Nathan Evans Fox Chars Local & Regional Leaders In Poignant & Humorous New Single ‘Landlords, Bill Lee, Etc.’

Imagine you’re at a gas station on a blistering summer day (they’re coming up, folks), filling your tank and sweating under the sun, when a song drifts out from your car window.

It’s got a slow-roasted country melody with a twanging guitar, and vocals that arrest your attention. The song you’re hearing might just be Nathan Evans Fox’s new salt of the earth folk anthem, “Landlords, Bill Lee, etc.”

The Nashville songwriter’s new track masterfully captures the feeling of a simple summer day whilst carrying a message of the hardships of life under oppressive capitalism, and in this case, a particular red state governor. 

An easy, swaying groove accompanies Fox’s deep voice full of country grit and poignant humor. “I hope you sit out in the sun all day / And you don’t ever catch a thing / I hope your records all skip / Gotta swallow in your dip / And the mailman he only brings bills / You get everything you want / But nothing you need / Except for pity from all your friends,” Fox sings to the landlords, Tennessee governor Bill Lee, and anyone taking advantage of instability in an economically and socially fragile society.

Threading his frustration through the catchy, twangy melody, Fox’s single is made special and insistently charming with its ringing truth. Raised in Western North Carolina, Fox has been creating music with a specific atmosphere of Southern authenticity and nostalgia, and this new single is no different.

Avoiding the commercial and/or tacky country and folk music that exists today, Fox sticks to classic, original melodies at the core of a traditional country sound, and in doing so captures the ears of those searching for a sound that’s real and from the heart.

Photo by Diego Molina