It’s really easy to get caught up in the way we see things. But I feel like balance is important to have in there. I pretend to be an optimist when I’m probably not at all.
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NR: Well, I was trying to have that balance. While it’s not necessarily an optimistic album per se, how important was it to have that balance? You start the album on that note but by the end of it, you’re not just pointing out issues, you’re offering solutions. MORE FROM FORBES Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats Ring In Holiday Season On Stage With Houndmouth, Alice Merton By Jim Ryan So that’s kind of how that song ended up being the title track and the first song. So I really respect him and appreciate his opinion. I think it should go first.” And I just kind of leaned into that. I had sent him an early version of “The Future” and he was like, “So, this one is going first on the record, right?” And I was like, “You think so? I didn’t even know if it should be on the record.” And he said, “It absolutely should be. I brought in Bradley Cook to finish the record and produce for us. And after the second session, I just felt pretty lost as to what I should do and what songs should be on the record and what songs were going to be Night Sweats songs or if some of the songs I was writing were solo project songs. In the process of making the record, we had three sessions where we were recording and had all gotten together. How important was it to sort of begin the album that way? I read that the first song you wrote for this album was “The Future.” And on it you really address the times - greed for instance. Friday, Septemin Telluride, Colorado Photo by Barry Brecheisen Nathaniel Rateliff performs on stage with The Night Sweats at Telluride Blues and Brews Festival. I don’t feel like we’ve really made it out of any of the issues we were dealing with in 2020. So that’s definitely what I was writing about and thinking about - and, at times, thinking about the potential of our future being not a very good one.Īnd sometimes it still feels that way. But, yeah, like you said, the thread through the songs is certainly kind of looking at what our future is. I try to write from a kind of observing the bleakness perspective while trying to have some hope in there. NR: Well, everything looked pretty bleak at the time. What was the internal dialogue like as you started to ruminate on the ideas that would come to define the songwriting on this album? 2020, 2021 was an interesting time to ponder the future.
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As far as writing goes, I spend a lot of time reading science fiction and history books. I’ve always loved Bob Dylan and Townes Van Zandt. NR: I’ve always been a big Leonard Cohen fan. Who are some other favorite storytellers whether it’s musicians, writers or anyone else? Sunday, Septemin Telluride, Colorado Photo by Barry Brecheisen
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Nathaniel Rateliff performs on stage as part of the Lukas Nelson Super Jam at Telluride Blues and.