Nathaniel Rateliff Quotes

When After Forever stopped, I didn't want to first find a band, then see if I could write with them, figure that whole thing out, then record an album. Instead, I worked with people I knew would be good songwriters out of an idea how I thought it would sound like.

My next record I really just want it to be a collection of great songs, classic songs in a way.

I tend to name albums after one of the songs.

I'm not an artist that makes singles, I'm an artist that makes albums, and it's a totally different thing.

My approach is to be part of a band that makes music, not hit songs.

I want to put my vibe and my feel of music into an album and have people from different places around the world feel that and hear that.

I don't really think about what the subject of my next album will be. I just know that I'm going to make another album.

I've done a lot of albums and I kinda know when I'm onto something that was inspirational for me to record and create, and this was one of those projects where I really enjoyed making the album.

There's still a lot I need to do as a player, as a musician, as a sound creator. I have commissioned 170 pieces: that's still not enough, there are still lots and lots of composers I would like to approach. When I see a composer and I see a performer, I think to combine those forces.

Even though we didn't actually record it as the Move I had already written a song called 'Dear Elaine', which I subsequently put on the Boulders album. I thought at the time that was probably the best song I'd written.

Because somebody plays guitar, why does it mean they need a singer? Because people already have this image of things? No, I'll put my music together, then think about whether I need to embellish it with a singer.

I think it's really cool when artists have song titles or album names that are a really conversational sentence.

I really love crafting albums and thinking of albums as a whole, not just individual songs or singles or just tracks, but a whole entire album.

I wrote 'Don't Stop' just like I wrote 'Pumped Up Kicks' - I didn't try to make either a hit. I just wanted to write a song I liked.

I think, at the end of the day, that was really what the reward for production is for me, is being allowed to be a part of somebody else's musical vision for a while. Like Gwar. I got to do a Gwar record, right? That was great.

My goal is to make music and be a part of cool projects.

Producing isn't just making beats on a beat machine. It's bringing together these string players with this flute player and this singer, and telling them to all work in the key of C major... You bring these people together and let them all cook.

Getting to write a song with Steve Vai - he was my first support.

You can get to know me through my music.

When I started making music I wanted it to have a narrative and be conceptual, but as time went on I thought it was probably more practical for a first album just to have good music.

'Feel It Still' came around pretty much as organically as you can put a song together.

When I did 'Hand Cannot Erase,' I didn't have a specific singer in mind.

You're always thinking about making new music.

I put all those synthesizer sounds behind "Decoy" and "Code M.D." A lot of things we write together. A lot of things are his, but they don't have that thing I want on the bottom. I often tell him, I say, "Bobby [Irving], if there's a melody, there's another one somewhere that goes with it."

I knew that I couldn't afford to go wrong with the music of 'Karzzz.'