I was raised in a circus.

There was a mighty ringleader, armed with many facts, stunning insight, and a lofty pulpit from which to address the audience. The freaks came from far and near, desperate to prove their worthiness to belong. Great feats were undertaken by the carnies, lands and houses sold, prize possessions and families forsaken, feats of unbelievable rehearsal and memorization, ritual and incantation. Daily they faced many great (albeit unnecessary) dangers, even death. Cars were driven by blind clowns with huge families jammed inside, gymnasts hurdled babies, and odd costumes became the everyday attire.
And there was always music, roaring, mighty music, stirring the souls of the audience, giving energy to the performers. For hours they would play, providing the soundtrack for the orators of foreign and unknown languages, tall tales and demonstrations. The drummers drummed (I loved to watch the drummers), the organ played loud and strong, with trumpets and guitars, and the people danced and clapped and sang along.
The ringleader knew that the carnies didn’t fit normal society, so he made them feel like they belonged to something special - the longer they stayed the harder it was to leave, so great had the chasm between the carnies and society grown.
So, they kept to themselves. When they went into town people stared, cursed them, ridiculed them. It was easier to stick together.

When I was twelve, my parents left the circus.

In my own way I have been trying to become a part of the circus ever since. Integrating back into society was really, really hard. No one explained to me that I was a freak, at least not in a way that I could understand. So I began to play the drums, and hoped that one day I could prove my own worthiness to join the circus.

Yesterday I went to the Warped Tour. I met the tattooed lady behind the stage, along with the freaks who had traveled great distances to prove their worthiness to belong. I met the ringleader, and the clown, the dragon lady, and the lion tamer. Every night this traveling circus packs up their caravan and moves to the next town. And I want to belong. One thing I have realized - why most people can not and should not be a touring musician... you either want to join the circus, or you don’t. Most people don’t realize that being a touring musician is a lifestyle. And if you don’t love the lifestyle, you are going to be miserable. If you are worried about sweating or living a “balanced” life, stability or getting to shower every day, this is the last place you should be. If you do love it - it’s the only life there is to live. I’ve got to go feed the lions.

Tornado days...

Like the scene in my heart, the scene in my mind - dry, wet, stifling dead air, heat, sudden cold, violent winds, pink and orange skies turn black, lightning strikes, calm, creepy, scary calm, silence and then violence, terrible violence. Things torn apart and left where they do not belong, and then us, left afterwards to wait for a break in the weather to clean up the wreckage.



And yet there is a violent beauty, a magnetic ferocity to the storms, a sense of awe that something can still turn our perfected, overly-sanitized modern world on its stupid clunky head. A fascination draws us to this fierceness, the majesty of something beyond our control, wild, untamable, uncontrollable.

After the storm, we celebrate - for surviving, for being left intact, for living another day to re-think and rebuild. After the storm we mourn for the loss, people we can no longer see, work and possessions lost or irreparably altered.

Frequency Theater is in its own Tornado Alley, or as Seth Godin puts it - we’re in the dip, the push up the sigmoid curve. The dark hour. I want to fear no evil. Or failure. But this is life up close, messy, on the edge. Storms are frequent, and then sickening, deafening silences.

The good news is that we are still here. The tribe of Freqs is bigger than it was a year ago. Amber Butler, Jeff Harness, Dora Mills, Josh Wakeman (who I originally only hired for one gig), Jeremy Kempf, Jared Miller (a live sound engineer that the world would be mistaken to underestimate), Angelique and Simon B-H, Ruth Troyer, Joe and Michelle Patrick, Anna Pasquarello. These are the people who are weathering the days with me, keeping me encouraged, helping me hold on. There are more... Thank you.

We gave our best live performance ever last Sunday in Chicago. The band is getting it’s groove. We keep getting better - the songs are getting better. Someone wrote me this week and told me that I have sounded like I wanted to give up. I honestly don’t know how. Give up to do what? Keep writing song in my garage? I might as well keep going! I don’t know at the next phase of this band will look like, but I know we aren’t stopping, we aren’t even slowing down. Re-strategize? Yes. What we are doing now isn’t working very well, I am going broke, getting very tired of playing crappy venues, being disrespected by venue staff, not being able to pay my band, and growing soooo slowly.

This summer I am writing music for a movie, writing new music for the band, and working hard at my factory job. I am working on some new ideas to get us in front of bigger audiences. This summer there will be very few shows, but a lot of work is going on. Don’t be discouraged, this is going to get REALLY good at some point. I just had to tell you that the slowdown for the next month or two are only a re-up, crouching down to spring forward. Godspeed, -Nate

Yes - it’s a U2 song. And I mean it with all sincerity. Those of you who know me personally are probably cringing in the fear that I may be having one of my famous pseudo-bi-polar episodes where I freak out and trash everything I’ve been working on, especially in light of the last couple blogs with their epic “we can do anything if we stick to it” bravado. In my case this usually precipitates a colossal crash.

Well, you can breath a little easier. I am not trashing anything. Well, only a couple small things. I am not quitting the band or starting a new project or returning back to drumming. Back to all of that in a minute.

I want to apologize for not writing you sooner - I have my excuses, but in the end, I have just not made time for it. Which is ironic in light of what I am about to lay out to you. I have been thinking a lot about the question of why this band should matter to you. What do I have to offer you that a jillion other rock bands can’t do? I am not the best singer in the world. Or the best guitarist/keyboardist/drum machine guy ever. In fact I cannot think of one single thing this band does well that some other band doesn’t do better. So why don’t I just quit?

If this is about doing the technical work of being a band, or being the most talented - we’re screwed. Josh is a great drummer. I am too. In fact, I think there are even some things I do better than Josh when I am well practiced and in shape. Of course there are certain things he will always kick my butt at too. But there are thousands of other drummers who are better. And Jeremy (our bass player) can out guitar me every single day of the week. Maybe keyboards too. And I can think of at least 3 guitar players in our home town who could absolutely destroy Jeremy in a guitar skills contest. So - skill is obviously not the essential factor - even though it’s important.

We are not good at marketing. And while our live show can be really good, a lot of what we can bring that makes our show special costs so much money I can rarely even do the budget version. In fact to get the show basically functional so that we could consistently deliver the kind of show I envision would take around $12,000. And this is the “band” part of what we have to offer. As you can see: we can’t make it on our own.

No, I am not soliciting money. In fact, I am so done trying to do that. It makes me feel creepy every time I try it. Which means the show must not go on. Really. If the band can’t afford some of the essential things that make going to our shows special, why would we continue to put on shows that are less than that? Do you want to watch mediocrity?

What I am saying is that the band has something else to offer as well. Two things actually. The first and foremost is the songs. The real reason I write the songs that I do is because I remember times when I was really struggling, or angry, or in love, and a song or two just perfectly captured what I was feeling. They gave a voice or a sound to my emotions. They let me know that someone out there understood what I was thinking. I don’t write songs thinking “boy, if I can make this one commercially successful, that will make it a great song”. I think “if I can make someone feel understood or loved the way certain songs have gotten me in the past, then I will have blessed them, I will have given them a great gift”. So, I will continue to put out songs.

The second thing we can offer is a community. I am beginning to put a lot more focus on creating discussions and gathering places online where folks who enjoy this music, enjoy talking about movies and politics, theology and AM radio, coffee, beer, science, the future and spirituality can have a place to hang out.

When I was a kid, it used to drive me crazy that when you went to see a bigger show the musicians were so inaccessible. In fact I vowed to myself that when I had a big famous band someday, I would not be like that. I would walk right out into the crowd after the show, and we would be friends. So, I am going to try to live out that vision by being available, after shows, and online. If you want hang out at Steak N’ Shake or Waffle House after a show, just say so, and I am there! If you want to talk about something online, just shoot me an e-mail, or leave a comment. If you want to hang out sometime that is completely unrelated to a band event, I will do it.

Given enough time, the show will grow into what it needs to be. In time I will get better at making the show a gift too. I hope, I pray, I lay awake at night thinking about the day that I will play a show for you that really is a gift, that touches you, that makes you want to try again for living a better, healthier, more whole life. In the meantime, I think at this point it the best path for the band is to play fewer shows, but ones that present the real picture of who we are.

It’s really hard for me to say this. I am really emotionally attached to playing loads of shows. I crave an audience. I love driving through the night, listening to George Noory, setting all the equipment up, roaming around towns I’ve never been to before and discovering what they’re like. But why should I keep doing that without the equipment I need, playing to under promoted shows and dragging my bandmates all over for no money?

I don’t want to be here, writing this. I don’t want to admit that the last 2 years worth of work has landed me back at a trailer factory job. Or that our best attended show was over 6 months ago, and lately it’s been in a real slide, even though I’ve been working harder and spending more money. This is the real, bloody, dirty deal. So, I will focus on what I can do. I hope you can trust me enough to go there too.

I have a really cool story about my microphone. It’s just a normal looking Shure SM58, nothing special about it in appearance. But to me it has a wonderful meaning and I want to share it with you.

Let me start by explaining a little background of my own story, and why how I acquired the microphone is special, and then why I acquired the microphone - which is it’s own little story.

When I decided to start Frequency Theater in 2007, I honestly had no idea where it was taking me. I just knew that what I had been doing wasn’t working any more - and that I had to try something new. I had been playing drums for around 18 years for a load of bands, traveled a lot and I loved it - but I had so many ideas in me that were not having an outlet, and while I was fairly busy, I was also quickly going broke.

I had also recently been rejected from entrance into Berklee and had really begun to feel like opportunities were closing down on me. But I also believe that we make our own opportunities. So - I launched Frequency Theater (although it was originally called “Brødkast - google it and you will see why I changed it!)

Launching a band sounds kind of cool, maybe even glamorous. To me it seemed like a dumb idea in a lot of ways. I was frustrated at the thousands of dollars I had already spent on equipment, and now I was going to stop using my fabulous drumset, and have to buy a whole new set of gear to take on my new role.

While the gear issue seemed daunting, the real problem was mostly my thinking... and after awhile of experimenting I was able to address the majority of my needs with gear I already owned - it just took a lot of unorthodox thinking and some creativity. But some of the needs were real - and one of them was that I needed a good vocal mic. While this may seem crazy, when I received this mic - even buying a used one for $50 would have been a HUGE deal.

About two weeks (or so) before my first show in 2008 my wife came home from visiting her grandmother in Iowa and gave me this mic. So - the first part of the story is that this mic showed up right when I needed it. I think about that a lot.

Part II: My wife’s grandmother is a very wonderful sweet woman who cleans houses for some extra income. One of the houses is a priests parsonage, and one day while cleaning the parsonage she came across a microphone in the trash. She asked about it and was told that it didn’t work.

Grandma S. is a very creative person, with the most beautiful, quirky garden you will ever see. All throughout the carefully tended garden she has placed glass bottles of green, blue, red, yellow and clear on metal rods. In the morning when the sun is rising over her Iowa farm the most exquisite colors shoot in through the windows and onto the walls in a display as fine as the most incredible stained glass window could provide. She had decided that this microphone should be creatively painted and join those glass bottles in her garden as some kind of interesting decorative ornament. (This sounds ridiculous, but I have never seen anything Grandma did that isn’t cool - so I am sure it would have worked!)

Amber saw it while visiting her grandmother and asked about. “Oh, you can have it if you think you can get any good out of it” she is reported to have said. So my wife carried it home with her from Iowa and gave it to me. I plugged it in, it worked perfectly, and I have used it in every concert since.

I don’t know why it was in the trash, or why grandma was going to put it in her garden, and I have no idea how Amber happened to notice it. What it I do know is that what was once seen as broken and worthless has been rescued and given a purpose. I like to think we could be like that microphone.

Hi. I want to address this blog to adventurers and lovers of life. As many of you know, last week I won the MSI9W blogging contest. Actually, as it turns out, I was among a couple of “winners”. But I wanted to touch on a kind of weird set of emotions I experienced as a result, and what I think it means for anyone who tries to live a full life.

First of all, growing up as a kid - life was umm... challenging. I was pretty poor, from a fly-over state, with no one around to guide me on the musical path I have chosen for my life. I never won any band battles, was excluded from the school music programs because I was home schooled through the 8th grade (actually I think my mom pissed off the school guidance counselor), and generally have had very limited success as a musician. So, it feels pretty huge to have some outside force validating some part of what I am doing. Really huge.

But, as that underprivileged mid-western kid, I also learned to envy, even sometimes hate the kids who won the battle of the bands, the bands that came through the clubs I’ve worked in who’s parents had bought them way more cool gear then they had actual talent. I learned to be jealous of the girl who won the cool guitar at the music seminar that can’t play it, while I’m out here busting my ass.

So... I won. Now I’m the guy who won the prize that others wanted. Do I deserve it? Is there someone else who tried even harder that just didn’t get noticed? Maybe they are better musicians, but not as good of writers? What If I waste this opportunity?

I mean, I have had a couple of opportunities that I have blown pretty well. I didn’t throw away a winning powerball ticket or anything. Real opportunities are much more subtle than that. Like the time I turned down the chance to audition for a band called Superchick. I didn’t understand that opportunity. It came and went, and nine months later they were the biggest new artist in the christian music scene, and two years later I was a volunteer opening a gate for their bus at a festival. That’s when I knew I missed it.

And besides, I’ve played for crowds of 2,500 multiple times - and for crowds over 500 so many times I’ve lost count. That’s beyond most musicians wildest dreams. I’ve played drums on over 50 recorded projects. So shouldn’t someone else get a turn? Just because I suck at marketing my talents doesn’t mean I haven’t had chances.

So why am I here? Well, this time I saw an opportunity, and I took it. And it payed off. The thing I have realized now is that the privileged are not always blessed with persistence. There are so many of those kids with the nice gear who have since given up their aspirations, but I am still here. And while I have be mad at all those with the lucky breaks, I have to confess that it has rarely crossed my mind to actually enter the contest. I’ve never talked to someone from a record label. I have only participated in one battle of the bands, and that was the time I got asked to audition for Superchick.

So do I deserve this? Nope. More than likely there is someone out there who wants to succeed at this more than I do, and has more talent. But this time I entered the contest. I showed up. After showing up lots of times. Keep going. And enter the contest for crying out loud - whatever it is!!!

Godspeed, -Nate

Hey peeps! I am copying the newest Frequency Theater newsletter to the blog because the news was so good! If you don't get the newsletter, be sure to visit the website and sign up! -Nate


In the newest Frequency Theater Newsletter:

What’s been happening behind the scenes?
Current News
Upcoming Shows
How can I help?


What’s been happening behind the scenes?
We have been busy! Nate has finished producing a record for Detroit’s blooming geniuses Apollo. The record went over schedule and over budget (of course), but in the end all parties concerned agreed it was well worth it! Nate also recorded and mixed projects for several other artists, all while keeping the fires of Frequency Theater stoked!

Dora (the electronic explorer) tied the knot since our last newsletter and moved to Moline, IL to be with her new husband! We wish her much success, and while she now lives in a land far, far away, she will still make surprise appearances with Frequency Theater from time to time.

Josh has been teaching drums and recently participated in a band battle in Auburn, IN with one of his varied endeavors which also features legendary bass player Johnny B. Gayden, of Staples Singers and Albert Collins fame.

Band friend and occasional bass player Jared Miller interviewed this week with Disciple for a tour management and FOH position, and we all wish him luck!

Current News
Frequency Theater recently announced that we are embarking on “The Teeny Tiny Tour” with Owlsburg and The Electrostatic Attraction. Check out the website, facebook, myspace or reverbnation for details!

Aaaaaannnd..... WE WON A 6 WEEK PR CAMPAIGN FROM CYBER PR!!!! This morning the mail lady came up to the Super Secret Headquarters of Frequency Theater with a large box from Ariel's CyberPR. We took the package, and quickly opened it. First was a framed certificate saying that Frequency Theater had rocked the Music Success In Nine Weeks Blogging Challenge. Very cool, it was very nice to be recognized for the effort. But then, there was a hand lettered orange envelope with my name on it. I opened it expecting to see some kind of thanks for participating and good luck. Instead.... I was thrilled beyond belief, which resulted in an unceremonious happy dance! :)

Upcoming shows

April:
24 - 07:00 PM $5
Where: Area 33 Lounge, 913 U.S. 33, Churubusco, IN, 46723, US
Details: With 3CK, Color Me Red, Thatchet and Forthcoming.

May:
20 - 10:00 PM $5
Where: Payne's Coffee & Custard, 4925 Kaybee Dr, Upland, IN, 46989, US
Details: Kicking off the Teeny Tiny Tour in Upland IN!
21 - 06:30 PM $5
Where: Goshen Theater, 216 South Main St, Goshen, IN, 46526, US
Details: The Teeny Tiny Tour comes to Goshen!
22 - 06:00 PM $5
Where: Solutions Ramp Park, 5450 N Wheeling Ave, Muncie, IN, 47304, US
Details: The Teeny Tiny Tour comes to Muncie!
23 - 07:00 PM $5
Where: TBA, , Decatur, IN, 46733, US
Details: The Teeny Tiny Tour comes to Decatur!

June:
TBA - Supporting Apollo’s upcoming record release
Where: Northville, MI
TBA - Supporting Apollo’s upcoming record release
Where: Goshen, IN
TBA - Supporting Apollo’s upcoming record release
Where: Chicago, IL

How can I help?
Yes, we need your help! First of all, if you haven’t yet, please consider downloading our first EP from iTunes, and rate it! This will be a huge help to us. In addition to the newsletter, more frequent updates and a closer look at the inner workings of the band are posted on our blog. We would love it if you responded to the posts. We also have started a forum on our website, so be on the lookout for cool discussions and topics. Also, if you would like to see Frequency Theater come to your town, let us know, and we will do all that we can to put together a great show for you! And last, but not least... if you live in the northern Indiana, southern Michigan area (known to us indigenous tribes as Michiana) text "freq" to 72727 for text updates/show info/sweet deals on merch! We are using the same company as Papa John's Pizza for this service, so you know it's gonna be awesome!

Thanks so much, and Godspeed - Nate

 Blog. April 14, 2010.

Happy Tax Day...

I think I managed to just finish the best record I have made so far. Too bad it wasn't mine! :) Nonetheless, a significant accomplishment, and I am very proud to have had the chance to work with the guys in Apollo. Look very much forward to catching their upcoming release, titled "Firefly". It really is that good!

So what is happening the netherworld of Frequency Theater?

One of the coolest moments of this journey came last week - Ariel Hyatt from CyberPR left a comment on my last blog which really touched me...

"Hi Nate (hi Amber too), I just read all 9 of your Music Success in Nine weeks blog posts and your most recent one posted and I need to tell you that you touched me so deeply that I actually started tearing up on the subway with emotion.... Thanks for really sharing your journey with my book. I know that my book taught you a few things but it was and is you that taught me just as much by reading it. and sticking it out. And completing it fully. I loved watching your journey.... They say life is all about the journey and not the destination and that is so hard to keep in perspective when you work your ass off for something that you want so much, and for a direct expression of you and your creativity, your vision and your message. You , like me are a person who doesn't think "no" is an acceptable answer and I related deeply to the posts where you were frustrated, annoyed and feeling defeated and I want to thank you for your honesty."

Well, Ariel - Amber and I nearly cried too... this journey of mine has been going for over 20 years now, and even though it feels lame to say it, sometimes having some kind of outside validation really makes a huge difference!

So with that, I know that many of you who read this blog are fighting your own good fight, doing everything in your power to push back against the "no", the negative, the desire to surrender you dreams, your principles. Keep going. Keep doing everything you can to bring a little light into the world.

A while back I mentioned in a blog that I was exploring what on earth this band was going to be about. My friend c had really pushed me to find out what that thing is that has driven me for all this time, because believe me, if this was just about some notes and melodies and rhythm, I would have chucked the whole thing a long time ago.

So the paragraph above about keeping going, thats what this is about... there is a lot of negative junk in the world, people in your life who will do anything in their power to keep you from succeeding. Some people are afraid of getting left behind, some are jealous, and honestly, I think most people know in their guts that they are capable of so much more, and people around them who do push to reach full potential just reveal the guilt, shame and inadequacy that comes with a life that is not lived to the fullest.

Frequency Theater may never get off the ground completely, at least in the way that I envision it, but to the people who this means something to, that will never matter. What will is that we went out to do this, and gave it our best shot. And like Ariel said, that "no" was (and never will be) an acceptable answer.

Godspeed, -Nate

 Wow.
It feels like it’s been a year since I blogged last. But, no – it’s only been seven days. The world can change a lot in that time. I think the feeling is mostly a side effect of working crazy amounts. I guess when it rains, it pours!
My recording business has been blowing up… which is great! I have been able to work with some really great artists recently – and loving making music more than ever!

This weekend I got to play with my friends in Apollo at one of the great local venues, Constant Spring… we had a blast! I enjoyed waking up late on Saturday and walking down to Dunkin Donuts with the Apollo guys (after Amber and I snuck out earlier to buy blueberry bushes), The show Friday was really great, and feels somehow like a breakthrough. A lot of wonderful fans showed up, and the performances went to a new level, even in spite of some technical issues.

Then, yesterday I had the opportunity to record a really great R&B band which included my drummer Josh Wakeman, and the amazing Jonny B. Gayden on bass. We tracked it all live in the Goshen Theater, and then I mixed it today. Sometimes I can’t believe how lucky I am. Don’t get me wrong… I was under equipped, and a couple of the guys in the band made things… less than simple. It was pretty stressful at the time, but now listening to the final product I just think it was fortunate to even be there.

Today at lunch Amber and I walked around our property trying to decide where exactly to put those blueberry bushes that we bought on Saturday. The sun was shining, the grass has returned to some semblance of green, with random clumps of chives sticking out of the grass like rebellious cowlicks. I realized then, as well as later when I rode my 20” bike to the dentist that this is a time like no other in my life…

I have been able to be a full time musician for the last six months. At this point it doesn’t look like it is going to last, the band has been slow in getting the kind of momentum I had hoped for, and I have some debts that need to be paid. So I will probably be returning to the traditional workforce before long to kick some of those things in the butt. But if even for a short period, I have had the unbelievable fortune of living a life that looks very much like my ideal. And even more so, I have hope (and a realistic plan) that it may not be long before I am able to do it again.

In any case… while the band hasn’t met some of my short-term goals, a couple of longer term ones are starting to be realized… Friday night as I looked out to the crowd, people were singing along, and afterwards some shared with me ways that the songs or performances had touched them. And that is really what I want to do. Make music that means something to people. Once again, thanks to all of you who have joined in the journey, every single one of you who like this music.

Godspeed, -Nate

 Ahem… yes, I am still here.

Time flies when you don’t want it to sometimes. Holy cow, I have been busy. Lots of cool stuff… but it bothers me how it can keep me from making time to write you. Tonight will have to be pretty short – not a really great follow up to my absenteeism, but the reality to be sure.
It’s late, and I couldn’t sleep last night. I guess I had a lot on my mind. 219 votes and the lady in the harbor. That’s all I care to say about that.
So – mostly I just have a couple updates I wanted to share and one really cool announcement… first of all, THERE IS A SHOW ON FRIDAY! I am really excited to play in Goshen again… and our first time as Frequency Theater at the Constant Spring. If you are in town, you absolutely should be there! The band I have been producing a record for up in the Detroit area is coming down to open the show. They’re called Apollo, and I really love their music. Do your very best not to miss it!
Next… I have been at work on the Stockholm Syndrome cover. I tracked and video-ed the bass track last Thursday. I am hoping to put the video together yet this week – so keep your eyes peeled.
Last but not least… Frequency Theater has just taken a huge step forward: we are now going to be using a texting service to help stay in better touch with you. The texts will let you know about shows in your area, as well as special offers, discounts and other significant band news. I promise we won’t abuse it… if you would like to receive texts it is very easy to sign up. Just text “FREQ” to 72727 – you will get a confirmation text within a minute or so. If you show it to us at this Friday’s show you will receive $2 off any merch item.
Thanks for hanging around, I have missed writing you! Please feel free to say hi back. Godspeed, -Nate

 Whattup my peeps!
Sorry I disappeared last week – it was not intentional. To catch you up to speed with the Freq-train… I (Nate) am producing a really cool record for a band near Detroit, Michigan. Last week I went there to work, and like I usually do, put in a slew of 10 – 14 hour days. This shouldn’t have been a problem, except that the building we are recording in doesn’t have internet – and I was staying with friends that I haven’t seen in a while – so it became practically impossible to write a blog last week. And just to put this out in advance – it is quite likely the same thing will happen again. I would like to find a better solution, but I also know that I will be sweating it out with this band to create their first record.
So back to the deep stuff… I have been thinking a lot about the challenge my friend Jon put to me a while back – I have blogged a bit about it in the past, but today I feel like I have a moment of clarity. The challenge he put to me is that I have to identify why I am a musician – the part that makes me weep when I talk about it, and then bring that into my music. That challenge has really stuck with me – to the point where I found myself praying for my audience last Saturday night. It was a silent, private prayer – on the stage during a musical interlude.
So what the heck am I doing “praying” during a concert? This isn’t necessarily an overtly spiritual band, and I am certainly not out trying to proselytize anybody. In fact that idea is repulsive to me – so what’s the deal?
Well, from my perspective – our country, the people who live here are entering a truly dark time. Am I nuts? Maybe. Maybe I am one of those paranoid fear mongers. Or maybe our country is standing on the precipice of a financial and social calamity that no one in our generation has ever dealt with. I believe to face it is going to take courage, creativity, and a belief that one can rise to greatness in the face of intense adversity.
As for me, I have believed very strongly ever since I was a little kid that I am supposed to be here, at this time, in this place to use music as a way to call people to be courageous, blind to fear, full of love and generosity, and a refusal to surrender to people who say that you should give up. People, we must find more dignity within ourselves than to live a skulking, cringing life.
It doesn’t always make sense to my mind, this mission that I feel. Personally, I just want freedom. I want to pay my house off. I want to make a screened in porch for my wife. I want to raise children and have a nice car. I don’t want to owe anyone anything, and I generally just want to enjoy my life.
Being a musician ruins a lot of that (at least at this point). I mean my story is so damn typical musician it’s frightening! And yet, I cannot stop. In fact, I feel even more compelled than ever to continue this path. Believe me, it’s not because I have a messiah complex. The world doesn’t necessarily need me to be a musician. But the world does need a lot of good people in all callings of life to step out and prove that a life lived courageously and honorably is better that one lived otherwise. Godspeed, -Nate