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The Chronicles of Nanna
By Brandon Forbes | May 09, 11:44 AM
Chicago native Bob Nanna belongs to emo rock royalty and, despite the critical backlash against all things emo over the past few years, has continued to produce compelling tunes and keep a strong fan base. Pivotal emo production unit Braid was co-founded by Nanna in 1993 while attending the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana, and he served as axman and vocalist for the group until its "technical" demise in 1999 (the group reformed and toured in 2004).
As is the case with many musicians, the destruction of one vehicle for creativity serves as the instigation of another creative project, and from the ashes of Braid's emo rollicking rose the powerpop of Hey Mercedes, where Nanna retained his guitar/vocalist duties. Though Braid was a tough act to follow, emo kids are loyal and Hey Mercedes enjoyed a solid following, touring for 4 1/2 years before releasing a final EP on Milwaukee's Grand Theft Autumn Records in May of last year.
Even during Hey Mercedes prolific hey day, Nanna was working on solo material under the moniker The City on Film. His first EP, I'd Rather Be Wine Drunk, was recorded entirely in one afternoon at a Salt Lake City motel while on tour, and captures his raw songwriting talent seemingly in media res. His subsequent two releases, the American Diary EP and full-length In Formal Introduction, both came out in 2005, with the latter reworking tracks from Wine Drunk.
Currently, Nanna is continuing to work on The City on Film material as well as write and produce jingles for Chicago t-shirt mavens Threadless , where he also works. Another musical project includes a desire to record covers of his top 100 songs of all time. Be sure to check out emo-riffic takes on Floyd's Wish You Were Here, the cheery sass of The Sunday's Summertime and that other Bob's Hold On Hope on The City on Film Myspace page. Nanna has also been fighting off lymphoma and he's been using his blog, The City on Film Daily, to update readers not only on his musical progress, but his medical progress as well. - Brandon Forbes
As is the case with many musicians, the destruction of one vehicle for creativity serves as the instigation of another creative project, and from the ashes of Braid's emo rollicking rose the powerpop of Hey Mercedes, where Nanna retained his guitar/vocalist duties. Though Braid was a tough act to follow, emo kids are loyal and Hey Mercedes enjoyed a solid following, touring for 4 1/2 years before releasing a final EP on Milwaukee's Grand Theft Autumn Records in May of last year.
Even during Hey Mercedes prolific hey day, Nanna was working on solo material under the moniker The City on Film. His first EP, I'd Rather Be Wine Drunk, was recorded entirely in one afternoon at a Salt Lake City motel while on tour, and captures his raw songwriting talent seemingly in media res. His subsequent two releases, the American Diary EP and full-length In Formal Introduction, both came out in 2005, with the latter reworking tracks from Wine Drunk. Currently, Nanna is continuing to work on The City on Film material as well as write and produce jingles for Chicago t-shirt mavens Threadless , where he also works. Another musical project includes a desire to record covers of his top 100 songs of all time. Be sure to check out emo-riffic takes on Floyd's Wish You Were Here, the cheery sass of The Sunday's Summertime and that other Bob's Hold On Hope on The City on Film Myspace page. Nanna has also been fighting off lymphoma and he's been using his blog, The City on Film Daily, to update readers not only on his musical progress, but his medical progress as well. - Brandon Forbes
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