1 00:00:08,200 --> 00:00:14,480 Speaker 1: Pushkin. Nathaniel Ratelift was set up at NYC's Town Hall 2 00:00:14,560 --> 00:00:17,360 Speaker 1: this past Thursday, ready to play another stop on a 3 00:00:17,400 --> 00:00:21,400 Speaker 1: solo tour. When that show, like many right Now, was canceled. 4 00:00:22,239 --> 00:00:24,599 Speaker 1: Instead of packing it in and heading back to the hotel, 5 00:00:25,160 --> 00:00:29,160 Speaker 1: Nathaniel played to an empty theater, streaming the show on Facebook. 6 00:00:30,400 --> 00:00:32,960 Speaker 1: Making do was a central thesis of his new release, 7 00:00:33,280 --> 00:00:36,839 Speaker 1: And It's still all right. Nathaniel has good reason to 8 00:00:36,880 --> 00:00:40,240 Speaker 1: be optimistic too, despite some setbacks. He's been on a 9 00:00:40,360 --> 00:00:43,479 Speaker 1: role the last few years with his band The Night Sweats. 10 00:00:43,479 --> 00:00:47,080 Speaker 1: He's been a standout at nearly every festival, created his 11 00:00:47,120 --> 00:00:49,920 Speaker 1: own line of cannabis with Willie Nelson called The Nights Dash, 12 00:00:50,520 --> 00:00:53,640 Speaker 1: and this summer, if all's normal again, he's supposed to 13 00:00:53,640 --> 00:00:57,480 Speaker 1: be torn with Bob Dylan. His new album is a 14 00:00:57,480 --> 00:01:00,200 Speaker 1: real departure from what he's become known for, though, his 15 00:01:00,200 --> 00:01:03,360 Speaker 1: first release without his band The Night Sweats in seven years, 16 00:01:04,000 --> 00:01:06,160 Speaker 1: and it sounds much closer to the music he started 17 00:01:06,200 --> 00:01:10,480 Speaker 1: making more than twenty years ago, more introspective and folky, 18 00:01:10,640 --> 00:01:13,360 Speaker 1: and this chat with Bruce Hedlum. Nathaniel traces his musical 19 00:01:13,400 --> 00:01:16,160 Speaker 1: lineage from his parents, who only allowed Christian music at 20 00:01:16,200 --> 00:01:18,959 Speaker 1: home to his work with Night Sweats producer and brilliant 21 00:01:19,040 --> 00:01:23,760 Speaker 1: musician Richard Swift. Swift died from complications of alcoholism in 22 00:01:23,840 --> 00:01:26,880 Speaker 1: twenty eighteen, and a lot of Nathaniel's new songs are 23 00:01:26,920 --> 00:01:30,160 Speaker 1: dedicated to him. These songs are his way of making 24 00:01:30,200 --> 00:01:32,880 Speaker 1: sense of his friend's death, of letting himself and his 25 00:01:32,920 --> 00:01:37,080 Speaker 1: audience know that despite the sadness, it's still all right. 26 00:01:41,520 --> 00:01:44,160 Speaker 1: This is broken record liner notes for the Digital Age. 27 00:01:44,400 --> 00:01:52,480 Speaker 1: I'm justin Richmond. There's Bruce and Nathaniel Raateliff from GSI 28 00:01:52,600 --> 00:01:55,800 Speaker 1: Studios in New York. He starts by playing the album's 29 00:01:55,840 --> 00:02:01,040 Speaker 1: title track, I was lovely, Thank you. I think every 30 00:02:01,040 --> 00:02:03,120 Speaker 1: guitarist you just have to watch your right hand. You've 31 00:02:03,160 --> 00:02:06,200 Speaker 1: got such a Where did you learn to fingerpick? I 32 00:02:06,240 --> 00:02:11,680 Speaker 1: mean I've done. It's a weird almost like clawhammer style, UM, 33 00:02:11,720 --> 00:02:14,360 Speaker 1: which I think I just kind of when I was younger, 34 00:02:14,400 --> 00:02:15,960 Speaker 1: I used to do a lot of like sort of 35 00:02:16,040 --> 00:02:22,760 Speaker 1: Almond Brothers kind of. Yeah, I'd switch in between UM 36 00:02:22,840 --> 00:02:25,520 Speaker 1: using a pick and then like doing double stops. So 37 00:02:25,560 --> 00:02:28,600 Speaker 1: I'd just like fold my pick in between my pointer 38 00:02:28,639 --> 00:02:31,920 Speaker 1: and my middle finger. And then at some point that 39 00:02:32,040 --> 00:02:38,400 Speaker 1: started to turn into that thing. And then yeah, so 40 00:02:38,840 --> 00:02:42,880 Speaker 1: but you've got i mean your bass notes, it's like 41 00:02:42,960 --> 00:02:45,400 Speaker 1: a like a train, but you've got the strum and 42 00:02:45,400 --> 00:02:48,120 Speaker 1: you're you're picking after the strum. It's really it's doing 43 00:02:48,120 --> 00:02:49,919 Speaker 1: a lot of work there. Thanks. You know. The other 44 00:02:49,960 --> 00:02:52,519 Speaker 1: thing is I can't really Travis pick, which is essentially 45 00:02:52,560 --> 00:02:59,520 Speaker 1: the same. Yeah, you can't. I can like fake it, 46 00:02:59,600 --> 00:03:02,840 Speaker 1: but not in the same Yeah. I watched other people 47 00:03:02,840 --> 00:03:04,560 Speaker 1: doing I'm like, damn it, why haven't I figured that 48 00:03:04,600 --> 00:03:10,280 Speaker 1: out yet? But h well, I was fabulous. There's just 49 00:03:10,320 --> 00:03:12,239 Speaker 1: so much going on in that song. So tell me 50 00:03:12,240 --> 00:03:16,480 Speaker 1: about the song you just played for us. Um, Well, 51 00:03:16,639 --> 00:03:19,000 Speaker 1: that's the title track the record was going to have 52 00:03:19,280 --> 00:03:22,000 Speaker 1: you know that, that's the third title. Originally I was 53 00:03:22,040 --> 00:03:23,960 Speaker 1: going to name it Russian, but I thought that that 54 00:03:24,040 --> 00:03:28,920 Speaker 1: was a little too heavy and being the title track, um, 55 00:03:29,520 --> 00:03:32,680 Speaker 1: the listeners would be drawn to listen to that first. 56 00:03:33,800 --> 00:03:35,160 Speaker 1: And then I was going to name it all or 57 00:03:35,240 --> 00:03:39,160 Speaker 1: Nothing because I was so excited about accomplishing writing that 58 00:03:39,200 --> 00:03:42,200 Speaker 1: song because it was a little the structure of it, 59 00:03:42,200 --> 00:03:44,960 Speaker 1: it was a lot more It's a little more in 60 00:03:45,000 --> 00:03:50,720 Speaker 1: depth than I'm used to like digging into um. But 61 00:03:50,800 --> 00:03:53,480 Speaker 1: then I was talking with a friend and like, you know, 62 00:03:53,520 --> 00:03:56,880 Speaker 1: I I'm surprised you didn't name this record. And it's 63 00:03:56,920 --> 00:04:00,160 Speaker 1: still all right because it kind of sums up up 64 00:04:00,160 --> 00:04:02,480 Speaker 1: the whole record, you know it kind of you're talking 65 00:04:02,520 --> 00:04:07,040 Speaker 1: about loss and in heartache and but then trying to 66 00:04:07,080 --> 00:04:11,680 Speaker 1: find joy, you know, like and so that's yeah, you know, 67 00:04:11,760 --> 00:04:16,720 Speaker 1: I talk a lot about It's like a conversation with 68 00:04:16,760 --> 00:04:20,760 Speaker 1: myself and then also with other people throughout the song, 69 00:04:20,839 --> 00:04:24,400 Speaker 1: depending on which line it is, you know, so people listening, 70 00:04:24,480 --> 00:04:25,960 Speaker 1: a lot of them are going to know you from 71 00:04:26,160 --> 00:04:33,000 Speaker 1: New York with Night Sweats, right, big brassy, soulful songs 72 00:04:33,040 --> 00:04:37,000 Speaker 1: like SOB and You Worry Me. But this is really 73 00:04:37,080 --> 00:04:39,000 Speaker 1: kind of returning to what you started doing before the 74 00:04:39,080 --> 00:04:43,760 Speaker 1: Night Sweats. Yeah, I had probably ten maybe seven years, 75 00:04:44,200 --> 00:04:48,560 Speaker 1: seven years for sure of like you know, just slumming it, 76 00:04:48,680 --> 00:04:51,560 Speaker 1: you know, living living out of the van and trying 77 00:04:51,600 --> 00:04:53,520 Speaker 1: to have a band with me. And I still you know, 78 00:04:53,520 --> 00:04:55,039 Speaker 1: a lot of the guys in the Night Sweats and 79 00:04:55,200 --> 00:04:58,479 Speaker 1: this new project are from people who play with me 80 00:04:58,600 --> 00:05:01,000 Speaker 1: from back in those days as well. And you started 81 00:05:01,279 --> 00:05:04,719 Speaker 1: now your family they were gospel singers, your mother and father. Yeah, 82 00:05:04,839 --> 00:05:07,440 Speaker 1: my mom played in church and my dad too, So 83 00:05:07,480 --> 00:05:10,320 Speaker 1: It was kind of like a family band, did you 84 00:05:10,520 --> 00:05:12,440 Speaker 1: did you siblings that played in it as well. My 85 00:05:12,920 --> 00:05:16,400 Speaker 1: sister Heather was two years older than me. She played 86 00:05:16,440 --> 00:05:18,840 Speaker 1: piano and sang and then you know, sometimes it would 87 00:05:18,839 --> 00:05:22,000 Speaker 1: just be like my mom and dad and then they 88 00:05:22,000 --> 00:05:24,039 Speaker 1: would make me and my sisters sing, so we'd have 89 00:05:24,040 --> 00:05:26,720 Speaker 1: this like four part harmony. But it was certainly that 90 00:05:26,800 --> 00:05:30,440 Speaker 1: era of like, um, my mom and dad kind of 91 00:05:30,480 --> 00:05:32,880 Speaker 1: came out of that like Jesus movement of the seventies 92 00:05:32,920 --> 00:05:37,400 Speaker 1: and sixties, so more along the lines of like singer songwriter, 93 00:05:38,839 --> 00:05:41,280 Speaker 1: folky kind of stuff. My mom played twelve string because 94 00:05:41,279 --> 00:05:43,760 Speaker 1: I think some people are like, when you think of gospel, 95 00:05:43,880 --> 00:05:45,960 Speaker 1: you think of like the Staple Singers, or even like 96 00:05:46,839 --> 00:05:49,520 Speaker 1: the oak Ridge Boys or something. Yeah, yeah, Or I 97 00:05:49,880 --> 00:05:51,640 Speaker 1: just feel like some people think that it's like the 98 00:05:51,680 --> 00:05:55,200 Speaker 1: scene from you know, the Blues Brothers where James Brown 99 00:05:55,279 --> 00:05:58,360 Speaker 1: as a pastor, you know, and it's like, especially when 100 00:05:58,360 --> 00:06:00,479 Speaker 1: they think of the Night Sweats. I was like, I was, like, 101 00:06:00,520 --> 00:06:02,360 Speaker 1: I listened to all that on my own. My mom 102 00:06:02,400 --> 00:06:07,120 Speaker 1: did something totally different. But it was a good upbringing musically, 103 00:06:07,640 --> 00:06:11,000 Speaker 1: you know, at least had a great home for and 104 00:06:11,120 --> 00:06:15,120 Speaker 1: lots of encouragement to to to play and to listen 105 00:06:15,240 --> 00:06:18,120 Speaker 1: to music, you know, like my dad Mom were always 106 00:06:18,120 --> 00:06:21,240 Speaker 1: excited to like introduce something new to me, so really 107 00:06:21,680 --> 00:06:24,560 Speaker 1: secular music as well. Not at first, but after my 108 00:06:24,640 --> 00:06:26,719 Speaker 1: dad passed away, my mom sort of lightened up on 109 00:06:26,760 --> 00:06:32,520 Speaker 1: the secular music. And then my dad, you know, unbeknownst 110 00:06:32,520 --> 00:06:34,880 Speaker 1: to me, I had this like collection of secular music 111 00:06:34,920 --> 00:06:38,200 Speaker 1: in the closet of all his old records, and so 112 00:06:39,480 --> 00:06:41,280 Speaker 1: I was able to like kind of go through that, 113 00:06:41,360 --> 00:06:43,760 Speaker 1: and after he passed away, it also felt made me 114 00:06:43,800 --> 00:06:45,720 Speaker 1: feel like I had some sort of connection to him 115 00:06:45,760 --> 00:06:49,719 Speaker 1: through those records. So so before he passed you found 116 00:06:49,720 --> 00:06:52,200 Speaker 1: the records or did you find them afterwards? After he 117 00:06:52,279 --> 00:06:54,279 Speaker 1: started to lighten up a little bit too, before he 118 00:06:54,320 --> 00:06:59,440 Speaker 1: passed away, you know, because they they had some pretty 119 00:07:00,760 --> 00:07:02,599 Speaker 1: they were very young when they joined the church and 120 00:07:02,640 --> 00:07:04,920 Speaker 1: had a lot of traumatic stuff happened in their lives 121 00:07:04,920 --> 00:07:07,640 Speaker 1: that led them into that, and so as they started 122 00:07:07,640 --> 00:07:09,640 Speaker 1: to get into their thirties, they started lightening up a 123 00:07:09,640 --> 00:07:13,040 Speaker 1: little bit. You know, do you remember the first record 124 00:07:13,040 --> 00:07:19,760 Speaker 1: you found? Um? Yeah, I remember finding like Muddy Waters 125 00:07:21,360 --> 00:07:24,800 Speaker 1: Folk Singer and Muddy Water Sings Big Bill Brunzi, and 126 00:07:24,840 --> 00:07:28,000 Speaker 1: then like some of the other stuff. It was like 127 00:07:28,640 --> 00:07:33,600 Speaker 1: there's some moody blues in there, you know, some unexpected stuff, 128 00:07:33,600 --> 00:07:35,640 Speaker 1: because that was that era of music they listened to. 129 00:07:35,760 --> 00:07:38,120 Speaker 1: But also my dad just started to be a little 130 00:07:38,160 --> 00:07:41,080 Speaker 1: more comfortable about listening to the radio. And I remember 131 00:07:41,080 --> 00:07:43,720 Speaker 1: like Bob Dylan coming on and just like having my 132 00:07:43,760 --> 00:07:47,320 Speaker 1: mind blown or hearing Imagine for the first time and 133 00:07:47,440 --> 00:07:49,880 Speaker 1: wondering why, Like, you know, I asked my parents. I 134 00:07:49,920 --> 00:07:53,200 Speaker 1: was like, well, if you know, if God created music, 135 00:07:53,240 --> 00:07:56,560 Speaker 1: how come our songs and church aren't better than this 136 00:07:56,680 --> 00:08:00,400 Speaker 1: song with John Lennon wrote, you know, like, Okay, that 137 00:08:00,520 --> 00:08:03,640 Speaker 1: is blasphemous now. Yeah, well, and you know, there was 138 00:08:03,680 --> 00:08:06,840 Speaker 1: that whole idea. There was a humanist song. Humanistic song. 139 00:08:07,800 --> 00:08:10,520 Speaker 1: I was like, but we're humans. That doesn't make any sense. Yeah, 140 00:08:10,920 --> 00:08:13,840 Speaker 1: the new Heaven line, it's gotta be that's gotta be 141 00:08:13,880 --> 00:08:16,480 Speaker 1: a little trouble in that. Yeah, right, yeah, you know 142 00:08:16,600 --> 00:08:18,240 Speaker 1: you have to do that. I'm sorry. What was your 143 00:08:18,240 --> 00:08:21,560 Speaker 1: father's name. Everybody called him Bud, but his real name 144 00:08:21,600 --> 00:08:24,840 Speaker 1: was Cecil Clement. Oh that's a great name. I hated it, 145 00:08:24,880 --> 00:08:27,120 Speaker 1: but I think it was great. Okay, Yeah, you've got 146 00:08:27,120 --> 00:08:31,440 Speaker 1: to put the Cecil Clement right list list on Spotify, 147 00:08:31,520 --> 00:08:33,240 Speaker 1: all the records you found? Oh yeah, I mean he 148 00:08:33,280 --> 00:08:36,040 Speaker 1: was a huge Van Morrison Van two so okay, which 149 00:08:36,120 --> 00:08:39,720 Speaker 1: is like the early Van you know, like I think 150 00:08:40,440 --> 00:08:43,040 Speaker 1: you know, that really changed me a lot because I 151 00:08:43,280 --> 00:08:45,720 Speaker 1: my mom listened to it a lot as well, so 152 00:08:46,000 --> 00:08:47,480 Speaker 1: you know, there's a lot of Moon Dance, and then 153 00:08:47,480 --> 00:08:49,520 Speaker 1: on my own I found like astral Weeks and the 154 00:08:49,559 --> 00:08:53,440 Speaker 1: Bang Sessions and you know, okay, there's a lot of 155 00:08:53,440 --> 00:08:56,760 Speaker 1: great stuff there. So after he died, did she change 156 00:08:56,800 --> 00:08:58,720 Speaker 1: what she listened to? Yeah, she kind of like she 157 00:08:58,840 --> 00:09:02,560 Speaker 1: joined like a CD like I don't know which which 158 00:09:02,640 --> 00:09:04,319 Speaker 1: one of those companies it was, but like got a 159 00:09:04,360 --> 00:09:08,880 Speaker 1: bunch of stuff like Almon Brothers and the Band I 160 00:09:08,920 --> 00:09:11,680 Speaker 1: stole her like the Best of the Band CD, which 161 00:09:11,760 --> 00:09:14,760 Speaker 1: was like my introduction. You know, I always thoughts it, 162 00:09:14,960 --> 00:09:16,440 Speaker 1: you know, like when you go to a record store 163 00:09:16,480 --> 00:09:18,240 Speaker 1: and people are like, oh, the best of but like 164 00:09:18,880 --> 00:09:20,800 Speaker 1: the best of Bob Dylan and the Band. Like that 165 00:09:20,960 --> 00:09:23,080 Speaker 1: was like kind of my introduction to that stuff, and 166 00:09:23,160 --> 00:09:27,199 Speaker 1: like it sparked my curiosity and then I like became 167 00:09:27,240 --> 00:09:30,880 Speaker 1: a record collector and like I started, you know, thumbing 168 00:09:30,880 --> 00:09:33,680 Speaker 1: through everything I could get my hands on and you know, 169 00:09:33,720 --> 00:09:36,160 Speaker 1: and was lucky enough to like find people who had 170 00:09:36,200 --> 00:09:39,880 Speaker 1: like original bootlegs of the basement tapes and that stuff 171 00:09:39,920 --> 00:09:42,360 Speaker 1: really like just kind of changed my life. And those 172 00:09:42,400 --> 00:09:44,640 Speaker 1: are records that are huge parts of my life. Now, yeah, 173 00:09:45,080 --> 00:09:52,079 Speaker 1: do you remember do you remember a gospel songs you sang? Oh? Yeah, 174 00:09:52,120 --> 00:09:54,880 Speaker 1: I mean it's like a it's like a bad radio 175 00:09:54,880 --> 00:09:57,080 Speaker 1: station in my head really, so okay, well, what are 176 00:09:57,080 --> 00:10:00,120 Speaker 1: they just just a title or two? So has the 177 00:10:00,200 --> 00:10:02,240 Speaker 1: Deer is one of the I think is one of 178 00:10:02,280 --> 00:10:07,679 Speaker 1: the names. M Lord. I left her name on high 179 00:10:07,880 --> 00:10:11,240 Speaker 1: I mean all sorts of stuffy and my mom Actually 180 00:10:11,240 --> 00:10:14,079 Speaker 1: she wrote her own songs too, so yeah, yeah, and 181 00:10:14,360 --> 00:10:18,640 Speaker 1: like her own religious songs and still does. And I 182 00:10:18,679 --> 00:10:20,360 Speaker 1: guess that's one of those things I'd always loved to 183 00:10:20,400 --> 00:10:23,480 Speaker 1: do for someday. She's always wanted to make a record. 184 00:10:23,600 --> 00:10:26,120 Speaker 1: So do you ever have you ever played one of 185 00:10:26,120 --> 00:10:30,200 Speaker 1: her songs on stage? I haven't. No, it's for me. 186 00:10:30,240 --> 00:10:32,760 Speaker 1: It's like, you know, I feel so far removed from 187 00:10:32,920 --> 00:10:36,680 Speaker 1: the religious side of things that I don't want to 188 00:10:36,880 --> 00:10:41,920 Speaker 1: encourage anyone to move that way. With the power of 189 00:10:41,960 --> 00:10:46,160 Speaker 1: your voice, you will, yeah, exactly converted millions of people. 190 00:10:46,280 --> 00:10:48,679 Speaker 1: That's the conversion is the problem I had. I think 191 00:10:48,679 --> 00:10:51,440 Speaker 1: that's why I kind of moved away from it because 192 00:10:51,480 --> 00:10:55,000 Speaker 1: I was doing some work with the Hopie Native Americans 193 00:10:55,040 --> 00:10:58,080 Speaker 1: and I was there on an Easter Sunday, and I 194 00:10:58,120 --> 00:11:03,400 Speaker 1: remember just feeling just embarrassed to be a Christian and 195 00:11:03,480 --> 00:11:06,679 Speaker 1: to be like trying to force or you know, just 196 00:11:06,679 --> 00:11:10,000 Speaker 1: trying to like minister to people whose beliefs have been 197 00:11:10,000 --> 00:11:13,840 Speaker 1: around so much longer historically than even Christianity had been around. 198 00:11:13,840 --> 00:11:16,000 Speaker 1: And I was really made me question what we were 199 00:11:16,000 --> 00:11:20,120 Speaker 1: doing and was this in Colorado? Um? You know, that 200 00:11:20,200 --> 00:11:25,840 Speaker 1: was in um To Hope Reservation, which is in the 201 00:11:25,920 --> 00:11:28,880 Speaker 1: center of the Navajo Reservation, which is we came in 202 00:11:28,960 --> 00:11:32,640 Speaker 1: through Flagstaff and I believe it's in Nevada. So were 203 00:11:32,679 --> 00:11:37,440 Speaker 1: you doing mission work? Yeah? I was um which I 204 00:11:37,760 --> 00:11:39,800 Speaker 1: you know, ended up not you know, I was only 205 00:11:39,840 --> 00:11:42,680 Speaker 1: I was really I was only eighteen or seventeen or eighteen, 206 00:11:42,720 --> 00:11:46,760 Speaker 1: So it's hard to be accountable for your decisions at 207 00:11:46,760 --> 00:11:49,480 Speaker 1: that age, you know, Like I was certainly still a 208 00:11:49,559 --> 00:11:52,920 Speaker 1: kid learning. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. One of my uncle's was 209 00:11:52,920 --> 00:11:56,080 Speaker 1: a ministra or no yeah, on a reservation as we 210 00:11:56,120 --> 00:11:58,440 Speaker 1: called them in Canada, and it was always very it's 211 00:11:58,440 --> 00:12:02,320 Speaker 1: a strange Yeah, when you say conversion, that's the thing. 212 00:12:02,400 --> 00:12:05,600 Speaker 1: That's a dangerous word. I feel like, you know, Um, 213 00:12:07,559 --> 00:12:09,360 Speaker 1: I really like some of the other things we did. 214 00:12:09,360 --> 00:12:13,439 Speaker 1: We worked a lot with just like feeding homeless people 215 00:12:13,520 --> 00:12:18,080 Speaker 1: and um and talking to them like they're really people. Um. 216 00:12:18,720 --> 00:12:21,120 Speaker 1: And I loved being a part of the Hopie community 217 00:12:21,120 --> 00:12:23,600 Speaker 1: when I was there and learning about their culture. But 218 00:12:24,320 --> 00:12:26,840 Speaker 1: I was more interested in learning about their culture than 219 00:12:28,280 --> 00:12:31,680 Speaker 1: trying to point out what was what, you know, try 220 00:12:31,760 --> 00:12:33,840 Speaker 1: to find something wrong with it, you know, I I 221 00:12:33,880 --> 00:12:36,280 Speaker 1: love your culture and now drop it. Yeah, exactly. And 222 00:12:36,320 --> 00:12:40,200 Speaker 1: I think that was you know, like, um, that was 223 00:12:40,480 --> 00:12:43,880 Speaker 1: you know, the core of Western expansion. You know, well 224 00:12:43,920 --> 00:12:46,880 Speaker 1: not even I love your culture, but just like we're eliminated. 225 00:12:47,040 --> 00:12:50,840 Speaker 1: So yeah, and we'd like your land. Yeah, we love 226 00:12:50,880 --> 00:12:54,200 Speaker 1: your land exactly. We like that too. There's a lot 227 00:12:54,240 --> 00:12:59,679 Speaker 1: of religious language, or at least religious imagery, and some 228 00:12:59,720 --> 00:13:04,640 Speaker 1: of your songs in expecting to lose but standing in 229 00:13:04,640 --> 00:13:08,040 Speaker 1: the water when you write those, are you are you 230 00:13:08,080 --> 00:13:11,480 Speaker 1: conscious that that's that it comes from that tradition or 231 00:13:11,559 --> 00:13:15,319 Speaker 1: is it just is it just a language? You know? Um, 232 00:13:15,600 --> 00:13:17,880 Speaker 1: it's a language I know, and it's something I always 233 00:13:18,200 --> 00:13:22,319 Speaker 1: loved about Leonard cohen songs like he was a Buddhist 234 00:13:22,320 --> 00:13:26,320 Speaker 1: but was you know, loved the religion he was born into. 235 00:13:26,640 --> 00:13:29,719 Speaker 1: And but if you listen to his songs, it was 236 00:13:29,760 --> 00:13:31,960 Speaker 1: like there could be so sensual, but have these like 237 00:13:32,120 --> 00:13:38,800 Speaker 1: references to biblical verse. And since it's you know, such 238 00:13:38,800 --> 00:13:42,800 Speaker 1: a common I guess that language is so common or 239 00:13:42,840 --> 00:13:45,760 Speaker 1: so well known, at least at one point. I feel 240 00:13:45,800 --> 00:13:50,080 Speaker 1: like it's something people can relate to in a way, like, 241 00:13:50,280 --> 00:13:52,400 Speaker 1: you know, even like to stand in the water, m 242 00:13:53,760 --> 00:13:58,440 Speaker 1: the reference of being baptized or something like that, we 243 00:13:58,520 --> 00:14:02,880 Speaker 1: can like if you remove the religious aspect of it, 244 00:14:03,440 --> 00:14:09,280 Speaker 1: you can still have this cleansing idea you know, that 245 00:14:09,400 --> 00:14:11,640 Speaker 1: comes along with it. But I feel like it's a 246 00:14:11,720 --> 00:14:15,080 Speaker 1: nice reference, it's a nice way to it's nice vernacular. 247 00:14:15,200 --> 00:14:17,680 Speaker 1: I guess, I don't know. We'll be right back with 248 00:14:17,760 --> 00:14:25,480 Speaker 1: more from Nathaniel Ratelift after the break. We're back with 249 00:14:25,560 --> 00:14:30,040 Speaker 1: Bruce and Nathaniel Rateliff. So tell me about Richard Swift, 250 00:14:30,120 --> 00:14:33,840 Speaker 1: who was who was a collaborator of yours and a 251 00:14:33,880 --> 00:14:37,040 Speaker 1: producer on Night Sweats. Yeah, I had met him years 252 00:14:37,040 --> 00:14:42,400 Speaker 1: ago in London, was opening for Delta Spirit and Matt 253 00:14:42,480 --> 00:14:45,120 Speaker 1: Basquez was a good buddy and he loved Richard swift stuff, 254 00:14:45,160 --> 00:14:47,920 Speaker 1: and that's when I was first introduced to him. But 255 00:14:47,960 --> 00:14:50,400 Speaker 1: then it kind of took a while for us to 256 00:14:50,440 --> 00:14:53,600 Speaker 1: circle back to each other, and I had the send 257 00:14:53,680 --> 00:14:56,720 Speaker 1: them just randomly sent them demos through the advice of 258 00:14:56,720 --> 00:15:00,240 Speaker 1: a friend of this stuff I was doing in my 259 00:15:00,560 --> 00:15:03,920 Speaker 1: attic just by myself, which eventually became The Night Sweats. 260 00:15:04,600 --> 00:15:06,280 Speaker 1: He really liked it and wanted to make a record, 261 00:15:06,360 --> 00:15:08,720 Speaker 1: and then I ended up having a record deal and 262 00:15:09,760 --> 00:15:11,800 Speaker 1: my and our guy suggested I work with him, and 263 00:15:11,840 --> 00:15:13,880 Speaker 1: I was like, well, we've already decided we wanted to 264 00:15:13,920 --> 00:15:18,400 Speaker 1: work together. So so I went out to Cottage Grove, Oregon, 265 00:15:18,480 --> 00:15:21,880 Speaker 1: which just south Eugene where Richard had a studio, by 266 00:15:21,920 --> 00:15:26,000 Speaker 1: myself at first, and just had a huge batch of 267 00:15:26,040 --> 00:15:28,600 Speaker 1: songs and we just kind of started working, you know, 268 00:15:28,760 --> 00:15:30,840 Speaker 1: like mostly with one mic in the room. But it 269 00:15:30,960 --> 00:15:33,520 Speaker 1: was like an instant I don't know, we just had 270 00:15:33,560 --> 00:15:36,040 Speaker 1: like a kindred spirit, you know. And I know if 271 00:15:36,080 --> 00:15:38,600 Speaker 1: you talk to anybody that knew Richard, he would they 272 00:15:38,600 --> 00:15:41,760 Speaker 1: would probably all say that they felt like he made 273 00:15:41,760 --> 00:15:45,040 Speaker 1: them feel very special. You know, how did you build 274 00:15:45,040 --> 00:15:46,840 Speaker 1: those songs and I don't want to talk about Night 275 00:15:46,880 --> 00:15:52,160 Speaker 1: Sweats songs, but were you always hearing those arrangements in 276 00:15:52,200 --> 00:15:54,880 Speaker 1: your head when you were writing? I mean I tend 277 00:15:54,920 --> 00:15:57,320 Speaker 1: to have that with a lot of songs that I write, 278 00:15:57,480 --> 00:16:03,720 Speaker 1: is hearing these other voicing, other instruments, and that's kind 279 00:16:03,720 --> 00:16:05,920 Speaker 1: of part of the fun process, you know, once you 280 00:16:05,960 --> 00:16:10,480 Speaker 1: get past the chords and the words and melodies, as 281 00:16:10,520 --> 00:16:12,760 Speaker 1: filling in all those gaps and like figuring out what 282 00:16:12,880 --> 00:16:16,440 Speaker 1: those other sounds are, you know, because sometimes you'll be like, oh, 283 00:16:16,480 --> 00:16:18,480 Speaker 1: and horns would be great here, and then you try 284 00:16:18,480 --> 00:16:20,600 Speaker 1: it and you're like, that's not That's not the sounds 285 00:16:20,840 --> 00:16:23,080 Speaker 1: that I'm hearing in my head. So you keep searching. 286 00:16:24,080 --> 00:16:25,840 Speaker 1: So I did that, you know. I kind of had 287 00:16:25,880 --> 00:16:28,040 Speaker 1: a lot of that with Richard and even like with 288 00:16:28,080 --> 00:16:32,200 Speaker 1: the demos Um because some of that material ended up 289 00:16:32,280 --> 00:16:36,480 Speaker 1: being you know, like songs like You Need Me was 290 00:16:36,560 --> 00:16:41,080 Speaker 1: one that I had written, um maybe around that first 291 00:16:41,120 --> 00:16:43,440 Speaker 1: Night Sweats record somewhere in there, but just never had 292 00:16:43,480 --> 00:16:46,160 Speaker 1: a home. It reminds me, I mean, maybe it's a 293 00:16:46,240 --> 00:16:50,120 Speaker 1: lack of imagination on my part, but musicians who can 294 00:16:52,000 --> 00:16:55,040 Speaker 1: think of just you know, without another group of musicians 295 00:16:55,040 --> 00:16:56,800 Speaker 1: in the room who can who can think of those 296 00:16:56,880 --> 00:17:00,000 Speaker 1: kind of arrangements for some songs and reminds me a little. 297 00:17:00,280 --> 00:17:02,560 Speaker 1: Graham Parker was like that. When he started in England. 298 00:17:02,920 --> 00:17:04,679 Speaker 1: He was this pub rocker and then he went in 299 00:17:04,720 --> 00:17:07,760 Speaker 1: and they did a whole He was like this rhythm 300 00:17:07,800 --> 00:17:10,840 Speaker 1: and blues guy. And I always thought, Wow, how does 301 00:17:10,880 --> 00:17:14,960 Speaker 1: somebody do that and then turn around and write like 302 00:17:15,080 --> 00:17:19,760 Speaker 1: you acoustic songs and what It was a nice thing 303 00:17:19,800 --> 00:17:22,320 Speaker 1: about working with Richard two because I would I would 304 00:17:22,320 --> 00:17:24,800 Speaker 1: always have these you know, like like I said, from 305 00:17:24,800 --> 00:17:27,840 Speaker 1: the start of the song, there's always these other voicings 306 00:17:27,840 --> 00:17:30,560 Speaker 1: you hear, these other sounds or inspirentation that you want. 307 00:17:31,520 --> 00:17:34,239 Speaker 1: But that was really the thing that Richard was so 308 00:17:34,320 --> 00:17:37,439 Speaker 1: good at, is like even if I had those ideas, 309 00:17:37,480 --> 00:17:39,520 Speaker 1: sometimes he would be like, no, We're not going to 310 00:17:39,600 --> 00:17:44,720 Speaker 1: do that, which can be kind of you know, you 311 00:17:44,760 --> 00:17:46,560 Speaker 1: can get your feelings hurt, but you kind of have 312 00:17:46,640 --> 00:17:50,080 Speaker 1: to like let go of that and know that, like 313 00:17:50,160 --> 00:17:52,040 Speaker 1: just try to stay out of the way of the song, 314 00:17:52,200 --> 00:17:55,879 Speaker 1: you know, and trust that somebody like Richard was trying 315 00:17:55,880 --> 00:17:58,399 Speaker 1: to make the song the best it can be. But 316 00:17:58,560 --> 00:18:02,000 Speaker 1: he would always have that just these like incredible ideas 317 00:18:02,119 --> 00:18:07,280 Speaker 1: to make a mediocre song be a great song, you know. Um, 318 00:18:07,320 --> 00:18:10,440 Speaker 1: and sometimes that was eliminating some of those voices and 319 00:18:11,200 --> 00:18:14,399 Speaker 1: instrumentation that I thought made the song what it was. 320 00:18:14,720 --> 00:18:18,479 Speaker 1: So you know, wow, did he do the first night? 321 00:18:18,520 --> 00:18:22,320 Speaker 1: Sweats did? The first and second one second one, and 322 00:18:22,320 --> 00:18:24,520 Speaker 1: then and then even the EP we did, he ended 323 00:18:24,600 --> 00:18:28,000 Speaker 1: up like he mixed and um, I think he added 324 00:18:28,000 --> 00:18:30,360 Speaker 1: a couple of things to it as well. So yeah, 325 00:18:30,400 --> 00:18:33,760 Speaker 1: and then sadly he's and he passed away, Yeah, at 326 00:18:33,800 --> 00:18:36,800 Speaker 1: forty one, so pretty pretty did you see it before 327 00:18:36,800 --> 00:18:39,080 Speaker 1: he I saw him. As soon as I heard he 328 00:18:39,119 --> 00:18:41,520 Speaker 1: was in the hospital, I flew out there. I just 329 00:18:41,600 --> 00:18:46,600 Speaker 1: kind of stopped everything, yeah, and wanted to be there 330 00:18:46,640 --> 00:18:49,320 Speaker 1: that I just wanted to know what was happening, you know, 331 00:18:49,359 --> 00:18:54,480 Speaker 1: I just knew he was really sick. And then um yeah, 332 00:18:54,560 --> 00:18:57,919 Speaker 1: and then and then he pretty quickly when I was 333 00:18:57,960 --> 00:19:00,480 Speaker 1: there for a day and then left, and then he 334 00:19:00,640 --> 00:19:05,280 Speaker 1: quickly went into hospice, and I went back again, you know, 335 00:19:05,720 --> 00:19:08,639 Speaker 1: to just like I don't know, I wanted to shake 336 00:19:08,720 --> 00:19:11,040 Speaker 1: him and like you, I wanted him to be coherent, 337 00:19:11,119 --> 00:19:14,480 Speaker 1: and I wanted to talk to him and like you know, 338 00:19:15,000 --> 00:19:17,639 Speaker 1: trying to make him fight for for something, I guess, 339 00:19:17,680 --> 00:19:21,160 Speaker 1: you know, but he wasn't really I wasn't really coherent 340 00:19:21,200 --> 00:19:24,640 Speaker 1: by the time I got there. So are there particular 341 00:19:24,680 --> 00:19:29,159 Speaker 1: songs written in this album about him? Yeah? You know, 342 00:19:29,400 --> 00:19:32,080 Speaker 1: and it's still all right there. There's moments that it's 343 00:19:32,200 --> 00:19:35,320 Speaker 1: you know, there's moments where I'm talking about him. Rush 344 00:19:35,440 --> 00:19:39,000 Speaker 1: On in particular, is only just is just for specifically 345 00:19:39,119 --> 00:19:44,440 Speaker 1: Richard and kind of talking to him and sort of 346 00:19:44,480 --> 00:19:48,639 Speaker 1: about him and that like, and I guess, you know, 347 00:19:48,720 --> 00:19:50,520 Speaker 1: a lot of the album kind of deals with the 348 00:19:50,640 --> 00:19:56,239 Speaker 1: same thing that Richard and I shared or or um. 349 00:19:57,520 --> 00:19:59,159 Speaker 1: I guess it's the thing that we all share. Is 350 00:19:59,160 --> 00:20:04,920 Speaker 1: this like un unspeakable or undescribable brokenness that I don't 351 00:20:04,920 --> 00:20:08,120 Speaker 1: think we allow ourselves to be, to be vulnerable enough 352 00:20:08,200 --> 00:20:11,679 Speaker 1: to talk about to everyone. And I just I just 353 00:20:11,800 --> 00:20:16,360 Speaker 1: kind of question whether, you know, if we allow ourselves 354 00:20:16,400 --> 00:20:19,720 Speaker 1: to be able to to vocalize those things and to 355 00:20:19,800 --> 00:20:24,680 Speaker 1: realize that we all share that sort of similar aching, 356 00:20:25,440 --> 00:20:28,960 Speaker 1: that maybe wouldn't be as heavy. So I guess, like 357 00:20:29,080 --> 00:20:32,840 Speaker 1: songs like rush On, I'm really talking about recognizing that 358 00:20:33,080 --> 00:20:37,399 Speaker 1: in him, but I recognize it in myself as well. Okay, 359 00:20:37,480 --> 00:20:40,199 Speaker 1: do you want to play another song. Sure, I'll do 360 00:20:40,280 --> 00:20:43,359 Speaker 1: a little upbeat one, but yeah, okay, the songs all 361 00:20:43,480 --> 00:20:47,159 Speaker 1: or nothing. Yeah, so this one in particular, it's not 362 00:20:47,280 --> 00:20:51,280 Speaker 1: very heavy. But I remember I played it for Richard 363 00:20:51,560 --> 00:20:53,400 Speaker 1: and it would take me a long time to kind 364 00:20:53,400 --> 00:20:57,000 Speaker 1: of figure out the chord progression. But he was like, man, 365 00:20:57,040 --> 00:20:59,760 Speaker 1: you can't be too Nielsen. So when we did the record, 366 00:20:59,800 --> 00:21:03,280 Speaker 1: we really try to make the arrangement and production on 367 00:21:03,320 --> 00:21:06,480 Speaker 1: it a little more like a little touch of Schmilsen 368 00:21:06,520 --> 00:21:10,120 Speaker 1: in the night. You guys love Harry Nielsen. We both did. Yeah, 369 00:21:10,160 --> 00:21:14,639 Speaker 1: So okay, we go, We'll be right back after a 370 00:21:14,720 --> 00:21:21,480 Speaker 1: quick break. We're back with more from Nathaniel rate list. 371 00:21:22,000 --> 00:21:25,359 Speaker 1: When did you know you had this voice? You do 372 00:21:25,440 --> 00:21:27,720 Speaker 1: a lot of things in that song, and I for 373 00:21:27,760 --> 00:21:29,800 Speaker 1: your career, I mean, you can sing in a lot 374 00:21:29,880 --> 00:21:33,159 Speaker 1: of different ways. Um, it took me a while to 375 00:21:33,160 --> 00:21:37,280 Speaker 1: be comfortable with it, and even like since my started 376 00:21:37,280 --> 00:21:39,400 Speaker 1: a solo career until now, I feel like I've learned 377 00:21:39,440 --> 00:21:42,600 Speaker 1: so much and part of that process is learning how 378 00:21:42,640 --> 00:21:48,120 Speaker 1: to be comfortable in your voice. How did you do that? 379 00:21:48,680 --> 00:21:51,800 Speaker 1: I mimicked things for a long time just out of 380 00:21:51,800 --> 00:21:53,879 Speaker 1: curiosity to see if my voice could do it or 381 00:21:53,920 --> 00:21:56,880 Speaker 1: like try to understand it and like and I guess 382 00:21:56,880 --> 00:21:58,520 Speaker 1: this is the kind of thing that I think people 383 00:21:58,560 --> 00:22:01,520 Speaker 1: take lessons for. I just I don't know if I 384 00:22:01,560 --> 00:22:04,119 Speaker 1: just didn't have anything else to do or what. But 385 00:22:04,359 --> 00:22:07,400 Speaker 1: I mean I was working the whole time, so yeah, 386 00:22:07,440 --> 00:22:10,400 Speaker 1: we should mention that as well as being a working musician, 387 00:22:10,720 --> 00:22:13,280 Speaker 1: you always had a job. Oh yeah, all sorts of 388 00:22:13,320 --> 00:22:15,560 Speaker 1: crappy ones too. So but you know, like when you're 389 00:22:15,560 --> 00:22:18,760 Speaker 1: a janitor, Yeah, you're a janitor. I was a janitor 390 00:22:18,760 --> 00:22:20,840 Speaker 1: when I was sixteen for a high school and when 391 00:22:21,000 --> 00:22:23,119 Speaker 1: I didn't go to high school, so you didn't go 392 00:22:23,160 --> 00:22:25,879 Speaker 1: to high school, no, My last year of school was 393 00:22:25,960 --> 00:22:28,959 Speaker 1: seventh grade, so so then I ended up being like 394 00:22:29,000 --> 00:22:32,520 Speaker 1: a janitor and groundskeeper. And it was kind of embarrassing, 395 00:22:32,600 --> 00:22:34,399 Speaker 1: you know. It was at the school you would have 396 00:22:34,440 --> 00:22:37,600 Speaker 1: gone to. Was at the local school. Yeah, wow, I 397 00:22:37,640 --> 00:22:39,199 Speaker 1: lived in that town, so I should have been going 398 00:22:39,240 --> 00:22:42,400 Speaker 1: to school there. But then I was like during school 399 00:22:42,480 --> 00:22:46,560 Speaker 1: year cleaning either cutting grass there or or cleaning the 400 00:22:46,640 --> 00:22:49,160 Speaker 1: rooms at you know, like sort of a swing shift. 401 00:22:49,880 --> 00:22:51,720 Speaker 1: But I would always sing. I just kind of I 402 00:22:51,760 --> 00:22:54,720 Speaker 1: started to love singing because I love music, and when 403 00:22:54,760 --> 00:22:56,840 Speaker 1: I was younger, I was really embarrassed of it. But 404 00:22:56,920 --> 00:22:58,840 Speaker 1: you know, as I kind of grew out of the 405 00:22:58,960 --> 00:23:04,000 Speaker 1: church singing and to you know, everything from trying to 406 00:23:04,040 --> 00:23:06,840 Speaker 1: sing like the Everly Brothers and listen to their harmonies, 407 00:23:06,880 --> 00:23:11,359 Speaker 1: to like how Matt King Cole and um Sam Cook 408 00:23:11,440 --> 00:23:14,280 Speaker 1: how they how they enunciated their words and how they 409 00:23:14,320 --> 00:23:18,840 Speaker 1: shaped their words, and even into like the early you know, 410 00:23:19,000 --> 00:23:22,840 Speaker 1: James Brown, the fabulous Flames, like the his voice then 411 00:23:23,080 --> 00:23:25,239 Speaker 1: where he was more of a crooner versus like the 412 00:23:25,280 --> 00:23:28,600 Speaker 1: Funk days. I just love the characteristics and all of that, 413 00:23:28,880 --> 00:23:31,520 Speaker 1: and you know, and so it was like how, you know, 414 00:23:31,560 --> 00:23:34,040 Speaker 1: like just try to sing like that, you know, like 415 00:23:34,160 --> 00:23:39,919 Speaker 1: I guess you know you'd good teachers. Yeah, yeah, I 416 00:23:39,920 --> 00:23:42,080 Speaker 1: guess some of those guys are great teachers. But you 417 00:23:42,160 --> 00:23:44,879 Speaker 1: also do something that a lot of people don't do 418 00:23:45,400 --> 00:23:50,080 Speaker 1: so much anymore, which is you used almost different voices. 419 00:23:50,600 --> 00:23:52,320 Speaker 1: I mean, James Brown did do that, but a lot 420 00:23:52,320 --> 00:23:55,560 Speaker 1: of singers now I think feel that I must use 421 00:23:55,600 --> 00:23:59,160 Speaker 1: my authentic voice, and that's the voice they use for everything. 422 00:23:59,280 --> 00:24:02,439 Speaker 1: You're you'll belt, you'll whisper, You'll do a lot of 423 00:24:02,480 --> 00:24:04,760 Speaker 1: different things with your voice. I mean those are all 424 00:24:04,800 --> 00:24:06,960 Speaker 1: my voice too. I mean, well, yeah, I think. I 425 00:24:07,040 --> 00:24:10,479 Speaker 1: think at a time, I struggled with the identity of 426 00:24:10,480 --> 00:24:14,000 Speaker 1: what my voice was, you know, and would like on 427 00:24:14,200 --> 00:24:16,200 Speaker 1: some of the earlier records, I felt like I would 428 00:24:16,280 --> 00:24:21,000 Speaker 1: stay in you know, and like like in Memory of Loss, 429 00:24:21,080 --> 00:24:25,080 Speaker 1: I feel like my voice is kind of restrained because 430 00:24:25,119 --> 00:24:28,320 Speaker 1: I'm not taking on different characteristics that I thought the 431 00:24:28,400 --> 00:24:32,879 Speaker 1: song needed, you know, or like songs like all or Nothings, 432 00:24:32,920 --> 00:24:34,680 Speaker 1: Like the song I just did is totally different than 433 00:24:34,680 --> 00:24:36,960 Speaker 1: the other one, but I didn't feel like I was 434 00:24:37,000 --> 00:24:39,240 Speaker 1: singing in a character when I wrote it. It seemed 435 00:24:39,280 --> 00:24:43,480 Speaker 1: like that voice was appropriate for that song, and so 436 00:24:43,560 --> 00:24:46,960 Speaker 1: I try to listen to that, like like shape my 437 00:24:47,040 --> 00:24:50,159 Speaker 1: voice to what the song requires. Did you have the 438 00:24:50,200 --> 00:24:52,560 Speaker 1: songs going in or a lot of them worked out 439 00:24:52,560 --> 00:24:56,840 Speaker 1: in the studio? I had most of them already demoed, 440 00:24:57,200 --> 00:25:02,560 Speaker 1: and except for All or Nothing, sorry, All or Nothing 441 00:25:03,000 --> 00:25:06,120 Speaker 1: was mostly done but and it's still all right. I 442 00:25:06,160 --> 00:25:09,200 Speaker 1: wrote one morning, like I had a loose sketch a bit, 443 00:25:09,280 --> 00:25:12,760 Speaker 1: and that's kind of like multiple processes of how I 444 00:25:12,760 --> 00:25:15,399 Speaker 1: wrote that one, but then just finished it one morning 445 00:25:16,880 --> 00:25:19,240 Speaker 1: before going to the studio and then recorded that day. 446 00:25:19,480 --> 00:25:22,679 Speaker 1: So which is a great feeling to like write something 447 00:25:23,600 --> 00:25:25,639 Speaker 1: and then have it recorded in a matter of hours 448 00:25:25,760 --> 00:25:28,239 Speaker 1: and like this is like a real release, you know. 449 00:25:28,359 --> 00:25:30,920 Speaker 1: So I guess for someone who wrote songs while being 450 00:25:30,960 --> 00:25:35,360 Speaker 1: a gardener and looking at it truck depot and all 451 00:25:35,400 --> 00:25:39,440 Speaker 1: of that. Yeah, writing on the road, you know, musicians 452 00:25:39,440 --> 00:25:43,000 Speaker 1: complain about it. For you, that's like, wow, it's still 453 00:25:43,040 --> 00:25:45,960 Speaker 1: it's still hard for me because there's no personal space 454 00:25:46,040 --> 00:25:50,240 Speaker 1: on the road, you know. And there's also when you 455 00:25:50,400 --> 00:25:54,639 Speaker 1: you know, you have seven other goofballs you're hanging out with, 456 00:25:54,760 --> 00:25:59,120 Speaker 1: there's this energy that consumes a lot of your time, 457 00:25:59,160 --> 00:26:02,120 Speaker 1: which is you just like you know, we're all really 458 00:26:02,160 --> 00:26:03,800 Speaker 1: close friends and we all want to hang out, and 459 00:26:03,880 --> 00:26:07,280 Speaker 1: especially even like our crew, like you know, some of 460 00:26:07,280 --> 00:26:09,520 Speaker 1: the guys we've been touring with since we were in 461 00:26:09,520 --> 00:26:11,400 Speaker 1: a van together and now you know, we have these 462 00:26:11,400 --> 00:26:15,000 Speaker 1: big productions and their days are really long. So at 463 00:26:15,040 --> 00:26:16,440 Speaker 1: some point, you know, when you have a day off, 464 00:26:16,440 --> 00:26:18,360 Speaker 1: you're like, well, what are we gonna do together? It's 465 00:26:18,359 --> 00:26:21,720 Speaker 1: not usually I'm gonna sit in this room and right 466 00:26:21,800 --> 00:26:24,080 Speaker 1: all day. It's usually like I pour my heart out. 467 00:26:24,119 --> 00:26:25,840 Speaker 1: I don't know, can we have like like go to 468 00:26:25,880 --> 00:26:27,919 Speaker 1: a water park or do something crazy today? You know, 469 00:26:28,000 --> 00:26:31,560 Speaker 1: And like all have fun together and so it um, 470 00:26:31,560 --> 00:26:33,040 Speaker 1: but really i'd like to see you in the crew 471 00:26:33,040 --> 00:26:35,919 Speaker 1: at the water park. That could be project. Yeah it 472 00:26:36,040 --> 00:26:38,879 Speaker 1: is a pretty good time. Yeah, you're supposed to have 473 00:26:38,960 --> 00:26:43,040 Speaker 1: kids for that with you, just just like a bunch 474 00:26:43,080 --> 00:26:48,080 Speaker 1: of like slightly intoxic intoxicated adults. Yeah yeah, car park. 475 00:26:48,240 --> 00:26:54,000 Speaker 1: Yeah all right. Uh so you went in. This album 476 00:26:54,080 --> 00:26:57,280 Speaker 1: has uh it's got a really beautiful sound, thank you. 477 00:26:57,400 --> 00:27:01,280 Speaker 1: It's a lot um. I don't know how deliberate it was. 478 00:27:01,359 --> 00:27:04,600 Speaker 1: It's a it's at times a very fifty sound. It 479 00:27:04,640 --> 00:27:07,600 Speaker 1: sounds like a lot of reverb, but my right, yeah, 480 00:27:07,600 --> 00:27:09,840 Speaker 1: I mean, you know, we kind of try to follow 481 00:27:09,880 --> 00:27:13,639 Speaker 1: the lines that um. You know, as we worked with Richard, 482 00:27:13,880 --> 00:27:18,119 Speaker 1: he would always um, like first record, Like we would 483 00:27:18,200 --> 00:27:20,560 Speaker 1: make records for next to nothing with him, so I'd 484 00:27:20,560 --> 00:27:23,679 Speaker 1: still have a record budget, and then he would just 485 00:27:23,680 --> 00:27:25,960 Speaker 1: be like, man, use that and invest it back into 486 00:27:26,640 --> 00:27:29,360 Speaker 1: like your home recording space and like here's the gear 487 00:27:29,400 --> 00:27:32,280 Speaker 1: you need, which it basically set me up with everything 488 00:27:32,320 --> 00:27:37,720 Speaker 1: that he had. You know, I think out of just laziness, 489 00:27:37,760 --> 00:27:40,440 Speaker 1: not out of helpfulness, because we were planning on working 490 00:27:40,480 --> 00:27:42,399 Speaker 1: together a lot, and so he would want to like 491 00:27:43,080 --> 00:27:45,600 Speaker 1: come over and have the same setup. You know. He's like, well, 492 00:27:45,600 --> 00:27:47,280 Speaker 1: if I'm not gonna work in my spot, at least 493 00:27:47,359 --> 00:27:51,320 Speaker 1: your place has all the same stuff. Yeah. Um, so 494 00:27:51,359 --> 00:27:52,840 Speaker 1: we ended up with a lot of that kind of 495 00:27:53,080 --> 00:27:56,760 Speaker 1: sounding stuff. I have like a a kgb X twenty reverb, 496 00:27:56,840 --> 00:27:59,280 Speaker 1: which is sort of like the like we ran the 497 00:27:59,320 --> 00:28:02,000 Speaker 1: strings through that and they use that for Frank Sinatra's 498 00:28:02,080 --> 00:28:05,440 Speaker 1: voice on certain things, and it's just really rich and 499 00:28:06,000 --> 00:28:08,920 Speaker 1: to be X fifteen or ten and a twenty five 500 00:28:10,240 --> 00:28:13,359 Speaker 1: and so those are all analog reverb units that aren't 501 00:28:13,400 --> 00:28:17,720 Speaker 1: plate reverbs. But I love that sound. It's it's hard. 502 00:28:17,920 --> 00:28:19,480 Speaker 1: So how do they work if it's not a plate? 503 00:28:19,800 --> 00:28:22,359 Speaker 1: Is it? This actually has a giant coil in it, 504 00:28:22,640 --> 00:28:25,400 Speaker 1: like to b X twenty has a coil that's like 505 00:28:25,760 --> 00:28:30,480 Speaker 1: four foot Wow. Yeah, they're they're a real pain if 506 00:28:30,480 --> 00:28:33,480 Speaker 1: they break. There's really no one to fix them anymore 507 00:28:33,560 --> 00:28:37,960 Speaker 1: that I know of, so um but yeah, um so 508 00:28:38,080 --> 00:28:41,800 Speaker 1: essentially it sends a signal through this giant spring and 509 00:28:41,840 --> 00:28:46,560 Speaker 1: then back out the other side. Wow. But yeah, it's 510 00:28:46,640 --> 00:28:49,120 Speaker 1: hard to go. I think with the twenty you actually 511 00:28:49,160 --> 00:28:51,240 Speaker 1: have to use like an effects loop and like be 512 00:28:51,280 --> 00:28:54,479 Speaker 1: able to control it because there's no way to reduce it. 513 00:28:54,360 --> 00:28:57,240 Speaker 1: It's just like all verb or none. So yeah, by 514 00:28:57,240 --> 00:28:58,560 Speaker 1: the way, we're in a studio here, and I can 515 00:28:58,560 --> 00:29:00,120 Speaker 1: see all the guys in the booth are all all 516 00:29:00,160 --> 00:29:04,440 Speaker 1: on eBay now seeing if there's old good Luck fun 517 00:29:04,520 --> 00:29:07,440 Speaker 1: on the BX fifteen or two the other. Yeah, there's 518 00:29:07,440 --> 00:29:13,160 Speaker 1: a lot of fakes out there. To be careful. Yeah, 519 00:29:13,240 --> 00:29:16,360 Speaker 1: the other side of the album. They're not going to 520 00:29:16,440 --> 00:29:18,280 Speaker 1: hear it here. But I hope everybody gets this album 521 00:29:18,320 --> 00:29:22,080 Speaker 1: and listens. Is there's a lot of a lot of 522 00:29:22,120 --> 00:29:26,280 Speaker 1: voice and a lot of like choral right voicings in it, 523 00:29:26,960 --> 00:29:28,840 Speaker 1: which I'm assuming you brought in people to do that. 524 00:29:28,840 --> 00:29:31,040 Speaker 1: That's not well, like tonight number two is just me 525 00:29:31,120 --> 00:29:34,120 Speaker 1: and Patrick, Is that right doing all? I know? Everybody's like, oh, 526 00:29:34,120 --> 00:29:35,960 Speaker 1: you got a choir here? I was like, there's two 527 00:29:35,960 --> 00:29:39,120 Speaker 1: of us. Yeah. I just actually just keep larrying at 528 00:29:39,400 --> 00:29:42,560 Speaker 1: doing different harmonies on top of each other, first at 529 00:29:42,560 --> 00:29:45,920 Speaker 1: first doing it one on one and then just like 530 00:29:46,040 --> 00:29:49,680 Speaker 1: standing in the studio with four twenty ones like singing 531 00:29:49,720 --> 00:29:52,640 Speaker 1: into them while we're listening to the playback together. So wow, 532 00:29:53,000 --> 00:29:55,640 Speaker 1: well it sounds great, thank you, And you've got a 533 00:29:55,640 --> 00:29:57,720 Speaker 1: lot of strings and I think you're touring with strings, 534 00:29:57,760 --> 00:30:00,240 Speaker 1: all right, Yeah, we have a quartet with us. We Yeah, 535 00:30:01,280 --> 00:30:03,840 Speaker 1: we did like one night where we did three songs 536 00:30:04,000 --> 00:30:05,760 Speaker 1: and we brought in like a I think it was 537 00:30:05,880 --> 00:30:09,960 Speaker 1: nine or ten strings players, and it's like it was 538 00:30:10,040 --> 00:30:13,280 Speaker 1: kind of like the I just finished the studio at 539 00:30:13,280 --> 00:30:15,240 Speaker 1: my house and I was like, well, this is definitely 540 00:30:15,320 --> 00:30:17,840 Speaker 1: the test of what we can do in here. We 541 00:30:17,920 --> 00:30:20,480 Speaker 1: ended up pulling it off and getting the songs done. 542 00:30:20,520 --> 00:30:24,640 Speaker 1: So yeah. So yeah, it was a musicians unions, so 543 00:30:24,680 --> 00:30:27,000 Speaker 1: you're paying a lot of money from yea um, but 544 00:30:27,160 --> 00:30:29,880 Speaker 1: there's a lot of like melotron strings. I feel like 545 00:30:29,960 --> 00:30:34,240 Speaker 1: that was one of Richard's secret weapons to the modern 546 00:30:34,440 --> 00:30:37,120 Speaker 1: melotrons are pretty nice. I don't know. It worked for 547 00:30:37,160 --> 00:30:38,960 Speaker 1: the Beatles and the Beach Boys, so I don't know 548 00:30:39,080 --> 00:30:41,840 Speaker 1: I would work now, you know. Yeah, but it's got 549 00:30:41,840 --> 00:30:44,200 Speaker 1: a nice It gives the album this very nice late 550 00:30:44,240 --> 00:30:47,800 Speaker 1: sixties folk right on records. Remember it was it was 551 00:30:47,920 --> 00:30:51,400 Speaker 1: usually the not very good folk artists who suddenly had 552 00:30:51,440 --> 00:30:54,800 Speaker 1: like symphony orchestras behind them, right, I mean even but 553 00:30:54,880 --> 00:30:59,400 Speaker 1: this is really beautiful five Leaves Left record. Nick Drake 554 00:30:59,440 --> 00:31:02,360 Speaker 1: has like tons of orchestration on it too. Yeah, but 555 00:31:02,680 --> 00:31:06,040 Speaker 1: like you know, even like Leonard Cohen songs of Leonard Cohen, 556 00:31:06,200 --> 00:31:09,960 Speaker 1: Like there's some orchestration on air, but then there's these 557 00:31:10,000 --> 00:31:13,440 Speaker 1: just arrangements of like really weird sounding instruments that like 558 00:31:14,120 --> 00:31:16,560 Speaker 1: float in for a minute and then they're gone. I've 559 00:31:16,600 --> 00:31:19,640 Speaker 1: always loved that stuff though. Yeah, he uses a jazz 560 00:31:19,720 --> 00:31:22,520 Speaker 1: harp on I can't remember which song, but it's all 561 00:31:22,520 --> 00:31:23,960 Speaker 1: of a sudden you're like, is this a joke song? 562 00:31:24,000 --> 00:31:30,440 Speaker 1: Because you hear and then it just kind of fades out. Yeah, 563 00:31:30,600 --> 00:31:37,160 Speaker 1: could we coax you into one more song? I'm gonna 564 00:31:37,160 --> 00:31:41,080 Speaker 1: do Kissing our friends. It's beautiful. Guitar did very well. 565 00:31:41,320 --> 00:31:44,760 Speaker 1: You were good too, but the guitar didn't nice. They're 566 00:31:44,760 --> 00:31:47,360 Speaker 1: a little bit Thanks so much for coming in. I 567 00:31:47,360 --> 00:31:50,000 Speaker 1: hope we play this, and I hope people at your 568 00:31:50,040 --> 00:31:52,200 Speaker 1: church are like, how did we lose that guy? We 569 00:31:52,320 --> 00:31:57,640 Speaker 1: gotta get him back. It's not happening. Yeah, well they 570 00:31:57,640 --> 00:32:04,080 Speaker 1: can dream. Thanks Nathaniel Ratelift for stopping by to talk 571 00:32:04,080 --> 00:32:06,400 Speaker 1: to Bruce and for playing songs from this new record. 572 00:32:07,280 --> 00:32:09,160 Speaker 1: You can hear his new album and it's still alright 573 00:32:09,280 --> 00:32:12,240 Speaker 1: wherever you get your music and check out our favorite 574 00:32:12,280 --> 00:32:16,960 Speaker 1: Nathaniel ratelift songs at broken record podcast dot com, plus 575 00:32:17,000 --> 00:32:18,920 Speaker 1: Nathaniel's put a few of his own favorite songs on 576 00:32:18,920 --> 00:32:22,040 Speaker 1: the list as well. Broken Record is produced with help 577 00:32:22,040 --> 00:32:25,560 Speaker 1: from Jason gambrel Me LaBelle Lea Rose, Matt Laboza, and 578 00:32:25,640 --> 00:32:29,920 Speaker 1: Martin Gonzalez for Pushkin Industries. A theme musics by Kenny Beats. 579 00:32:30,080 --> 00:32:31,880 Speaker 1: I'm justin Richmond. Thanks for listening.