Mad Andersons' complete debut album, "Light Through Glass," is now available for free download for our fans. 

House of Mirrors

A song about aging alone. My dad used to say don't ever get old. I think about that every day.

Lines in the Mirror

Let It Go (Mad Andersons Original)

Mad Andersons' complete debut album, "Light Through Glass," is now available for free download for our fans. 

Originally entitled “Dream Girl”, this song was written during a particularly isolated time in my life.  I was living in a small Eastern Washington town acting as a caregiver for my ailing, aging mother.  

My only respite was occasional trips to the Seattle area to visit with my daughter.  Needless to say, I was single and this song/lyric emerged from an unfulfilled fantasy to meet the right girl.  

Several years later I did just that and she fell in love with the song.  We dropped the ‘girl’ lyric and recorded it.

Dream

My Daughter's Eyes

Crowded Rooms

Written by Nolan Anderson, BMI, © 2014. Produced and performed by Mad Andersons (Nolan Anderson, guitar and bass, Catherine Anderson, vocals and harpsichord).

Engineered and mixed by Jason Shavey of Synergy Productions, Seattle, WA. Mastered by Rick Fisher, RFI Mastering, Seattle.

Spinning Lines

Soundscapes by Michael Johanson was commissioned by and is dedicated to the Post-Haste Reed Duo formed by saxophonist Sean Fredenburg and bassoonist Javier Rodriguez. I am immensely grateful for the opportunity to collaborate with these distinguished performers and for their dedication in bringing this piece to life.
The title of the first movement, “The Hills of Basilicata,” refers to a stunningly gorgeous, scenic region in southern Italy that I visited in the summer of 2014 as an Artist Resident at the Palazzo Rinaldi Artist Residency located in the charming mountaintop village of Noepoli. The Basilicata region is covered with rolling hills and mountains, many of which are dotted with lovely, picturesque villages, and the region is known for its unspoiled natural beauty – it is replete with wooded areas, forests, clean rivers and pure air. The area is also home to the largest national park in the country and boasts many fascinating historical sites, some of which date back to ancient times. This movement is a musical response to the sense of unbridled excitement and freedom I felt while experiencing the many sights, sounds, and scents of this region as well as the many peaceful, serene moments one can so easily experience in this beautiful part of the world.
“Snowscapes” was written in response to a striking scene I observed through a large glass door on the upper floor of my home while sitting at the piano where I compose. The peaceful aftermath of an intense snowstorm that covered everything with a smooth coat of whiteness left me in awe; I felt a profound sense of stillness and beauty, and I felt the need to respond musically. The movement utilizes extended instrumental techniques such as microtones and multiphonics, which felt to me to be the best means of expressing the serene, reflective state I experienced while gazing out at my snow-covered surroundings.
“Moto Perpetuo,” the third and final movement, is – as one might imagine - a relentless, energetic exploration of momentum-driven musical material.

Mvmt 2: Snowscape

Awakening

Ilse

This is the SoundCloud page for Nolan and Catherine Anderson, known collectively as the Mad Andersons. This page features their individual solo works as well as collaborative and band tunes.

Songwriter Nolan Anderson was a journeyman multi-instrumentalist in the Seattle music scene for years. He’s played everything from punk to blues to country rock to folk, both as a solo artist and in such bands as Connections, Bad Bones and the Big Haired Girl, Vagabonds and, of course, Mad Andersons. Nolan plays guitar, bass, accordion, piano, and drums.

Catherine Anderson has been a classical concert artist for most of her career.  She began her extensive performance career at an early age and has appeared regularly in chamber ensembles and collaborative recitals throughout the Pacific Northwest as well as concert venues in the United States and Europe. She currently is an independent collaborative pianist for faculty and students at the University of Idaho and Central Washington University in Ellensburg, Washington.