{ "ok" : true, "artist" : { "name" : "Nathan Mathes", "page" : "nathan_mathes", "description" : "melody-driven indie-folk", "location" : "WI, USA", "bio" : "Nathan Mathes is a singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, home-recordist from Green Bay, Wisconsin. His music can best be described as indie-folk, in the vein of Elliott Smith and Iron and Wine.\n\nAfter years of fronting indie-rock bands in Green Bay, Mathes released American Whitecaps, his first solo record, in the summer of 2010.\n\nWorking at home in his basement studio during the winter and spring of 2010, Mathes played all of the instruments, recorded, and mixed American Whitecaps entirely on his own. The record was mastered by Justin Perkins at The Mystery Room, Milwaukee, in June of 2010.\n\nAlong with the record, Mathes released an accompanying book, Thoughts On And The Making Of American Whitecaps - an account of the months spent recording American Whitecaps.\n\n\"Guitars are chunky but clear, the subdued bass and drums anchor the mix without dragging everything into a muddy bottom, leaving a light, uncluttered sonic space through which the unpretentious melody ambles. Lyrics are intriguingly difficult to decipher...That kind of elusiveness I can get behind. The song casts a humble spell; there is nothing immediately special about it except for an ineffable sense that there is in fact something special about it.\"\nFingertipsmusic.com", "photo" : "https://magnatune.com/artists/img/nathan_mathes.jpg", "web_url" : "https://magnatune.com/artists/nathan_mathes/", "albums" : [{ "sku" : "nmathes-amwhitecapsnv", "name" : "American Whitecaps (vocals removed)", "artist" : { "name" : "Nathan Mathes", "page" : "nathan_mathes" }, "release_date" : "2026-10-22", "genres" : ["Alt Rock","Folk-Rock"], "vocals" : "vocals removed", "moods" : ["melancholic","reflective","nostalgic","tender","dreamy","peaceful"], "uses" : ["podcast background","emotional storytelling","documentary","slideshow or memories","meditation or yoga","cafe or restaurant"], "energy" : 2, "instrumentation" : ["acoustic guitar","organic room-recorded instruments","male vocals","melody-driven arrangements"], "sounds_like" : [], "summary" : "An organic, melody-driven indie-folk album with poetic lyrics and warm, real-sounding instrumentation, ideal for emotional storytelling and calm background use.", "cover" : "https://magnatune.com/music/Nathan%20Mathes/American%20Whitecaps%20(vocals%20removed)/cover_400.jpg", "web_url" : "https://magnatune.com/artists/albums/nmathes-amwhitecapsnv/", "api_url" : "https://magnatune.com/api/albums/nmathes-amwhitecapsnv", "buy_url" : "https://magnatune.com/buy/album?sku=nmathes-amwhitecapsnv" },{ "sku" : "nmathes-recsnv", "name" : "Recs (vocals removed)", "artist" : { "name" : "Nathan Mathes", "page" : "nathan_mathes" }, "release_date" : "2026-10-22", "genres" : ["Alt Rock","Folk","Folk-Rock"], "vocals" : "vocals removed", "moods" : ["melancholic","reflective","tender","hopeful","peaceful"], "uses" : ["emotional storytelling","podcast background","documentary","interview bed","meditation or yoga","slideshow or memories"], "energy" : 2, "instrumentation" : ["acoustic guitar","raw vocals","minimal instrumentation","stripped-down arrangements"], "sounds_like" : [], "summary" : "A stripped-down, emotionally honest indie-folk album with raw vocals and acoustic intimacy, ideal for reflective, emotional, or calm background use in podcasts, documentaries, and storytelling.", "cover" : "https://magnatune.com/music/Nathan%20Mathes/Recs%20(vocals%20removed)/cover_400.jpg", "web_url" : "https://magnatune.com/artists/albums/nmathes-recsnv/", "api_url" : "https://magnatune.com/api/albums/nmathes-recsnv", "buy_url" : "https://magnatune.com/buy/album?sku=nmathes-recsnv" },{ "sku" : "nmathes-roselawnnv", "name" : "Roselawn (vocals removed)", "artist" : { "name" : "Nathan Mathes", "page" : "nathan_mathes" }, "release_date" : "2026-10-22", "genres" : ["Alt Rock","Folk-Rock"], "vocals" : "vocals removed", "moods" : ["romantic","tender","hopeful","reflective","peaceful"], "uses" : ["podcast background","emotional storytelling","wedding","romance","cafe or restaurant","spa or massage"], "energy" : 2, "instrumentation" : ["acoustic guitar","female vocals","percussion","atmospheric electronic elements"], "sounds_like" : [], "summary" : "A melody-driven indie-folk album built around acoustic guitar with subtle electronic touches, ideal for romantic, reflective, or calm background use.", "cover" : "https://magnatune.com/music/Nathan%20Mathes/Roselawn%20(vocals%20removed)/cover_400.jpg", "web_url" : "https://magnatune.com/artists/albums/nmathes-roselawnnv/", "api_url" : "https://magnatune.com/api/albums/nmathes-roselawnnv", "buy_url" : "https://magnatune.com/buy/album?sku=nmathes-roselawnnv" },{ "sku" : "nmathes-bellweatherarbutus", "name" : "Bellwether, Arbutus", "artist" : { "name" : "Nathan Mathes", "page" : "nathan_mathes" }, "release_date" : "2015-04-21", "genres" : ["Alt Rock","Folk-Rock"], "vocals" : "vocals", "moods" : ["dreamy","reflective","melancholic","hopeful","ethereal","calm"], "uses" : ["podcast background","nature documentary","meditation or yoga","spa or massage","study or focus","emotional storytelling"], "energy" : 2, "instrumentation" : ["acoustic guitar","layered vocals","reverb-drenched vocals","percussive elements","harmony-rich arrangements"], "sounds_like" : [], "summary" : "An atmospheric, melody-driven indie-folk album with dense yet minimal arrangements, reverb-drenched harmonies, and shifting moods—ideal for reflective, calm, or emotionally nuanced audio projects.", "cover" : "https://magnatune.com/music/Nathan%20Mathes/Bellwether,%20Arbutus/cover_400.jpg", "web_url" : "https://magnatune.com/artists/albums/nmathes-bellweatherarbutus/", "api_url" : "https://magnatune.com/api/albums/nmathes-bellweatherarbutus", "buy_url" : "https://magnatune.com/buy/album?sku=nmathes-bellweatherarbutus" },{ "sku" : "nmathes-recs", "name" : "Recs", "artist" : { "name" : "Nathan Mathes", "page" : "nathan_mathes" }, "release_date" : "2015-03-27", "genres" : ["Alt Rock","Folk","Folk-Rock"], "vocals" : "vocals", "moods" : ["melancholic","reflective","tender","hopeful","peaceful"], "uses" : ["emotional storytelling","podcast background","documentary","interview bed","meditation or yoga","slideshow or memories"], "energy" : 2, "instrumentation" : ["acoustic guitar","raw vocals","minimal instrumentation","stripped-down arrangements"], "sounds_like" : [], "summary" : "A stripped-down, emotionally honest indie-folk album with raw vocals and acoustic intimacy, ideal for reflective, emotional, or calm background use in podcasts, documentaries, and storytelling.", "cover" : "https://magnatune.com/music/Nathan%20Mathes/Recs/cover_400.jpg", "web_url" : "https://magnatune.com/artists/albums/nmathes-recs/", "api_url" : "https://magnatune.com/api/albums/nmathes-recs", "buy_url" : "https://magnatune.com/buy/album?sku=nmathes-recs" },{ "sku" : "nmathes-roselawn", "name" : "Roselawn", "artist" : { "name" : "Nathan Mathes", "page" : "nathan_mathes" }, "release_date" : "2012-04-07", "genres" : ["Alt Rock","Folk-Rock"], "vocals" : "vocals", "moods" : ["romantic","tender","hopeful","reflective","peaceful"], "uses" : ["podcast background","emotional storytelling","wedding","romance","cafe or restaurant","spa or massage"], "energy" : 2, "instrumentation" : ["acoustic guitar","female vocals","percussion","atmospheric electronic elements"], "sounds_like" : [], "summary" : "A melody-driven indie-folk album built around acoustic guitar with subtle electronic touches, ideal for romantic, reflective, or calm background use.", "cover" : "https://magnatune.com/music/Nathan%20Mathes/Roselawn/cover_400.jpg", "web_url" : "https://magnatune.com/artists/albums/nmathes-roselawn/", "api_url" : "https://magnatune.com/api/albums/nmathes-roselawn", "buy_url" : "https://magnatune.com/buy/album?sku=nmathes-roselawn" },{ "sku" : "nmathes-amwhitecaps", "name" : "American Whitecaps", "artist" : { "name" : "Nathan Mathes", "page" : "nathan_mathes" }, "release_date" : "2011-05-03", "genres" : ["Alt Rock","Folk-Rock"], "vocals" : "vocals", "moods" : ["melancholic","reflective","nostalgic","tender","dreamy","peaceful"], "uses" : ["podcast background","emotional storytelling","documentary","slideshow or memories","meditation or yoga","cafe or restaurant"], "energy" : 2, "instrumentation" : ["acoustic guitar","organic room-recorded instruments","male vocals","melody-driven arrangements"], "sounds_like" : [], "summary" : "An organic, melody-driven indie-folk album with poetic lyrics and warm, real-sounding instrumentation, ideal for emotional storytelling and calm background use.", "cover" : "https://magnatune.com/music/Nathan%20Mathes/American%20Whitecaps/cover_400.jpg", "web_url" : "https://magnatune.com/artists/albums/nmathes-amwhitecaps/", "api_url" : "https://magnatune.com/api/albums/nmathes-amwhitecaps", "buy_url" : "https://magnatune.com/buy/album?sku=nmathes-amwhitecaps" }] }, "license" : { "music_license" : "Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 1.0 (CC BY-NC-SA 1.0)", "music_license_url" : "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/1.0/", "listening" : "Stream the free previews, or buy an album for $8 to download it in MP3, AAC, ALAC, FLAC, OGG or WAV. 100% of the price goes to the musician.", "non_commercial" : "Non-commercial projects may use the music under CC BY-NC-SA 1.0: credit the artist and Magnatune, and share alike.", "projects" : "Magnatune members may use any Magnatune music in their projects, commercial or not (videos, films, podcasts, games, apps, websites, adverts), including work for clients, under the Magnatune Project Licence. Projects released while a member stay licensed for good; new projects need an active membership. Credit is required. TV or radio broadcast, cinema, and background music in shops, restaurants or on-hold lines are not included: license those from the musician. Membership: $10/month, $99/year or $299 lifetime; agents can buy one themselves with MPP at /api/member-pass ($10 month, $99 year, $299 lifetime, one-off).", "projects_status" : "available", "projects_signup" : "https://magnatune.com/member/signup", "royalty_free" : "Membership is royalty-free licensing: no per-video, per-download or per-view fees, for every project created and released while a member.", "youtube" : "YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, podcasts: members may use the clean songs in monetized videos. Members register their YouTube channel (the set_youtube_channel MCP tool, or their account page) so YouTube's Content ID doesn't claim their videos. The free versions carry a spoken Magnatune voice and are non-commercial (CC BY-NC-SA), so they're not for monetized channels or client work.", "details" : "https://magnatune.com/info/licensing", "how_to_credit" : "Name the artist and \"Magnatune\", with a link to the album's web_url." } }