Nathan Raney – Maro and Manifestation

For decades, Nathan Raney has been highly involved in the San Diego music scene. Beginning his career as a drummer, he has spent almost ten years performing with his father, Jerry Raney, and The Farmers, or once known at The Beat Farmers. This year, Raney’s third studio album, titled “Maro and Manifestation” was released. Having now played with countless incredible musicians, he continues to write music that is thought provoking for himself, which has proven wildly successful for him. His style of music can be described as anywhere between progressive rock, alternative, and hard rock. “People really do enjoy it,” he said. “It’s more for people that enjoy progressive movements, melodic structure and catchy lines.”

If given the opportunity to have a music session with any musician, living or deceased, Raney selected two. “Frank Zappa,” he began, “for his guitar playing and song structure. I think it would be extremely interesting, just to get into his mindset. I did get the opportunity to play with Mike Keneally last year. I still continue to talk to him from time to time. He’s an amazing person and an incredible musician who plays with the top players in the world. I was honored to play with him. The second musician would be Brent Hinds. I always looked up to his guitar playing, his genius when it came to solos and writing.”

Raney has a number of bands that he pulls inspiration from, many of which he would consider favorites. Some days, he’s listening to Joe Satriani, Eric Johnson, old-school Ozzy Osbourne, or RUSH. Other days, it’s Coheed and Cambria, Bad Religion, or Social Distortion. It goes without saying, but he credited his father and The Farmers for their influence. “You pull inspiration from what’s happening around you. It’s not always the music, but your experiences and your life. That’s kind of where I am at this point,” he said.

The development of “Maro and Manifestation” began during Covid-19, and features his fellow musicians, Steven Atkins, Calvan Christ, as well as one of his oldest friends, Micheal Rosales. The production was largely handled by Steve Langdon. Raney had made the promise to his fans that if they supported him with his two previous albums, he would move forward with the third. In fact, his second album, “Season of Serenity,” which was ready to debut on March 16th 2020, had to be postponed due to the pandemic. Much of what he wrote for “Maro and Manifestation” was influenced by his thoughts during that time.

Throughout Covid, Raney worked at Costco while their doors remained open to the public. He admitted that songs like “Caffeine and Aspirin” were about him getting up and going to work every day, even during the holidays, to make sure there was still a steady income going into the household. “Maro,” by contrast, was more self-seeking, more about Raney sitting down, looking inside and deciding where to go next. “Breaking” was about the final stretch of Covid, where Raney realized people were still wearing their masks, that things were not changing, that the same thing was likely to happen over and over again.

“Framework” was the combined result of a guitar lick Raney used to practice scales on the fret-board, and a realization he had when looking into a mirror one day. The wooden lining outside the mirror was never changing. “That’s the basis for framework,” he said, “something solid everyday that you can rely on.”

For “Welcome,” Raney drew inspiration from alternate sources, listening to Queens of the Stone Age and Radiohead. It was the piece that could pull anyone into the album, a way of saying where he was mentally during Covid, a welcoming. Another standout piece, “Radio,” was never intended to be a song. When he was warming up in the studio, Raney had been messing with a guitar lick, and the remnants of that tuning were filed away. When Langdon and Raney returned to master the album, Langdon rediscovered the song and liked what he heard. Langdon asked why it wasn’t on the album, but Raney had forgotten how to play it. He had to go back, relearn his own song with an alternative tuning, then write lyrics to the melody line.

Raney’s newest projects are already underway, though details will be released on his terms. One of those projects is something he has been wanting to do for a while, but had not gotten the opportunity until now. He promised new songs, and even old favorites, being brought into a new light and perspective. He will push forward with all types of new material that is enjoyable for him and his band, and also fun to play.

Though their last tour went well, Raney and his band do not play often, perhaps once every two months. When people come out to see them, they really do need to come out and catch them. He said it has all to do with timing and scheduling, about bringing crowds out to make each show a worthwhile experience. Their next performance will be held inside a smaller club, located at University Heights, on Oct. 16th. To listen to “Maro and Manifestation,” and keep up with Raney’s projects, visit https://linktr.ee/nathanraney.