St. Mary's Arts Council Spotlight on the Arts: Nathaniel Lohn

David M. Higgins II, Publisher/Editor

Apr 25

Our Monthly Spotlight is shining brightly on local musician Nathaniel Lohn ("Doc Lohn Music")!

Our featured artist started playing guitar and singing in bands when he was just 12 years old! Nate enjoyed the beginning of his musical career as a teenager but subsequently placed his creative endeavors on hold after joining the United States Army shortly after graduation from high school. Nate proudly served as a combat medic, enjoying the many different aspects of his job, traveling, and even serving as a private nursing aide to a former U.S. Senator.

Although the demands of his military career occupied much of his time, Lohn's musical aspirations were still ever-present on his mind.

Nate eventually picked his guitar back up and found that playing music after very long shifts of caring for others was extremely therapeutic and calming for his soul.

Nate now has over 20 years of experience playing guitar and singing in a wide variety of styles and genres including era music from the likes of Frank Sinatra and Louis Armstrong and passing through every generation since! From country, rock n' roll, 80's and 90's classic tunes, reggae, grunge, and much more, Lohn fills the table with a delicious musical feast!

Getting back in the groove, Nate played his first live show under the name of Doc Lohn in May of 2021. A crafted combination of the exhilaration of returning to his musical roots and performances, venues opening up after extended closures due to COVID-19, plus a high interest in his talents from the local community quickly led to additional bookings for Doc Lohn in the Southern Maryland area.

Lohn attributes his biggest artistic influences as mainly coming from other local musicians. Back in his high school days, our featured artist recalls being part of an audience to an amazing scene that included bands such as Downtown Singapore, Pepperbox, Masic, and In Clover. Through many hours of practice and determination, Lohn has drawn inspiration from others and in turn, developed his own unique sound and presence.

One of Lohn's favorite aspects of his intriguing musical style revolves around looping. For those unfamiliar with this technique, Nate explains it as a process "of where they take a phrase or more from a song and put it on continual repeat, they then construct other parts over that phrase and turn it into a full song. Artists like Marc Rebillet, and Dovydas use this kind of technology, and I think it's a neat way to present music".

Outside of Lohn's musical endeavors he is currently working as a substitute teacher for the local public school system and continuing his education to complete a bachelor's degree in American History. His goals are to continue to grow Doc Lohn Music over the coming years and possibly even start a band.

To learn more about Nate/ Doc Lohn and view upcoming concert dates visit the following site for links to Facebook, Spotify, TikTok, the Doc Lohn website, and YouTube: http://linktr.ee/doclohnmusic

Doc Lohn is available for bookings at bars, restaurants, and concert venues as well as for private events such as birthdays, weddings, bar mitzvah, etc. He has upcoming events at The Bugeye Grill, The Greene Turtle, Hill's Country Store & Bar, Port of Leonardtown Winery, Potomac Gardens, Tiki Bar, and many more!

Thank you Nate for being an important and valued part of our artistic community, we look forward to hearing more about your future events and artistic projects!