He has a hit single, "Come On Get Higher," sneaking up the charts and his recent success made him one of 2008's breakthrough acts. On Wednesday, he'll headline again at the Majestic Theatre, a place he loves, as part of his rigorous two-month tour of the nation's biggest clubs. His joy and honesty created a fun interview.

Alesia: Your tour has been non-stop. What's it like?

Nathanson: I feel like a hamster in the wheel. But I like it. It's a good wheel.

Alesia: How is the tour going?

Nathanson: It's invigorating. In Portland, Ore., we sold out a club and I remember playing to six people at a cafe there one time.

Alesia: Does it make a big difference if the city has an "adult alternative" radio stations like Madison's "Triple M"?

Nathanson: It's essential. I've always toured. But once radio happened, that expanded my music to a whole new base of people.

Alesia: Your previous single, "Car Crash," got good airplay here and in several other cities, but it never really took off nationally. Were you disappointed?

Nathanson: It's funny but I had so little love at radio before ("Car Crash") I was over the moon about the way it went. Lots of stations played it. For me, the land of the radio never really entered my mind after my fifth record of not having radio play. (laughs) It was one of those, "I guess radio's not going to happen."

Alesia: "Come On Get Higher" is on the cusp of becoming a big hit. Do you follow its progress really closely?

Nathanson: If I'm on tour and I'm having a great time, I don't do that. Then there are those dark moments of calm when you're sitting at your house and you're off the road for two weeks and you feel like "My career is over." Then I start checking My Space. I go to check for validation. Sometimes I get it, sometimes I don't. But I love the album ("Some Mad Hope") and I love writing the songs and that's got to be the fuel.

Alesia: You've never given up over many years.

Nathanson: There was never any serious thought about that. I've wanted to do this since I was in sixth grade. But every other week there were moments, "Maybe I should be a carpenter." I've done well lately so there haven't been as many times when I think I should learn a craft — basketweave or something. Being an artist means doubt comes hand in hand.

Alesia: Do you keep touring now?

Nathanson: I'm at the whim of the single. If it keeps going, we'll start see if there's an opening slot for someone. If there's momentum, it would be hard to pass up.

Alesia: Does getting music on TV series make a difference?

Nathanson: There are always people who come up to me and say, "The first time I heard you was on 'Scrubs.'" I don't watch that much TV, but I don't think I've ever seen a show and thought, "What band is that?" But it totally helps.

Alesia: On this tour is it tougher to be the headliner in big clubs and venues?

Nathanson: This is the first tour we've had a bus. We usually do van and trailer. That has changed the whole landscape. This makes everything OK. We can sleep. We can shower. We have a place to go. It's made everything a bit more humane. We're lucky.

Ingrid Michaelson

On Tuesday, another singer-songwriter, Internet sensation Michaelson, plays at the Barrymore Theatre. Here's the scoop: A song licensing rep hears her music on My Space and gets it on "Grey's Anatomy" — then Old Navy uses her song, "The Way I Am," for its ad campaign and the song sparks her career.

Lucky? Yes. But her writing talent and unique pop style proves she's no fluke.

Her second album, "Be OK," isn't an "official" follow-up release to her popular debut. Instead, it features some originals, some unreleased material and some covers.

"I wanted it to be an EP of songs," she says, "and it grew."

"Be OK" became associated with cancer fundraising and advocacy. It's a pop gem. Bouncy, uplifting without being saccharine. It's a song cancer patients can relate to. And that happened by chance.

"The song was written about a relationship," she says while on her tour bus from San Diego to Los Angeles. "The meaning changed after I played it for people who worked at (the fundraiser) Stand Up For Cancer. I have a friend who passed away of cancer and close relatives of mine have cancer — so halfway through the song, we got all emotional and teary eyed about it. It took on this whole other meaning."

Her next album will be released in fall 2009, and she says she won't avoid a major label after releasing her debut, "Girls and Boys" on her own.

And thanks to continued airplay on TV shows and films as well as radio, she is drawing a wide audience.

"There are still more women than men, but more and more men are coming to the shows. The age ranges from 16 to 30," she says. "But it's strange. I'll hear from one woman, 'My 3-year-old loves your music.' Or I'll meet a fan, who is 70."

If you go
Who: Matt Nathanson with opening acts Jessie Baylin and The Break and Repair Method
When:  8 p.m. Wednesday
Where:  Majestic Theatre, 115 King St.
Tickets:  $15, $17 day of show, www.majesticmadison.com

If you go
Who: Ingrid Michaelson with opening acts Newton Faulkner and David Ford
When: 7:30 p.m. Tuesday
Where:  Barrymore Theatre, 2090 Atwood Ave.
Tickets: $16, $18 day of show, www.barrymorelive.com

Return each Sunday to A&E for more news and opinion by Tom Alesia, talesia@madison.com. Until then, go to www.madison.com/wsj/home/entertainment for more local entertainment and Madison's most complete guide to upcoming shows in Coming Attractions.