Talking by phone from New York last week before his appearance on "The Late Show With Stephen Colbert," the 41-year-old singer explained how making this album helped him lick those wounds. That was fantastic., A month later, Rateliff was in a meeting at his record label when, he says, one guy who does statistics said, You really fucked my job. Rateliff said he still wanted to make good on my commitment and thus headed to Oregon to make the bulk of the album at Swifts studio. He learned to play drums at age seven, and began to teach himself guitar at 13; he wrote his first songs a couple of years later. Related (Perhaps Willie Nelson, who appeared in 1977 when he was 44, but still. After a separation, in 2018, he and his wife filed for divorce. After all, his family and the people he grew up with in Missouri, as he points out, are quite conservative. Jon Solomon. When youre 20, you dont know what the fuck youre doing. For now, its one foot in front of the other, and Rateliff, a natural live performer, is antsy to get back out there, starting with SNL a milestone he reasserts was unlikely to ever happen. When Pope started losing his hair from the chemotherapy, Rateliff shaved his head in solidarity. I don't know if the times we live in are requiring me to write a happy song that people can just dance to, he explains. But I was like, Well, I can't actually say that. Five years into the most successful phase of his career, Nathaniel Rateliff suffered an identity crisis. We'd strip down to our underwear and jump in the creek. The good news? [24], Rateliff supported the Bernie Sanders 2020 presidential campaign, and Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats[25] performed at a campaign rally in Saint Paul, Minnesota. "We were already really close," he said about his mother. Nathaniel David Rateliff (born October 7, 1978) is an American singer and songwriter based in Denver whose influences are described as folk, Americana and vintage rhythm & blues. When Rateliff showed the song to an aunt, she corrected him: Her dad Nathaniels grandfather would drink too much of his brew and pass out in the snow. "Were a friend group," he says. Thats more my speed., Its a welcome shift, he adds: Having a home feels really good to me. [32] Spin praised his "massive, alluring" voice. I just don't know what this record is shaping up to be yet, really.. Once I knew I was going to do [the album], I was like, I want to go back to Richards. He, Patrick Meese, who plays drums in the Night Sweats, and James Barone of Tennis headed north. We love our fans. Im sure there will still be some people not paying attention to whats going on who will say, This isnt the Nathaniel Rateliff I know and came to see! To order Here's what we know about the split and how it inspired Rateliff's music. It was released as the lead single from their self-titled debut album. Still, Rateliff appears relieved. He was drinking heavily; he quit alcohol entirely for a time to make amends with his wife, Jules, but suffered delirium tremens from withdrawal. Jon Solomon August 24, 2021 3:01PM. Wheres S.O.B.? It's surprising and a little unnerving for me to see it now." In February 2018, "You Worry Me", the lead single from Tearing at the Seams, their second studio album, hit number one on the Adult Alternative Songs charts. "Time Stands" did not enter the Flanders Ultratop Top 50, but charted as an extra tip on the Flanders Ultratop Bubbling Under chart. Nathaniel Rateliff Debuts a Solo Rendition of 'Redemption' From 'Palmer' (EXCLUSIVE) The streaming premiere of Justin Timberlake 's " Palmer " was touted by Apple TV Plus as powering . I thought this was what grandpas do. His music mixes soul, gospel, folk, rock, blues, and cowpunk styles. And despite sounding relieved that a new administration has been sworn into US office, Rateliff is cautiously optimistic yet mindful of the divisions facing the country one whose rich musical legacy he regularly mines for inspiration. I dont really want to work with somebody whos not going to hear me, but I definitely want to work with somebody whos going to hear more than I hear and push me and the rest of the guys beyond what we think were capable of., There is also the question of what exactly he feels drawn write about for the groups next album. (song) " S.O.B. I hoped like a prayer/that your brokenness would leave you, Rateliff sings, voice thick with emotion, But months turned to years/And the emptiness prevailed., We were just worried about it, Rateliff says of why it kept getting pushed off during their week in Oregon. hitType: 'event', Tom Sizemore, Heat and Saving Private Ryan Actor, Dead at 61 "If you find my friend and he's having problems, call my number." He and I agreed we were going to be sober, Swift says. Theyre not., Which isnt to say this album should be viewed as a temporary side-step in a career that still feels mid-takeoff. "We are a family., Nathaniel Rateliff on Pain and His New Album, Your Privacy Choices: Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads. Timberlake and the films producers were eager for Rateliff to write an original song for the film, about an ex-con (Timberlake) who befriends a young boy whos been abandoned by his mother. They included the hearty stomp Trying So Hard Not to Know and the Memphis-soul stew Look It Here, both eventually cut for Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats. Pope came from a religious home with outlaw roots; an uncle, he claims, was an expert safecracker. Newspapers Limited, 8 Spadina Avenue, 10th Floor, Toronto, ON M5V 0S8. We want to hear it. eventCategory: event.slot.getSlotElementId(), Now, six years after breaking out and more than two decades after leaving Missouri, Rateliff is preparing for one of the most significant victories of his career: a musical guest spot on Saturday Night Live, the televised comedy institution airing on NBC for close to half a century. Nathaniel Rateliff and Bob Ashby met in junior . Especially when we're a bunch of goofballs, and it's fun to sit around and drink beers, and roll dice, and jump minibikes, and get hurt, all that stuff., The Night Sweats will find their way out, and back to each other. 'If You Play 007, We're Not Getting Married' After Bud died and Nathaniel left school, mother and son had jobs at the same grocery store. It would later hit the top 10 on the Alternative Songs chart in June 2018. I remember Joseph, like, joked around with Lorne Michaels when we ran into him, recalls Rateliff, who is phoning in from his home in Denver, Colorado. [26], On December 17, 2020, Nathaniel released "Redemption", a new song he wrote for the Apple Original film, Palmer. (Buds real name was Cecil Clement Rateliff, but he would kick your ass, Nathaniel says, if you used it.) We were trying to wait for the right moment of feeling. To Rateliff, songwriting is therapeutic. "And It's Still Alright" did not enter the Flanders Ultratop 50, but peaked at number 14 on the Ultratip chart. Rateliff and the Night Sweats went from local Denver heroes to perhaps the most improbable breakout of the past decade and they're not slowing down. It can definitely be a challenge. He prefers his set-up outside of Denver, on the rare days that he can get home. Its to bring people together and build communityand try to bring people together who have different ideas. As for drinking, compared to the depths recalled in S.O.B., hes seen wisdom in moderation. It wasnt like anything he did before was put-on, says Pope. Listen here https://found.ee/NRNSTheFutureFollow Nathaniel Rateliff:Officia. window.googletag.pubads().addEventListener('slotOnload', function(event) { Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved. I wanted to have the right emotion going into it to even perform it, so that it would carry over in the song., The end result, cinematic in its emotional heft but understated in its arrangement, will split your heart in two. he told Esquire in 2020. And I just drink way less. Expecting to Lose way more upbeat than the title suggests has a bluesy, hard-clapping energy that hews close to Night Sweats territory. "A Little Something More From" peaked at number 8 on the Flanders Ultratop Mid price chart. He hunted a lot of squirrel," he shared. Rateliff is adamant that the Night Sweats arent done, and not just for the music. Rateliff made three albums as an indie-folk singer with a quietly forceful voice and fearless confessional streak. ", Rateliff shared details of his early life in Hermann including the extremely strict Christian upbringing that he had. "I was in London [on a tour]. }); MINNEAPOLISWhile he expressed a lot of uncertainty about his tour kickoff in Minneapolis this week, Nathaniel Rateliff was very firm on at least one point. 1. "Face Down In The Moment" did not enter the Rock Songs chart, but peaked at number 40 on the US Rock Airplay chart. } I didn't have a phone or anything he put a note in my pocket. Nathaniel soon quit school, getting by with menial jobs. window.adsContainer = {"positionAfterTitle":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_Middle5_Rel_Newrev","isOrganicUserAd":true,"max_width":336,"max_height":280},"position2":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_After_Title_Rel_Newrev","max_width":336,"max_height":280},"position3":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_Below_Next_Rel_Newrev","max_width":300,"max_height":250},"position4":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_Middle_Rel_Newrev","max_width":300,"max_height":250},"position5":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_Middle1_Rel_Newrev","max_width":300,"max_height":250},"position6":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_Middle2_Rel_Newrev","max_width":336,"max_height":280},"position7":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_Middle3_Rel_Newrev","max_width":300,"max_height":250},"position8":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_Middle4_Rel_Newrev","max_width":300,"max_height":250},"position9":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_Middle5_Rel_Newrev","max_width":336,"max_height":280},"position10":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_Middle6_Rel_Newrev","max_width":336,"max_height":280},"position11":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_Middle7_Rel_Newrev","max_width":336,"max_height":280},"position12":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_Middle8_Rel_Newrev","max_width":336,"max_height":280},"position13":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_Middle9_Rel_Newrev","max_width":336,"max_height":280},"position14":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_Middle10_Rel_Newrev","max_width":336,"max_height":280},"position15":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_Middle11_Rel_Newrev","max_width":336,"max_height":280},"position16":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_Middle12_Rel_Newrev","max_width":336,"max_height":280},"positionTop":{"code":"Article_Desktop_970x250_Header_Rel","isOrganicUserAd":false,"max_width":970,"max_height":250},"positionBottom":{"code":"Article_Desktop_Sidebar_Bottom_Rel_Newrev","isOrganicUserAd":true,"max_width":300,"max_height":600},"positionBottomRight":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_After_Title_Rel_Newrev","isOrganicUserAd":true,"max_width":336,"max_height":280}} At one point, the singer, a barrel-chested man with a thick brown beard, does a nimble James Brown-like swivel on the tips of his shoes. The church was an enormous influence on his childhood and early teenage years. Mason Craig. As Im singing the words, sometimes Im just like, Oh, shit, Rateliff says. Rateliff developed a dedicated following within the Denver music community. 20072014: Nathaniel Rateliff & the Wheel, 2013present: Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats. [6] Shortly after the breakup of Born in the Flood, Rateliff released Desire and Dissolving Men on Public Service Records. On occasion, I like to tie one on but, as I get older, I hate feeling like shit the next day, or two days. The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time The release came as a surprise to Rateliff's fans, since he did not announce it beforehand.[27]. Im almost 40, and Im still figuring shit out.. All Rights reserved. },false) For one, he split from his band Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats, or at least took a hiatus. I was like, Im not going to buywhy should I buy?, A stable relationship and a remote place to unwind mightve felt impossible just a few years ago. But it had to be cut in that room. "I Need Never Get Old" did not enter the Wallonie Ultratop Top 50, but charted as an extra tip on the Wallonie Ultratop Bubbling Under chart. The Independents journalism is supported by our readers. Despite his 2020 solo albums title track earning more than 15 million Spotify plays and a folk-pop hero stamp of approval from The New York Times, this isnt something he ever expected to happen. I was so hungover that I had to have a drink. Laura Harvey. Anyone can read Conversations, but to contribute, you should be a registered Torstar account holder. I was drinking a lot. Today, Nathaniel Rateliff joins me to talk abut how he honors his connection to Richard Swift with this album, and how, even when there's a lot of darkness, he manages to find the light. Lets tear it up. I remember seeing Jimmy over there, freaking out. The studio audience responded with a standing ovation. ga('ads.send', { In August 2019, Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats launched a limited cannabis cartridge line titled "Nightstache Collection" in collaboration with Willie's Reserve. But I was also talking about excess, trying to get a grip on things," he shared. I think people looking back at American folk songs is a good way to understand our history and ourselves., Ultimately, what Rateliff aims for is for the listener to feel like theyre hearing their story in his songs. He thought he was actually sequestering himself to finish writing the last few songs for Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats' follow-up album to their self-titled .