Nathaniel Rateliff Interview: SXSW 2010

Posted on Mar 15th 2010 6:55PM by Amber Walker
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Nathaniel Rateliff is an indie folk singer from Missouri. He will be playing at SXSW this year, and his debut album, 'In Memory of Loss,' will be released a month later in April 2010.

Describe your sound in your own words.

I kind of feel like it's a stylistically ... I don't want to label it, It's a lot of different songs. I'm just a songwriter, so it's anything from country to folk to R&B.

When did you start playing music?

I first started when I was about seven, playing drums, and then moved to the guitar at about 13, and I've been playing and writing ever since.

How did you start making your music a career?

Well, that didn't really happen until last year. I had a lot of blue-collar jobs, and I just kept working and was in different bands, and playing shows alone even while I was working -- for years and years and years. Then it sort of happened one day. I had been playing shows and trying to be serious for probably 12 years before anything happened.

What are your musical influences?
I really love the Band. I don't think it comes across in my music. I've always been a big fan of Leonard Cohen. Lately I've been listened to Elvis Perkins and the Delta Spirit.

What is the inspiration behind your music?

The inspiration has always been something that has kind of been there; I always felt that there has been something that has demanded me to do it.

What's your favorite song on your new album?

'Brakeman' was one of my favorites, but by the end of the record we all liked 'Happy Just to Be,' which was a song which we weren't even going to record to put on the record.

What's your biggest vice?

It's a toss-up between sex and booze.

What's in your festival survival kit?

A flask, a neckerchief and ... I think that's it.

What's your musical guilty pleasure?

Maybe Hall and Oates.

What's the craziest thing you've seen or experienced while on tour?

A couple of years ago at SXSW, we had played at the French Legation Museum and there was a ton of free vodka. So we played the show and had a bunch of vodka, and they asked us to come back and play later. So we left and went to this swimming hole by Barton Springs that I'd found that has this tree that hangs over the water. We were all climbing up and jumping out of the tree into the water, and then I dove out of the tree into the water and I figured I'd raise the stakes. I decided to do a flip out of the tree into the water and over-rotated and landed on my throat and I came out of the water coughing up blood. I sort of lost my voice, but I still went back and played the other show.

What is your favorite gig you've played?

I've played all sorts of interesting places, but regardless of room or size, my favorite shows are always the shows that are quiet.

Beatles or Stones?

Beatles.

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