Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Nate & his Kite
Posted on 10:23 AM by Casper
Read on for our Q&A session with band, Nate & his Kite, an experimental rock band from Indiana.
-Nate & His Kite, very quirky but it leaves me wondering...who is this Nate and what about his kite? Where did you come up with your band name and is there some meaning behind it?
The name “Nate & His Kite” probably has an even more quirky story. During the spring of 2005 the majority of our band was attending college together. Our good friend Nathaniel spent day after day ditching class and flying his kite. It was the free spirited attitude of this that seemed to parallel the music we were making. In 2008 Nathaniel joined our band after playing trombone on our album. It just seemed right.
- Who are some of your musical influences?
I personally am influenced by everything I hear. I really try to keep an open mind about genres and try to give everything I come across an honest listen. The big influences for me are The Beatles, Tom Waits, Oingo Boingo, Talking Heads, The Format, Ozma, The Blood Brothers, and The Mars Volta. As a whole we listen to a wide variety of things including The Beach Boys, RX Bandits, Horse the Band, and a wide range of hip hop and R&B artists. We also pull a lot from classical, jazz, and world music
- Do you have a certain theme or feel for your current album?
The idea of being isolated was a really big concept lyrically. We tried to give each song a different perspective on that. Musically, we focused on applying the right kind of genre to fit the mood of what we were trying to say. It was a bit like working on a massive jigsaw puzzle, trying to find that one piece that fit in just the right place to get point across and have everything still feel like a complete song.
- Describe your sound/genre.
It’s sort of a giant collage of the music we’re influenced by. We jump around with styles a lot and really try to make sure each song is fun but has substance.
- Who are the members of your band and their roles?
Collin Magdziarz: Lead vocals, keyboard, guitar
Robert Herrold: Lead Guitar, Vocals
Clifford Evans: Bass Guitar, Vocals
Nathaniel Ertel: Trombone, Keyboard, Various Instruments
Josiah Greatens: Drums, Vocals
- What would you like to accomplish or achieve with your music?
We really want everyone to have a good time listening to our music and take something substantial away from it.
- What is your creative process like?
Usually, a song begins with a simple idea, a few bars, a melody, or some sort of storyline or topic one of us feels strongly about. We all have a great deal of input into the writing so it truly is a collaborative process.
- What instruments do you use (technical specs for the nerds)?
Collin: Guitar: Gibson Les Paul Standard Double Cutaway with the capacitor cut out. Amplifier: Vox AC30CC2
Robert: Guitar: Fender Stratocaster Amplifier: Vox Valvetronix
Clifford: Bass Guitar: Ibanez 5 string Amplifier: Crate
Nathaniel: Blessing Trombone, various instruments
Josiah Greatens: Mapex Drums, Sabian Cymbals
we also use a korg microkorg, casio privia, and propellerhead reason for live shows.
- If you could work with anyone, living or dead, who would it be?
I suppose I would have to say Tom Waits and Danny Elfman.
- What's on your MP3 player currently?
I have way too much music on my iPod to list but I have been listening to the new Fun. album endlessly.
- Any upcoming concert events or releases?
We’re playing The Elbo Room in Chicago, IL on November 15. We’ve just started booking for winter and spring of next year so there should be a number of things coming up soon.
- Any final thoughts, shoutouts, tips or words of advice?
It’s very important to keep an open mind about music and art. There are wonderful things beneath the surface that make you think and feel new things if you just give them a chance.
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