Americana Highways presents this premiere of Nathan Kalish’s song “Pam & Tim” from his forthcoming 10th album Songs For Nobody due out April 10th. Songs For Nobody was recorded at Nashville’s Trace Horse Studio and produced by Nathan Kalish.
“Pam & Tim” is Laur Joamets (Drivin N Cryin) on telecaster; Adam Kurtz (Great Peacock, American Aquarium) on pedal steel; Karen Anne on bass; Danny Pratt on drums; Zach Vinson on keys; and Miriam Speyer on backing vocals. Nathan Kalish is on guitar, vocals, and harmonica.
Nathan Kalish consistently tells a heartwrenching lyrical tale over serious alt country musicianship. He’s gathered a band of heavy hitters around him on Songs for Nobody and it really puts his already-great songwriting over the top. Check it out and see for yourself.
There is a bar on the corner of two state highways in between Merrill and Antigo Wisconsin. Somehow in all the zoning and licensing miracles there stands a bar called Bill’s Bar. It’s in a small run-down house. Every Tuesday a bunch of locals go there to see country and roots music. Its also known as “Sexy Tuesday.” That’s where I met Pam and Tim. Every few months we would pass through the North Woods and drink booze and eat cheese curds in excess there. Pam and Tim live about a half-mile straight down a country road from the bar and they always put up the band at their house after the gig then they feed us breakfast in the morning. One night Pam told me about her job in a coat factory and how it was commonplace for the women she worked with to get sick from the chemicals and sometimes they would even get cancer. We talked about the pressures of life and why we do things that destroy our bodies for financial gain and stability. It seems sort of ingrained in us a midwesterners. Her factory stories illustrated parallels to my own life as a song and dance man, but hers were a much more extreme version. If you are poor or part of the disappearing middle class in the USA, chances are you gotta do some work that is detrimental to your health and well being just to get by. It also means you may end up looking for extra release and fun in your free time, because life is short and damn the odds.
So this song is about working hard for a company that doesn’t give a shit about your health. All the sick days and health insurance dont make up for the product poisoning you, while you earn a paycheck.
I thought about calling it “Pam and Jim” like the office characters because that seems to be the gold standard of relationships these days on the dating apps, but real pam is way cooler than tv Pam. — Nathan Kalish
Pre-order LINK: https://album.link/d4pgjqwff8gvp