Hubbry Logo
search
logo
637261

Nathaniel Rateliff

logo
Community Hub0 Subscribers
Write something...
Be the first to start a discussion here.
Be the first to start a discussion here.
See all
Nathaniel Rateliff

Nathaniel David Rateliff (born October 7, 1978) is an American singer and songwriter based in Denver, Colorado, whose influences are described as folk, Americana and vintage rhythm & blues. Rateliff has performed with a backing band called the Night Sweats for an R&B side project he formed in 2013. He has released three solo albums, two solo EPs, and one album as Nathaniel Rateliff & the Wheel.

Rateliff was born in St. Louis, Missouri on October 7, 1978. He grew up in Hermann, Missouri, learning to play the drums at age seven, often performing at church, where he also assisted his mother with writing hymns. His father died in a car crash in 1993, leaving behind a record collection which Rateliff would eventually discover. In 1996, Rateliff traveled to Denver on a missionary trip, returning to Hermann after. Later, he and his friend and lifetime collaborator Joseph Pope III left Hermann for Denver permanently, forming the band Born in the Flood.

In 2002, Rateliff formed Born in the Flood, quickly garnering a large following in Denver and headlining local festivals like the Westword Music Showcase. In February 2007, Born in the Flood released their first full-length album, If This Thing Should Spill. Despite increasing success with Born in the Flood, Rateliff turned down an offer from Roadrunner Records, and shifted his focus to a more stripped-down, solo effort, playing somber, singer-songwriter content under his name and "Nathaniel Rateliff & the Wheel".

In 2007, while still performing with Born in the Flood, Rateliff began recording and performing more personal, somber content both solo and with BitF bandmate Joseph Pope III (bass/guitar/vibes/organ/harmonica). The project expanded with more live performances, adding Julie Davis (upright bass/vocals), Carrie Beeder (organ/violin), James Han (keys/vibes), and Ben Desoto (drums/flute). Shortly after the breakup of Born in the Flood, Rateliff released Desire and Dissolving Men on Public Service Records. Nathaniel Rateliff then released In Memory of Loss in the USA on Rounder Records in May 2010, and then in the UK on Decca in March 2011. In Memory of Loss was recorded with producer Brian Deck (Iron & Wine). On September 17, 2013, Rateliff released Falling Faster Than You Can Run on Mod y Vi Records. On the same day he set out on a tour with The Lumineers and Dr. Dog, in support of the album.[citation needed]

Beginning in 2013, while still performing and recording with earlier solo and group projects, Rateliff embarked on a more upbeat, soulful sound with longtime collaborator Joseph Pope III and other collaborators in shows around Denver and Boulder. On June 24, 2015, the self-titled release of Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats via Stax Records was announced with the lead single being "S.O.B.". The Night Sweats feature Joseph Pope III (bass), Mark Shusterman (keyboards) and Patrick Meese (drums). Other band members include Luke Mossman (guitar), Wesley Watkins (trumpet), and Andy Wild (saxophone). According to the Los Angeles Times, this was "an album Rateliff made as a last-ditch effort before throwing in the towel on his music career, only to see it go viral and turn into a runaway hit."

In November 2016, he released the 8-track EP A Little More From... Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats released a new album, titled Tearing at the Seams, on March 9, 2018. After spending a week recording 18 songs with his band, Rateliff was not content and returned to the studio for five days with his band's rhythm section and three more days with the horn section, producing seven to eight new songs he felt were "appropriate, the right tempo and the right mood". The band shared the record's lead single, "You Worry Me". Produced by Richard Swift and being offered in 12-track standard and 14-track deluxe editions, the band assembled in Rodeo, New Mexico for the initial writing and recording sessions for the album.

"You Worry Me" is built on an insistent, swaggering pulse, and powered by echo-heavy guitars and throbbing bass and drums, with horns joining midway through as Rateliff sings a message of support and encouragement to someone who appears to be losing faith.

— Randy Lewis, Los Angeles Times

See all
User Avatar
No comments yet.