BIO

Declaration: [dek-luh-rey-shuhn] n. – something that is
announced, avowed, or proclaimed.

NATE HANCOCK is a firm believer in fate. Driven by the desire to create music for the people, he turned what might seem like a chance meeting with five-time Grammy Award Winner Joey Williams (Blind Boys of Alabama, Robert Randolph, and the Family Band) into a platform to take his music to the next level.

HANCOCK met Williams when Robert Randolph played in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The meeting with Williams proved to be quite fateful. With the award-winning guitarist’s encouragement, HANCOCK realized that he could go beyond the bar scene and do something national. All it would take was a little help and some dedication.

The band’s first album, WE THE PEOPLE, released in early 2011, serves as a mission statement for the group and stands as a declaration of the philosophies and values that inspired the album. “One of the things that really inspired me when I was writing this record was the medical marijuana movement,” said HANCOCK. “The people behind it really grew it as a grassroots movement. There are many other base level movements to compare to and I wrote this album for people who truly benefit from that dedication and hard work ethic.”

Featuring infectious tracks like “Chicken Wang,” and “We the People” (featuring Grammy Award winner Williams and local emcee Colin Hardaway) the record is filled with catchy melodies, raw guitar licks, and smooth vocals. Aside from Williams, HANCOCK recruited local musicians like blues phenomenon Kory Montgomery, Jeremy Irvin, Tyler Wright, Brad Haj, Heather Allen, and Nikki Hill.

“I was able to collaborate with a lot of amazing musicians on this album,” said HANCOCK. “I was fortunate that they not only believed in the music but in the declaration in itself.”

A folk, funk, blues, jam record that still remains steeped in the tenants of pop music, WE THE PEOPLE has been in the works for nearly four years. Fans may recognize many of the from HANCOCK’s acoustic sets he played at bars around Fayetteville’s Dickson Street before moving to Southern California in May 2011. A true independent album, the music, art, and photos are all 100 percent from the mind of HANCOCK himself.

HANCOCK refers to the album as a test, but one that has strengthened his talent to succeed as a musician. “A lot of things happen over the course of a few years that involve a lot more than just music and some of them can be obstacles that stand in the way of your goals,” said HANCOCK. “I poured my life into this project. I developed a stronger relationship within my faith, family, and friends during the process. Inevitably, the process of making this album was really the process of finding out who I really was as a person. By the time I had finished the album, I had fulfilled my own declaration as an artist.”

While the process was lengthy, HANCOCK felt things became easier once he got started. He said, “I feel the songs pretty much wrote themselves. I wanted there to be one thing that tied all the songs together. The lyrical message has a lot to do with our everyday lives. I didn’t want anybody to listen to this and ask, ‘What is he talking about?’ Instead, most people say to me, ‘I totally relate to that song, or that’s how I feel about things too.’ All in all, I guess this process really identifies with me maturing into an independent young man and artist.”

Though HANCOCK envisions working on other projects, he sees performing under THE DECLARATION moniker as a lifelong commitment, especially since he took the plunge, quit his day job, and hit the road. “If I don’t play, I don’t eat, or pay rent. I live solely off the music I create. I think you have to put yourself in a position of survival to really see what you are made of,” HANCOCK said.

HANCOCK has been able to book a regular club tour schedule in California. Now, thanks to the help of Williams and the rest of the Blind Boys backing band, HANCOCK is touring the country playing everywhere from Los Angeles to Denver to Baltimore. He’s developing into a mature, polished artist, albeit one who is still willing to play for anyone who’s willing to listen. “It’s kind of humbling being on stage with Grammy winners in NYC, then flying across country to play on the streets the very next day. I will always play for the unsuspecting passersby. But most of all, I play for me because I love the music so much.”

The future is wide open for HANCOCK these days. He’s currently planning his next album with the Blind Boys’ band and will record it in Brooklyn, NY, at the home studio of Peter Levin, who plays keyboards for the Blind Boys.