-a-musical-salute-to-the-milwaukee-brewers

I'm Singing My Brewers Songs on Channel 3 News 9/26

 In case anyone missed my 15 seconds of fame singing Brewers songs on Channel 3 News last night, Chris Hawbaker has kindly uploaded the segment to YouTube. Many thanks again for the kind piece, Chris, and for spotlighting the Wisconsin Music Archives and Mills Music Library as part of the story! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2EOA8ldSqTg

The CD is still available via Bandcamp (https://nategibson.bandcamp.com/album/fear-the-beer-a-musical-salute-to-the-milwaukee-brewers) if you'd like to support the project, and as of this morning the album is now streaming on all major music streaming platforms. Check it out and Go Brewers!