Grand Rapids singer-songwriter Nidal: The Local Spins Artist Spotlight

With three albums under his belt the past two years, the prolific artist has emerged as a solo artist to watch in West Michigan. (Podcast, video)

 

Grand Rapids singer-songwriter Nidal Kanaan admits to being completely blown away as a kid listening to blues-rock phenom Stevie Ray Vaughan’s 1983 debut album “Texas Flood.”

And he’s a self-confessed ’90s rock guru, having grown up embracing the music of Pearl Jam, Nirvana and Stone Temple Pilots, along with the Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Roots and The Script.

While traces of these artists might show up in Nidal’s songwriting, the Kalamazoo native’s introspective, compelling music stands alone – from singularly moving songs inspired by personal relationships to uplifting commentaries on the world’s woes such as “We’re the Same,” a track on Nidal’s full-length 2012 album, “Sitting in the Shade,” a Palestinian-American’s reaction to strife in the Middle East.

“On a human level, we’re all the same and we’ve got to treat each other better and leave the politics to a minimum,” insists Nidal, whose parents are from Palestine. “A lot of time those political songs will really turn people off. Mine is meant (to reach listeners) more at a human level.”

To that end, Nidal practices what he preaches, helping create the nonprofit group Healing Children of Conflict which provides medical care to children injured in military skirmishes. He’s also a volunteer with Paws With a Cause and the Kent County Animal Shelter, as well as serving as a Big Brother with D.A. Blodgett – St. John’s.

This week, Nidal brought his caring, personal approach to Local Spins Live, performing the song “Trapped” from his most recent EP, “Left Alone,” on the air at News Talk 1340 AM (WJRW). Listen to the show podcast here and view a video of his performance below.

Music has permeated Nidal’s environment since he was a 4-year-old with a boombox on his shoulder at his brothers’ soccer games. He began playing violin at age 8, studying the instrument with Tomio Anderson of the Kalamazoo Symphony and joining the junior symphony. Nidal picked up a guitar when he was 10, teaching himself to play.

In 2002, after graduating from college, he moved to Grand Rapids and shortly thereafter started playing area music venues. He can frequently be found performing at The Curragh in Holland, The Hangar in Kalamazoo and Old Boys’ Brewhouse in Spring Lake.

Over the past two years, he’s released three albums recorded at Grand Rapids’ Stone House Recording: 2011’s seven-song EP, “What I See,” 2012’s full-length “Sitting in the Shade” and this year’s “Left Alone.”

He also pairs up musically at times with Grand Rapids singer-songwriter Jamie Dionne, performing with her earlier this week at the Party in the Park concert at Fifth Third Ballpark.

“She just has this amazing voice and writes amazing songs,” Nidal says. “We kind of complement each other well. Her voice is intoxicating. I just kind of play in the background and let her do her thing.”

Nidal performs a solo show at 9 p.m. Jul 27 at The Hangar in Kalamazoo, and 9 p.m. July 31 at The Curragh in downtown Holland.

For more about Nidal and to purchase his music and get links to his full schedule, visit his official website at nidalmusic.com or check out his Facebook page.

Email John Sinkevics at jsinkevics@gmail.com.
Copyright 2013, Spins on Music