Cover photo courtesy of Goldenvoice & the Nourished by Time team
Just two months ago, I was standing between tall eucalyptus and cypress trees at one of the smaller stages at Outside Lands listening to Nourished by Time, a project headed by talented musician Marcus Elliot Brown. I remember Marcus talking to the crowd, reflecting on his journey from making beats in his basement only two years prior. He has since worked his way to performing at festivals and now, following the release of his no-skip album The Passionate Ones, on a headlining tour. After that first performance and playing the new album on loop for the past two weeks, I was looking forward to seeing Nourished by Time’s iconic sound come to life this past Thursday at the El Rey.
The show began with opener Zsela, whose strikingly rich vocals did not disappoint. Dressed in mini shorts, a small top, feathered boots, and a black ball cap, Zsela’s stage presence drew me in. Though I am familiar with her most popular song, “Noise,” there is no doubt I’ll be adding “Fire Excape” to my current rotation as I explore her discography further. To conclude her set, Zsela ended with a hypnotic acapella rendition of “Time After Time,” which engaged the audience in a fun sing-along.
In the short 20 minutes between sets, the El Rey’s population doubled in size. More and more people entered the theater, anticipating Nourished by Time’s soon arrival to the stage. As the curtains opened, “Automatic Love” began, and the chorus living in my head for the past week was put to rest. Running down the album’s tracklist, Brown dove straight into “Idiot in the Park” followed by “It’s Time,” both of which include some of his staple instrumentation: unique and immersive synth lines.
As I learned that night at the concert, Nourished by Time started not far away from the El Rey in an apartment in Koreatown. I’ve discovered Nourished by Time’s distinguishing factor to be Brown’s distinct way of movement. Oddly entrancing, he dances in a manner that exposes his inspiring musical perspectives and visions, as seen during the show in crowd favorite “Daddy” and “9 2 5.” Later on in the second half of the set, more of the new album was included, featuring “Max Potential” and “Crazy People.”
One aspect of El Rey to acknowledge is its natural intimacy; there’s truly not a bad spot in the theater. I had the opportunity to experience an extremely authentic performance, especially in the way Nourished by Time interacted with the audience. Between songs, Brown mentioned his recent 24-hour livestream. He lightheartedly wished more people had joined, joked about his lack of merch, and, of course, thanked fans for all their support. What we thought was the last song of the night was title track “The Passionate Ones,” in which Brown teased bits of his higher vocal register. The band, two friends accompanying him — one on guitar and synth, and the other on bass — left the stage. The crowd didn’t let up, though. Determined, we cheered for an encore until they eventually returned.
Brown confessed that he didn’t have another song prepared, but instead gave the spotlight to his bassist, Carington (fittingly nicknamed “Caringtone”), backing him up with a few synth riffs. After attending my second Nourished by Time performance, I have deepened my love for The Passionate Ones and can confidently say that more captivating music is on the near horizon.
Listen to The Passionate Ones here!
