Biography
Nathan Ferraro, frontman for Midway State and recognized for his distinctive shaggy afro along with a modest yet engaging presence, resolved while still young to push the piano-driven emo-rock group toward a professional breakthrough. Raised in a musically inclined household alongside seven siblings, he began composing material at age 12. During high school in Collingwood, Ontario, he joined forces with longtime associate Daenen Bramberger on drums and launched Midway State alongside bassist Adam Beamish and guitarist Ryan Horning. Immediately following their debut tour, Ferraro and Bramberger, both then 17, relocated the band to Toronto, where they shared a single-bedroom apartment while aiming to reach larger audiences. After nearly three years as a unit and a short interval working in a flower shop, Ferraro received a September 2004 call from producer Gavin Brown. Brown, struck by their self-produced demo, formed a connection and urged them to sharpen their approach by exchanging the less seasoned members for more experienced musicians. Following considerable discussion, Beamish and Horning departed, after which the remaining pair conducted auditions on the East coast with students from Berklee School of Music and the University of Toronto’s jazz program, resulting in a new configuration of Nathan Ferraro on vocals, piano, and acoustic guitar, Daenen Bramberger on drums, Mike Kirsh on bass, and Michael Wise on guitar. A brief promotional tour preceded Brown’s year-plus effort refining their material ahead of the 2006 release of debut EP Eponymous. Their second EP, Met a Man on Top of the Hill, appeared on Interscope the following year, with a video for the radio-friendly single “Change for You” appearing soon afterward.