Second Cup Cafe: Matt Nathanson

Singer-Songwriter Combines Introspective Songs With Humorous Stage Patter

(CBS)  Wielding his 12-string guitar, Matt Nathanson enthralls audiences with his clever pop-rock songs and amusing stage patter.

He visits Second Cup Café to play songs from his new album, "Some Mad Hope."

Nathanson hails from the Boston area and currently lives in San Francisco on the rare occasion he's off the road.

He released four albums and two EPs on his own before signing his first major label contract with Universal. His first and only album for the label was 2003's "Beneath These Fireworks."

Over the years, Nathanson has built a loyal audience through relentless touring. In 2006, he captured his live performance in his self-financed solo album "At The Point."

On his latest studio album "Some Mad Hope," Nathanson is backed by a full band. It took two and a half years to make, but Nathanson says it was well worth the wait.

"Everytime I make a record I think 'this is it!'" Nathanson says in press notes. "But I don't think I really understood how to make a record until this one. The process and the result had much more of a dynamic to it — like we weren't just presenting songs — it felt like the longest childbirth in the history of childbirths, buit by the end we really got it."