The idea for “Rich Part of Town” came to Nate Todd mid-run. He was jogging through leafy lanes lined with old mansions while, a few blocks back, people slept on the street, and the contrast was impossible to ignore. Todd has no problem with comfort or nice things, but when someone has more money than their descendants could ever spend and does nothing about the suffering around them, he says, “Sociopathic is the only word that comes to my mind.”
The Denver singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer, who has three solo albums behind him in Revolutionary Loser, Empty City and Tellus, turns that moment into a hard-hitting rock single arriving October 28th. Driven by an aggressive guitar riff and an explosive solo, the target widens beyond greed to the exploitation of spiritual beliefs. Rather than only condemning, Todd wants listeners to wake up and let go of the outdated ideas that keep people stuck in cycles of exploitation.
Musically, there is an undeniable tightness to this beautiful arrangement. The way the entirety of the rhythm section is locked in is great: the bass with the guitar and the organ with the drums, and oh, the drums deserve their own special shoutout. Kevin D’Angelo really serves the song in a special way and gives it a dynamic unlike standard rock drumming. A creative choice I thought was very psychedelic was to have the organ pretty much nonstop playing for the last two minutes of the song while the rest of the band gradually builds around it. That was really fun to listen to.
Todd takes the song on the road soon after its release, starting at Globe Hall in Denver on November 8th. From there, it’s New York City on the 12th, Jersey City on the 14th, New Orleans on the 18th, Austin on the 21st, and Kansas City on the 25th, with the New Orleans and Austin shows billed as the Nate Todd & The Strangers Show. With this much attitude, “Rich Part of Town” should translate well to the stage.
