Dave Nelson

Photographer: Erin Baiano

Has played with The Knights since: 2007.

Favorite Knights moment: I love it all!

A native of southern Georgia, Dave Nelson currently resides in Brooklyn, NY, where he maintains a multifaceted career as a musician, composer, and producer. As a trombonist, Dave has performed/recorded with a range of talented artists including David Byrne, The National, Sufjan Stevens, Local Natives, Jonsi, Martha Wainwright, Beirut, and Spoon.

In addition to his work in popular music, Dave performs regularly with today's premier classical and new music ensembles in New York City including International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE), The Knights, Talea Ensemble, and Deviant Septet. In 2010, Dave played first trombone on the Broadway revival of West Side Story. He can also be heard on numerous film and television scores, including the 2012 film Beasts of the Southern Wild.

As composer and producer, Dave uses his skills as multi-instrumentalist to create eclectic musical works in his studio. His current discography includes the chamber rock EP, Logistic Minutia (2011) and In This Day (2012), a series of improvisations with trombone and loop pedal. Additionally, much of Nelson’s music has been licensed or scored for TV and film, including “Saturday Night Live” and “The Colbert Report.”