His latest album might be called I Need a Friend Like You, but right now Nathan Conrad, aka Spoken Nerd, isn’t interested in meeting a new acquaintance unless they can help him lose some weight in the upper cranium region of his body.

Or as the Nashville-based emcee himself said it, he is “in need of a haircut before I hit the road.”

Mr. Conrad is getting ready to fly out to Colorado to be one of the opening acts for one of the stops on hip-hop artist Ceschi’s “Sad Fat Luck Tour.” Ceschi is the founder of Fake Four Inc, the grassroots record label that released I Need a Friend Like You last year.

I Need a Friend Like You has been garnering critical acclaim and approval from his rabid fanbase as he tours across the country to share his stories of gentrification, small businesses, spaghetti, and the constant quest to get that elusive haircut.

“I can honestly say that this is the best album I’ve ever put out and I’m stoked to continue pushing it,” beams Conrad, “I am at a point now where I am equally excited to play this album for people as I am to work on new music which is a good feeling as a prolific artist who is often concerned with moving on.”

Nathan is at a huge period of growth and momentum in his life, and not just musically. Last year also saw the artist put a ring on the finger of his longtime girlfriend, Jennifer Payne. When she isn’t being the DJ for Spoken Nerd’s shows or being the muse behind tracks like “Wrestlemania
BC”, she is busy running the graphic design company known as Slick Venom.

Conrad stays busy in the kitchen as well as the recording studio and stage, always taking time to sharpen his culinary skills. Just recently he cooked “Beet Reubens and Fries, which is just a good ole Reuben [sandwich] with beets instead of corned beef.”

Seen any good movies lately, Nathan?

“I haven’t seen as much new stuff since Movie Pass turned sour. The best thing that I’ve seen this year was Mandy with Nicolas Cage. It has everything you need: a cult, a mysterious LSD brewer and a chainsaw fight with Nicolas Cage. What more can you ask for?”

He also proudly states that “Rob Zombie is one of the greatest directors of our day,” knowing full well the amount of controversy behind that divisive opinion, especially when it comes to the Halloween reboot the “Dragula” singer directed. Right now he is listening to King Kong: Jean-Luc Ponty Plays the Music of Frank Zappa by Jean-Luc Ponty and Sad Fat Luck, the latest release from Ceschi. Spoken Nerd is a huge Ceschi fan, as well as a close friend who is thrilled to get a chance to see him again in Colorado Springs on May 4.

What’s next for Nathan Conrad?

“I still have the third volume of Cult ‘a’ Cola Classics in the works. It’s 75% finished. I am also recording an album with Juan Cosby from Cincinnati. After those two things surface, you will see the follow up to I Need a Friend Like You which is titled Magical Powers.”

Before all of that though…
…does anyone know a good local barber?