The City on Film

Bob Nanna first gained notice through his foundational role in the emo pioneers Braid as well as the pop-oriented Hey Mercedes, yet the City on Film represented his initial venture into fully independent work. As early as 1997 he captured solo recordings during idle stretches on Braid tours, though only in the final phase of Hey Mercedes did he begin shaping material expressly to establish a distinct musical persona. Retaining a rock & roll core, Nanna wove alt-country textures into the City on Film alongside the imprint of songwriters such as Jeff Buckley and Morrissey. The year 2004 brought his debut EP under the City on Film banner, the six-track I'd Rather Be Wine Drunk, soon followed by the split release The Sea Was Angry That Day, My Friends alongside Novi Split. Once Hey Mercedes disbanded in 2005, Nanna issued the City on Film's first complete album, In Formal Introduction, via Grand Theft Autumn, and later that same year unveiled the EP American Diary. He then began touring with the City on Film, relying on an ever-changing roster of supporting players or, at times, preprogrammed electronic backing. Around the same period Nanna started the blog The City on Film Daily, documenting an undertaking to record and upload covers of 100 favorite songs while also sharing a series of new mini-songs.