Colin Nagle Brings Pop Rock to Narragansett

Many bands that play Narragansett seem to have a recurring theme in common – Each lead singer is channeling a well-known musician.

For Colin Nagle, he channels Elton John, and on occasion Billy Joel.  Colin played the Bon Vue last Friday. He brought his electric piano and his Elton John-like vocals to entertain tourists and locals. 

Colin is quite diverse. He has played for Nancy Pelosi, and he has raised more than $50,000 for charities such as the Make-A-Wish Foundation. He has shared the stage with Narragansett’s John Cafferty and the Beaver Brown Band, as well as members from 1980s bands such as Toto and Survivor.

Like many other bands that play Narragansett, Colin mixes in covers with his own material. He is a resident of Hope, and recently graduated from Georgetown.

He released his first album, Mercury Rising Alone, in 2008. He is currently working on a sophomore album and will release an EP at the end of the year. 

Colin has been playing music since he was eight years old. His own music will remind someone of either the catchy, beloved television theme songs of the 1980s, or the songs of Billy Joel.

He performed a fantastic rendition of “Piano Man,” which he also played the harmonica on. The bar attendees enjoyed it and sang along.

Colin’s influences include Don Henley and Ray Charles, and certainly Elton John. He nails the Elton John covers, where he is a pro. In high school, he performed many Elton John covers during school assemblies and even a memorial for a fellow student who passed away.

Colin put on an ample performance at Bon Vue. He sat at his keyboards in the dark, wearing a Red Sox hat and dark shades. Whether Nagle could see or not did not matter, for each key he knew by heart. 

Colin also performed some of his own music that evening. After each original, he timidly explained to the patrons that it was one of his own. For the majority of the evening, he played covers, hoping the crowd would sing along, and at times they did. He covered many artists, including Elvis Costello. 

Nagle’s performance is intimate, and will be playing a revamped performance at the Bon Vue again on Sept. 2, to promote a new single he has coming out this fall.

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