Biography
The Nadas, an indie rock band whose clever, rootsy, melodic folk-rock sound first took shape in Ames, Iowa, during 1995, were founded by singer/songwriter/guitarists Mike Butterworth and Jason Walsmith. What began as a collegiate extracurricular activity gradually extended across the Midwest and eventually reached audiences nationwide. Two albums appeared on the Nomad label in the late 1990s—Not a Sound in 1995 and New Start in 1997—before the band moved to the Des Moines-based independent label Authentic Records for the 2000 release Coming Home. The following year Playboy Magazine designated them the “Best College Band You’ve Never Heard Of,” and the group’s later Authentic Records titles—Transceiver in 2003, Listen Through the Static in 2005, and the Ghosts Inside These Halls in 2007—combined with a steady stream of live performances to diminish the “You’ve Never Heard Of” element of that phrase. By 2010 the lineup had expanded to include bassist Jon Locker, drummer Jason Smith, and violinist/keyboard player Becca Smith; that year the Nadas issued their seventh full-length album, Almanac.
Albums
