May 13, 2020
Nate Morton from "The Voice"
In this episode, Part 2, we dig deeper into the audition he went on thanks to Barry Squire and his own networking becoming known as a "player" in town. Besides doing gigs around town and networking, he would go to some of the more well-known jam session so he could be seen, heard and start to build his network.
As you'll hear as a constant thread throughout both parts of this conversation, networking and relationships have been key to Nate's growth and success.
We talk about the sequence of auditions and gigs in a timeline so you can get a feel for the progression of what Nate went through to bring us current to today.
In 2005, there's the lengthy audition for "Rock Star: INXS" and then in 2006, "Rock Start: Supernova". Then onto "The Bonnie Hunt Show" from September 2008 to May 2010. Finally in 2011, he lands one of the greatest gigs of all times, "The Voice"
We talk more about his early days in Los Angeles and we walk through his timeline of auditions, touring gigs with well-known artists and end in the present day.
Enjoy and thank you for listening!!
**********
Nate Morton:
Nate's Website: https://natemortondrums.com/
Fraudprophets Website: http://www.fraudprophets.com/
YouTube: Nate Morton Drum Cam
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/natemortondrums/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/n8drumz/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/n8drumz
Nate’s company affiliations include:
- Pearl drums & percussion
- Zildjian cymbals & sticks
- Roland
- Remo
- ePad
- Cympad
- GoPro
- Sennheiser
- Kelly SHU
- WingKey
Podcast Music By: Andy Galore, Album: "Out and About", Song: "Chicken & Scotch" 2014
Andy's Links:
http://andygalore.com/
https://www.facebook.com/andygalorebass
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Transcript
Part 2 - Nate Morton Interview:
Joe: And some of
Nate: I
Joe: The process,
Nate: Will say.
Joe: Like with the Billy Myers or gay. Right. With with that with that two day audition series that happened.
Nate: Yep.
Joe: Were you given music ahead of time or did you have to go in and just wing it?
Nate: Oh, God. No, no, no, no. If you're gonna do an audition typically back in that era and they would say, you know, oh, go to her manager's office and pick up this C.D. and the he would have, you know, three songs on it and they would generally be listed in the order that they were gonna be released as singles. You know, here's the first single second, third. And in the case of Billy Myers, I feel like her single was already out or was a song called Kiss the Rain. Kenny Aronoff, I think, played drums on the original recording.
Joe: Ok.
Nate: And yeah, that dude. Yeah. You know that. Yeah. That that up and coming guy.
Joe: Right.
Nate: What
Joe: Right.
Nate: He's got, he's got a lot of potential.
Joe: Yeah.
Nate: I think if he sticks with it, he's really
Joe: Right.
Nate: Going to
Joe: Yeah,
Nate: Go far.
Joe: Yeah.
Nate: I hope, I hope people get my, my stupid sense of humor
Joe: They
Nate: Like
Joe: Totally.
Nate: They're just out there just not like oh my God. He said he thinks Kenny Arnow is up and coming.
Joe: The
Nate: Oh, my God. He's an idiot. That guy.
Joe: No.
Nate: So, yes, Kenny, if you're listening. I'm sorry. Just joking. So. So I pick up, you know, you pick up the C.D. and. This is twenty, twenty years before almost 20 years before I have to start. No, no, no, no, no. I think that that. I'm sorry. That would have been in the. That would've been let's call it let's call it ninety nine. Two thousand area. And then it wasn't until. Two thousand, five, six or so when Rockstar came along, which is which is this TV show that I did where we started having to learn these like kind of high volumes of songs, right. Where it's like, oh, there's fifteen songs this week to learn, which in retrospect doesn't seem like a lot because there are times on the voice when it's like, OK, here's the thirty six songs rolling this week.
Joe: It's amazing.
Nate: But at that time to have to come in and in a week learn 14 songs or 12 songs, it was like, I mean if you do a tour. If you do a tour, you might be rehearsing. Let's just say six days a week. Seven or eight hours a day. And you, depending on the tour you're doing and the level you're doing. I mean, you might be learning two songs a day. You're not
Joe: Hey,
Nate: Saying
Joe: Yeah.
Nate: Muddy Lane shoes on the day because the keyboard players are dialing sounds and this is that I didn't want to wear. It was it was actually literally that it was literally out of a 10 hour day. The keyboard players and guitar players were dialing sounds for seven and a half or eight hours of getting the sound right for you. The track was so the idea that you would come in and in the space of a week, from Monday to Saturday, Saturday, really Monday to Sunday, you know, it's like Monday and Tuesday, you've got to learn 14 songs because you're seeing the contestants on Wednesday and Thursday. I mean, at that, like I said now. I mean, I could I could, I could. You know, this sounds terrible, but, I mean, I could do that and read a book and crochet a sweater at the same time. Well, but then but then the idea of fourteens on the two days like war. So anyway, my
Joe: And this
Nate: Only.
Joe: Was the rock star time frame that you're talking about.
Nate: Correct.
Joe: When?
Nate: This was the beginning
Joe: Ok.
Nate: Of rock star. This is
Joe: All
Nate: The
Joe: Right.
Nate: Beginning of rock star.
Joe: Ok.
Nate: So. So.
Joe: And how did you get that? Like. Morgan walks in the room and like every drummer runs its runs to the corner like a bunch.
Nate: Are you out of your mind?
Joe: So don't don't you know, don't belittle
Nate: Okay, okay, okay,
Joe: The
Nate: Okay,
Joe: Fact
Nate: Ok.
Joe: That you had to go do something to get these gigs. That's important.
Nate: Ok, Joe.
Joe: It's.
Nate: Ok. Why did you ask me? Ask me?
Joe: Ok, so you were with
Nate: Ask
Joe: Billy
Nate: Me,
Joe: Myers
Nate: Ask me,
Joe: And then.
Nate: Ask me the big question, which is because this is this is this was this is the big question that I'll bring it on home. Ask me the big question, which is how did you get the gig on The Voice?
Joe: No, because there's so many other things in
Nate: No,
Joe: Between.
Nate: No, no, no, no. Just
Joe: Oh,
Nate: Try
Joe: I thought there
Nate: It.
Joe: Was.
Nate: No, no, no, just try
Joe: Ok.
Nate: It.
Joe: Really? OK. So Nate, how did you get the audition on The Voice?
Nate: No, no, no, no, no, no. The gate, the gate stretch.
Joe: Oh, the
Nate: Try,
Joe: Gag
Nate: Try again. Try again, Joe. Nate, how did you get the gig on The Voice?
Joe: Me. How did you get the gag on The Voice?
Nate: Funny you should ask.
Joe: Oh, good.
Nate: So back in, ho, ho, ho. Get comfortable people back. Somewhere around 2002. I always want to do like in the year 2000.
Joe: Right.
Nate: If anyone remembers that, I don't even remember that little Conan O'Brien bit. That has to do with Eddie Richter. So back somewhere around 2002, I was playing with the singer songwriter piano player named Billy Appealing. That was a little earlier named Vanessa Carlton. So 2002, 2002, 2003, somewhere in that neighborhood, maybe 2003. And for those of you who may not be familiar with Vanessa Carlton, she had a single called A Thousand Miles. It was a really big summertime single. So interrelates with Vanessa, and we're somewhere in the middle of somewhere and I get a call.
Joe: See? But there you go again, you skipped over, how did you get that gig?
Nate: Well, I actually didn't skip over Joe because I said because I said Nate's a jerk because because I said that many of my earlier auditions, of which Vanessa Carlton was one can't be very Swier, actually. Probably
Joe: Ok.
Nate: Did. I probably
Joe: Ok.
Nate: Admitted that. Yes, she. So OK, then I'll give you the quick I'll give you the quick. Overview of the various wire gate, so of the various of the gigs that I did or of the auditions that I did when I first moved the town, that I found myself in a room in some way, shape or form or fashion at the result of knowing or as a result of knowing various wire. The first one was Billy Myers. The next one, I think, was Tommy Hinrichsen, who is a guitar player, bass player, singer songwriter, rocker of all levels. He's currently playing guitar with Alice Cooper. Right. But it's time he had a deal on capital. Yes, capital is the only capital records. So Billy Myers, Tommy Henderson. Darren Hayes, who was a lead. I think he was the lead singer of Savage Garden. And so for a minute there, Darren Hayes had a solo project. Darren Hayes. And so I didn't audition that. I was fortunate to get through that. I was unable to do it because of a conflict with another very ask audition that I did, which was Vanessa Carlton. So Darren Hayes and Vanessa Carlton conflicted. So I found myself having to choose between the two or fortunate to have the, you know, good, good problem of choosing between the two. And and I elected to. Play with Vanessa Carlton and then also in there was there was a well, there is a he's a bad ass, a techno dance artist, ETM artist, if you will, called Brian Transito or Beatty is his name. So those those handful of auditions all came through the Barry Squire stream. So
Joe: Perfect.
Nate: Very smart,
Joe: Now, I feel
Nate: Very
Joe: So
Nate: Suave
Joe: Much
Nate: Stream.
Joe: Better now.
Nate: There you go. Barry Swier Stream led to Vanessa Carlton. So both now mentor Vanessa. Phone rings This might've been a Bery call as well, but it was Hey, Nate. There's a certain big artist who's auditioning and she is looking to put the band on retainer and the auditions are this day, she's heard a lot of players. They haven't said of the band yet. And we would like you to come to the audition and I won't say the artists. Name, but her initials are Alanis Morissette. So. Let's hope
Joe: Oh,
Nate: So.
Joe: Good.
Nate: So
Joe: That
Nate: I'm
Joe: Was true, Nate
Nate: So
Joe: Martin
Nate: I'm free.
Joe: Form right
Nate: Thank you.
Joe: There
Nate: Thank
Joe: Was
Nate: You. Thank
Joe: Perfect.
Nate: You. Thank you. Thank you.
Joe: God, I'm so glad.
Nate: So so I'm out with Vanessa and I get this call that Atlantis is auditioning. And I know that Vanessa's tour is winding down. And so I'm very excited. I'm like, oh, man, this could be a great transition. So in the middle of the Vanessa gate, I fly home. All of this, by the way, I'm still answering the question, how did you get to get on the voice? If you can't if you can believe it. So, so so it works out that the day she's auditioning it, it falls on like a day off that I've got with Vanessa. And so it's a day off with Vanessa. I don't remember where we are, but I raced to the airport in the morning. I fly home. I'm listening to Atlanta songs on the way home, the song songs if you're going to ask for a rhyme, charting out my little charts. And I think and I get there and I go to the audition and. And it was amazing. I played it. Yeah. Sounds great. You guys will rock it. And at the end of the audition they go, man, that was great. You didn't get to play. Oh, my heart broke. I was so sad. Right. So I did not get the gig. They said, thank you for joining us. You're you know, you did a good job. But we're going to you know, we have another guy. OK, I get back on a plane the next day, I fly back, I rejoin Venessa, which is a great gig. No disrespect to Buddhism.
Joe: Anybody
Nate: And so.
Joe: Know where you went in that period of time?
Nate: Sure,
Joe: Was it
Nate: Probably.
Joe: That the van?
Nate: Or you know what? Do you know what the truth is? I'll be honest with you. I don't even remember. I don't remember. I don't remember. I might have said maybe it would be not kosher to be like, hey, I'm going home to audition for a gig that's no bigger than this one. And so so maybe I wouldn't have said it. Maybe it would have added more a little bit more subtle approach. But nonetheless, I didn't get it anyway. So I arrived back and then I finish out of Inessa tour and I'm a little bit bummed that I missed out on that great opportunity because. Hashtag comments were sent.
Joe: Yeah,
Nate: All
Joe: Yeah,
Nate: Right.
Joe: Yeah. Hell, yeah.
Nate: Shoot. So if you called me today, I'd be like, I don't know, can I. Can I fit your voice schedule? Or is it here? I mean, she's amazing. Right,
Joe: Yeah, absolutely.
Nate: Though. So the Vanessa. Tour finishes and not too long after the Vanessa tour finishes, and I feel like this is I feel like this is the end of. Oh, for. I get a call from a friend and he says, hey, mate, Mark Burnett is putting together his TV show. It's called Rock Star. He needs a band. And so he is called upon however many in eight, ten, twelve days to put together bands to come in audition to potentially be the house band on this show. It's going to be like American Idol, but it's going to have like rock and rock songs. You know, it could be great. And so I go, okay. That man, of course, I would love to. And so the person who called me for that audition was a bass player named Derek Frank, who has a very, very long list of credits to his name. So Derek put together the band as the band leader, and we went and auditioned. So now we're in early 2005, because if memory serves the first round of auditions for Rock Star, we're in the first or second week of the year. That was like January 5th or something, right? Was the audition. We audition and again, multiple bands audition again. The whole process is going on and on and on. And eventually they wind up saying, OK, I get a call from Clive Lieberman, who is I'm still in my life at that time. I get a call from Clive Lieberman and he says, OK, we've narrowed it down. We have three drummers that we're looking at. And you're one of the three. And here's the next day, you know, can you be here on this day? At this time? OK, sure. Of course I can. So I go there. And now now we're in like late January because the process started like early January. Now we're moving into like mid late January.
Joe: Wow. That's incredible.
Nate: The man I was started. I'm just getting warmed up. So so I go there. And the other drummers are playing and the rotating Grumman's in and out in the way that. I mean, I've done several auditions and they all work a variety of ways. But generally, if none of the band is set, then some portion of the audition live audition is that drummer with that bass player, that bass player with that guitar player, that guitar player with that drummer that removes that bass player on that guitar player in there, especially in this sense, has a television show. They're analyzing it all. So so they're they're well above like, do these guys sound good? They're like, do I like that guy's dreadlocks? In my case, for example, I know that guy has a guitar that's like Dayglo pink. That's cool. Oh, I hate that guy's boots. Like, it's on that level because the TV show. Right. So at the end of the day, we're playing with vulnerably. Okay. I'm let's let's say I'm drummer number three. So we're playing, playing, playing, playing, playing. At some point they say, okay, drummer number one, you can go home. And then I look around and there's just like German number two and me bling, bling, bling, bling, bling. And at some point they say, OK, drummer number two. Thank you a lot. You can go home and then it's just me and I'm playing for like the rest of the day and well into the night. So finally they say, OK, we're finished for the night. Everybody can go home. Now, when they did that on Billy Myers, it was this is the band we're playing Vibe tomorrow. Let's get her done as opposed to on this, where they're like. All right.
Joe: Go
Nate: So
Joe: Now,
Nate: I
Joe: Go home
Nate: Could
Joe: And worry. Now go home and
Nate: Go
Joe: Worry.
Nate: Home. Now go home. Right. So I go up to Clyde. Clide Lieberman. Love them, love, love, love. I got to climb. I go say Hi, Clyde. As I look around, I don't see any other drummers. I said so. So can I. I said, so should I. Should I go home and, you know, have a celebratory drink? And Clyde's response was, well, you should definitely go home and have a drink,
Joe: Yes. Oh, no.
Nate: Right? It's so,
Joe: Oh, no.
Nate: So, so now we're at the end of January. The band that they arrived at. Sort of somewhere in February. They had this band. Right. And I was included among and within that band. And they had an M.D., a guitar player, a bass player and a multi instrumentalist. And so then that band did a gig for the. That was a CBS show. So we'd have done a gig for, like, those higher up CBS guys. Right. We would have had to have been approved by them. Then at some point, they kind of went like, well, what if we had this person on bass? So then that band did another gig for the CBS people. Then, well, what do we have this person on guitar? Then that band did another gig for the CBS people.
Joe: Wow.
Nate: Then I was like, wow, this isn't working out. Let's go back to the other band. OK, now then that band did. So. So there were there were there were hoops aplenty to jump through. But in the end of all the jumping through hoops and I remember this date, I don't know why it's burned in my head. I could have it wrong. But I remember this date. I feel like May. I feel like it was May 19th. We were all sat in a room with the executive producer of that show, Rock Star. His name is David Goffin and that band. Was myself on drums. Sasha could face off on base. Half Amaria on guitar, Jim O'Gorman on guitar and multi instrumentalist and musical director. Paul Markovich. So that was the first time Paul, Sasha and myself worked together as a rhythm section. Now, Sasha was my bass player on Vanessa Carlton. And Paul had also worked with Sasha in other situations. But this is the first time at that that this was the genesis of that rhythm section. So. From Rock Star, that rhythm section went on to do multiple sessions in town. Two seasons of Rock Star. That band went on to do a tour with Paul Stanley. Ultimately, that rhythm section wound up doing the Cher Caesars Palace run. So now I flashed all the way forward from 2000 and. Five. Right. By the way. So the first audition, the first part of that audition was in early January. And the band wasn't solidified until
Joe: May 19th.
Nate: The end of May. Well, May 19th was when they said, if you want to do it.
Joe: Got it.
Nate: And then ultimately, by the time contract or signed. Yeah, it was the end of May. It was the end of May. Beginning of June. Somewhere in there.
Joe: So all of this time, you're not making any money.
Nate: No, the auditions that we did and the rehearsals that we did were paid
Joe: Ok.
Nate: Because because at the end of the day, you are a professional musician. So even whether whether you have the gig or not, it is still your time, you know. And
Joe: Ok.
Nate: It is, you know, I mean, we were we weren't on some sort of, you know, incredible retainer or anything. But at the same time, the powers that be know that to expect you to dedicate the time to learning these songs and doing these rehearsals and showing up and, you know, wearing halfway presentable clothes and showing up with good gear and playing gigging town and good, that's not something that people would typically want to do for free. That's something that that you know, that that's what we do. And so
Joe: Right.
Nate: They wouldn't have expected us to do that for free.
Joe: So any point during this interview process from early January to this may date where it finally gets solidified? Did any other tour opportunities come up that almost tore you away to go and say, OK, this great thing has just come in? And if I get this, I'm out here, I'm done with these auditions. I'm going.
Nate: So, Joe, when you called me. And you were like, hey, man, can you come in my pocket hasn't got to me and I was like, Sure, sure. And then you were just like, Yeah, we'll talk about your life story.
Joe: All.
Nate: And I was like
Joe: Right.
Nate: I was kind of like, oh, there's gonna be like everything I've always been asked before and about we all the same stuff. I hope Joe comes with a new question. I hope so. That's the first time anyone has ever asked me that question.
Joe: Seriously?
Nate: And yes, that's the first time I've ever been asked that question. And that is an interesting question. And it is, is it is very insightful.
Joe: So we'll think I'm
Nate: So
Joe: Looking.
Nate: Absolutely.
Joe: I'm looking through all of this because I live through you, you know that, right? So I am all of these questions are like, man, if I was in the middle of all this and all of a sudden, you know, share, I get the call from Barry saying Cher's auditioning. So anyhow, that that's why it was
Nate: Well,
Joe: Important.
Nate: And like I said, it's a good question and it's a very astute question. And the answer is yes. I mean, because it was from early part of the year to like May, April, you know, in that in that neighborhood.
Joe: And they're building
Nate: So,
Joe: Up
Nate: Yeah,
Joe: Their tour
Nate: That's
Joe: Vans.
Nate: When things are
Joe: Right.
Nate: Happening.
Joe: Right.
Nate: Right. That's why things are happening. I can't remember specific things that I would have, you know, turned down or that I would have not been available for. But I will say that even in that context of it not being solidified. I felt like it was definitely worth keeping my. Carts hooked to that ox because it was a TV show. And all the time that I was touring, I was definitely like, you know, like touring is great. Touring is a blast. I love it. I may wind up doing it again at some point. That'll be amazing. We'll be fine. But there's also an extent to where it's like it might also be nice to be able to make a living, staying in town and seeing your family every day and sleeping in your own bed, driving your car and go into your favorite restaurants and not dealing with the fact that you showed up at, you know, 10 and the rooms won't be ready until two. So you're sleeping on a couch in the hotel lobby. You know, that's that's also an element of truth. So. So, yes. So things came in. Kate came and went, and I definitely decided to stay the course and, you know, follow that that that path towards what I thought would be a TV show which wound up being a TV show. And where was I? Sorry, Bella.
Joe: So, no, it's OK. So Rockstar, you guys did
Nate: Right.
Joe: A bunch
Nate: So
Joe: Of
Nate: That
Joe: Shows.
Nate: Was the first time I played
Joe: Yes.
Nate: It, right? Right, exactly. Exactly.
Joe: You're the new
Nate: So.
Joe: Heart rhythm section in town, right?
Nate: Where are the new rhythm section and how.
Joe: Ok.
Nate: Oh, we were that time. But but yeah, you know. And so so the whole the only the only point that I was really trying to make in this very, very, very, very long winded, you know, spool here is. The. The fact that I'm able to be on The Voice now is a direct result of the relationship that I started with Paul Markovich back in 2005 on Rock Star. So what is this, 2020?
Joe: Yes.
Nate: Right. So. This whole gig started coming about. A decade and a half ago. And so I. And so I say all that, I say that to even spend it further back to talk about what I was saying earlier about relationships, which is that you have no idea, you know, the the guy that you do a gig with one time for one hundred bucks at a club somewhere. Might be the guy who calls you for the audition that completely changes the course of your career.
Joe: All right.
Nate: So, you know,
Joe: So
Nate: I mean, and.
Joe: So Rockstar was till when?
Nate: Rockstar, unfortunately, only lasted two seasons, Rockstar was 2005, 2006 on CBS. The first season it was Rockstar in excess and the feature band was in excess. And we were going through the process to find a lead singer to replace Michael Hutchence. And then the subsequent season was called Rock Star Supernova. And they had chosen Tommy Lee. Oh, this is embarrassing. Tommy Lee. Jason is dead. And a guitar player.
Joe: Tell us of.
Nate: But they are putting together the supergroup. They're putting the supergroup. And and so they were basically auditioning for a singer to front this supergroup. And that was what that season was about. And so then, yeah, like I said, that's easy. It ended. And then Paul Stanley called like Vee Paul Stanley.
Joe: Yeah.
Nate: Like the walking, breathing, living. Iconic legend
Joe: Yes.
Nate: Paul Stanley calls and says, Hey, guys, I'm going to go out and support my solo record. You want to play with me and I will. Duh.
Joe: Right.
Nate: You know, I mean, Paul is amazing. Paul, Paul, Paul is Paul and Cher. Paul, Stanley and Cher share. Shares is a share on all adult donor list, but possibly in share. Both have this. They are at once incredibly. Sort of present and know exactly who they are. And the fact that they are literally. Iconic legends. But at the same time, able to make fun of themselves, able to laugh. Selves able to be down to earth, able to be. Just so what's the word I'm looking for, relatable.
Joe: Authentic. Yeah,
Nate: Authentic, relatable
Joe: Yeah,
Nate: In a crazy
Joe: Yeah.
Nate: Way. You know what I mean? Have figured. I didn't pause daily. I said to you, man, I was in this band, you know, however long ago or whatever you guys met and she was older than that. Oh, okay. Go. I love it. Was the early days as to whether I was the rock band. It's the story.
Joe: Peter.
Nate: Sorry. You know, because I was such a funny time. So it's the band from Rockstar Impulse Daily. And I hit the pause daily as it meant the band from Rockstar and Paulist Aliens is the best band ever played with us. Here it goes. Yeah. Yeah. I'm sure this is the best band you've ever played with.
Joe: Nice. Oh, my guys,
Nate: No,
Joe: It's
Nate: It was
Joe: Hours
Nate: It was
Joe: Of.
Nate: So great. He was so great. It's like the cool thing, too, is we did it. We did a show a while back. And one of the songs we played in season finale after the season finale is over and the show's over. I hopped my car to drive home and drink. And I have a text from Paul Stanley telling me, oh, my God, man, great job on, you know, such and such a song tonight.
Joe: That's so cool, man.
Nate: It's amazing.
Joe: It's so
Nate: You know,
Joe: Cool.
Nate: He is he is genuinely one of those guys who. I don't know. He's just he's he he's he's able to balance being an icon and still being sort of down to earth and,
Joe: That's really
Nate: You know,
Joe: Cool.
Nate: Relatable and. Yeah.
Joe: So what year is this that you go out with him right after Rockstar ends?
Nate: Well, Roxette would have been a five oh oh oh five was one season. 06 was another season. And so I feel like we did. I mean, it would have been 06. It would've been 06. Maybe in two oh seven. But maybe just because because Rock Star was a summer show, so we wider than rock star and been down at the end of the summer. And then we might respect, like the fall slash winter with Paul Stanley
Joe: Ok.
Nate: And then been done because because the the second leg of the Paul Stanley tour was Australia. And so Australia, if you don't know or if anyone doesn't know. Is backwards to us. So Australia winter is our summer. So it's 100 degrees in the winter. So I feel like it was that. I feel like it was like the fall here. I feel like it was 2006 rehearsals. Maybe in the fall tour here in the fall. And then I feel like that tour would have gone into like maybe. Like October, November in in Australia,
Joe: Ok.
Nate: Something of that nature.
Joe: And at
Nate: Yeah.
Joe: This point, is this the biggest tour that you've done up to date to
Nate: With
Joe: That
Nate: Paul.
Joe: Yet?
Nate: He is definitely the most iconic artist that I would have worked with up
Joe: Up
Nate: To that point,
Joe: To that
Nate: You know?
Joe: Point. OK.
Nate: Well, OK. Well. No, because I don't mean. I tried not to like.
Joe: You've done so many great things, we can't leave anything out.
Nate: No, no, I'm just. I'm OK. What exactly
Joe: That's why
Nate: Is
Joe: I'm
Nate: Going
Joe: Prodding
Nate: On right now?
Joe: You for all of this stuff. This
Nate: No,
Joe: Is my job.
Nate: I mean, man, I'm just fortunate. I'm fortunate that I've managed to eke out a living doing this thing. And I'm fortunate that, like, people calling me to do what I do, I feel like.
Joe: And you're about the most humble person I've ever met in my life. That's the reason.
Nate: That's nice. That's nice of you to say. Thank
Joe: It's
Nate: You.
Joe: True.
Nate: But it's
Joe: It's.
Nate: True. I know. But you know what? It is so so look. So when I was in high school. I wasn't walking around like, yeah. One day I'm gonna play a post alien, Chaka Khan, and, you know, remember me on TV? I didn't think that. I thought like
Joe: That was like your Richard Pryor.
Nate: I thought.
Joe: Now it's like you're selling Richard Pryor. That
Nate: I'm so not going to even try to do Richard Pryor.
Joe: Was
Nate: But
Joe: Great.
Nate: But
Joe: Oh,
Nate: But
Joe: Good.
Nate: I mean, I guess. But bye bye. But my point is that, like, my point is every day I am of two people. I am the person who gets up and goes like, OK, today it's time to get up and learn the Peter Frampton song that we're playing on the show today. Like what? Like the first. Right. Right, so so, so part of me goes. OK, let's learn. Peter Frampton on. That's the that's the current me. But the high school me is still in there, and one of the first records I ever owned was a Peter Frampton record, right? Not Frampton comes alive, but it's like one before that. The single was a song called I Can't Stand It No More. Which I'm not even going to try to sing. But it's a really cool tune. But like so the part of me gets up and goes, OK, let's go to Linda Peter Frampton song play today. But then inside that is still like the little kid going like, I can't believe I'm playing with this guy. That is one of the dudes that I learned to play drums by jamming along to my drum set
Joe: Yeah,
Nate: To the
Joe: It's
Nate: To
Joe: Crazy.
Nate: The LP. I'm a record player, so I say all that just to say, like in terms of being humble. It's not like I'm trying to be humble. It's just that I still the meet the young me still steps back and looks at what I'm fortunate to do and goes, Oh my God. Dude, you're you're a lucky friggin fortunate mofo to get to do what you're doing. So and then again, circling back to where we were, which was you said up to that point, Paul Stanley. And the reason why I paused. I had not played with Cher at that point, but I feel like I had played with Natalie Cole at that point.
Joe: Ah,
Nate: Yeah, so.
Joe: So that's
Nate: Right.
Joe: Here.
Nate: So so genre differences, obviously, and volume of people who know, obviously, you know, potentially different.
Joe: Yes.
Nate: But I mean, in terms of iconic,
Joe: Yes.
Nate: I mean, they're both they're both right there. I remember going out to dinners. Natalie would have these dinners. We were on tour in Japan at one point and she said, we know want everybody come down to dinner at the restaurant, at the hotel or whatever, and we're there. And she would say things like, you know what? When Daddy said that? And I'm like.
Joe: Oh, my gosh. Your mind explodes.
Nate: My mind explodes.
Joe: That is so
Nate: One
Joe: Cool.
Nate: Time Daddy said, and it was like, Wow.
Joe: Yeah.
Nate: So yeah, man. So I mean so so I can't remember the exact timeline. But up to that point. Yes, it would have been Natalie, Paul Stanley. I had a short I had a short run with Chaka Khan
Joe: Ok.
Nate: Up to that point. So she's you know, she's you know, I mean, Chaka
Joe: Yeah.
Nate: Khan. Right.
Joe: Hey.
Nate: I mean it again, like I said, even as I say this, that I have a hard time saying these things because I don't come across like I played with her. It's like to me, I literally look back and I like I play with a person like they hired
Joe: So
Nate: Me. They're bad.
Joe: Call Soquel.
Nate: So now I it's. Yeah, it's man. I'm so fortunate. I'm so fortunate.
Joe: So where are we in the timeline now, because.
Nate: Well, at this point, we're up to about where we're up to Paul Stanley. So impossibly ends,
Joe: Yeah. And this again,
Nate: Stanley
Joe: What
Nate: Ends.
Joe: Year is this? Remind me. 2009,
Nate: Well,
Joe: You
Nate: We're
Joe: Said.
Nate: All well, we're we're pretty much almost current at this point because when Paul Stanley ends. That's got to be like, let's see, oh, five or six or seven. That's got to be like in the O2 eight ish 07,
Joe: Ok.
Nate: Seven or eight ish ballpark.
Joe: Yes. OK.
Nate: And then I did a TV show. I was fortunate to do a couple of TV shows, and one of them was called the Bonnie Hunt Show, which was a daytime talk show on NBC. And circling way back to your way earlier question about in terms of who was at early with me, who that I know still. So Churchill era was the piano player and the band on the body honcho. And and it is and it is through Chechu Elora that I got the call to audition for the band or the Bonnie
Joe: Wow.
Nate: Hunt show right
Joe: How many years later
Nate: Later than Berkeley.
Joe: Here? It's like.
Nate: I mean, it's a little Berkeley, I graduated ninety four, the call for Bonnie
Joe: It's crazy.
Nate: Hunt to audition comes 94, 2004 to about a decade and a half.
Joe: It's crazy, right? This is exactly
Nate: It's crazy,
Joe: What you were talking about.
Nate: But it's relationships,
Joe: Yeah,
Nate: It's relationships,
Joe: Yeah.
Nate: You know. So, yeah. So then. So Bonnie Hunt. And then that ran for a while and then Bonnie Hunt for a stretch, ran concurrent with Cher. So I was playing with Bonnie. And share at the same time, and I can't actually remember which one came online first, but what I was basically doing was I was playing in Vegas with Cher and then on my days off from Cher, I was coming home to Bonnie here in L.A. and I was basically driving back and forth and doing sort
Joe: Wow.
Nate: Of double duty. Yeah, it was it was a little bit. It was a little taxing because
Joe: Oh, my God.
Nate: I.
Joe: So was Cher a Barry Squire gig?
Nate: Cher actually came through my relationship with Paul Markovitch dating back to 2005,
Joe: Ok.
Nate: So meeting him in 05, doing the show with all five of six rock star Paul Stanley tour sessions in town. Other things in town. And then Cher would have come about. I mean, it feels like. Oh, nine ish. But don't quote me on that. Oh nine oh nine. Give or take six months to a year.
Joe: Ok. And the share gig was at a walk on for you because of Paul. Or you still had to audition.
Nate: Share. That's what he called a walk on.
Joe: Guy,
Nate: It makes
Joe: I
Nate: It sound so
Joe: Don't
Nate: So
Joe: Know
Nate: It
Joe: What
Nate: Makes us so casual, like,
Joe: Would
Nate: Hey,
Joe: Have
Nate: Man,
Joe: Come
Nate: Come on over
Joe: Up.
Nate: And play with us and share.
Joe: I don't even
Nate: Hey.
Joe: Know where that term comes from. Walk on. Was
Nate: Oh,
Joe: It?
Nate: Well, we'll
Joe: Isn't
Nate: Walk
Joe: That like
Nate: On
Joe: A
Nate: Is
Joe: Football
Nate: Like.
Joe: Thing? Like if you don't have to. You don't have to go through the audition.
Nate: No,
Joe: Are
Nate: I
Joe: The.
Nate: Think it's. No, I think it's kind of the opposite. I think it's a college. I think it's a college athletics term. But it's not a good thing. I know you're using it as a good term, but I think that in college athletics, you have your your your top tier guys who are on scholarship. So like, for example, on a college basketball team, like a Division One team, I think there's like twelve kids, I think. And I think that, like, 10 of them are on scholarship, but there's like auditions, auditions, music nerd tryouts
Joe: Tryout.
Nate: To fill like those last spots.
Joe: Hey,
Nate: And
Joe: I
Nate: I think
Joe: Said auditions,
Nate: Those last
Joe: Too.
Nate: Spots.
Joe: I couldn't think of the word.
Nate: Right. I think those last spots are walk ons like, OK. We've got art, we've got our eight or whatever it is, our 10, we've got our we've got our blue chippers over here. We've got to fill out the team, open tryouts, and then there's like 100 kids. And of that one hundred kids, you pick like four or five, whatever it is to fill out your team. That's a walk on. So like a walk on. Oftentimes never even gets on the floor like in in that context. But
Joe: So
Nate: I understand
Joe: I
Nate: What you're
Joe: Totally
Nate: Saying.
Joe: Use
Nate: No,
Joe: That.
Nate: You did. But no, but I understand. I totally understand what you meant. I told you so. But and to answer your question, yes. I did not audition. Mark was playing with Cher. And I believe that Pink had dates that conflicted. And so I believe that he made the decision to go and fulfill his obligation with Pink, which vacated the Cher position, which gave Paul the leeway to basically call me. And then I came in and I finished out the whole run with Cher at Caesar's Palace in Vegas.
Joe: Got it. And she
Nate: So
Joe: Was
Nate: Then.
Joe: Amazing. Amazing person, everything you actually got to hang with her a little bit.
Nate: She's
Joe: A lot.
Nate: Awesome. She's awesome. She she is one of the people like and again, I never take any of this for granted. I never think any of this is assumed. None of it. But like those kind of stories that you hear about artists who are like, you know what, I'm just gonna buy out the whole theater for Tuesday night. So my whole band and crew and dancers and everyone can go and watch Boogie Nights. You know, I mean, like or hey, I'm just gonna, like, buy out all of the pole position, indoor, you know, go kart race track for a night. So my whole band and crew could just go and do that. So, you know, she really she did a thing once where Cher is the coolest. Like, shares the coolest. And the first person to make fun of Cher is Cher. Like, she's so, you know, like self-effacing. But at the same time knows that she's an icon. And that's an amazing thing. It's an amazing balance. But we did a thing one night where we played. Bingo. Right. Hey, guys, I want everybody to come down to the theater where we're going to play bingo. OK, so here we sit playing bingo. And the prizes, if you get bingo, is like an Apple iPad. OK. So this person wins, OK? He got B eleven I 17 in bingo. Here's my pad. Thank
Joe: Nice.
Nate: You. Good bye. OK. Here's your iPad. OK. It's like. It's like. It's like Oprah. You got a car.
Joe: Right.
Nate: You've got a car. You've got a car. Right. So. So. So the night is that we played. I don't know. There's there's 200 people on the crew. And we played 30 rounds of bingo. So 30 people have walked out with iPods. OK, well, it's late. It's you know, it's Vegas. So. So, so Vegas late. So it's, you know, hetero. 3:00 in the morning. OK, everybody. It's all good. Great job. Last round works on me. OK. Goodnight. Right. Bye. OK. Show up the next day. Do you know whatever it is, soundcheck? Oh, date. He's right that way. What you mean? I didn't win. No, no. Sure. Have for everybody.
Joe: Nice.
Nate: You know, I mean, like that kind
Joe: Yeah,
Nate: Of thing.
Joe: Yeah, yeah,
Nate: He get out
Joe: That's cool.
Nate: So. So. So, yeah, I know she was she was one of the. Coolest, most relaxed, she Ampol. I mean, I don't. I got to say, it's it's ironic or not that two of the most well-known, iconic, well respected artists that I've ever worked with are also two of the most down to earth. Relaxed. Nothing to prove. Cher has nothing to prove. Paul Stanley has nothing to prove. There's no attitude. There's no weirdness. Like.
Joe: It's really cool.
Nate: It's really cool.
Joe: Yeah.
Nate: It's really cool. And I've just been fortunate that. I. I have historically never shows in. Gigs, opportunities, situations. Politically, and here's what I mean. I've never chosen a gig because the artist was the biggest artist or because the guys in the band I thought were the coolest guys who would call me for gigs one day. I've always been the guy who. If you call me for a gig, you call me for a game. OK, Joe. Hey, Nate. Put together a band for this game of going on. I'm never gonna be like, let me call the four guys who I think are most likely to call me for a big gig. Let me call the four guys who are my boys, who I think could really a user gig or B are going to play this the best. I'm never. So that might wind up being four guys you've never heard of.
Joe: Right.
Nate: But they'll kill it.
Joe: Sure.
Nate: And they're my buddies and. And it'll be a great game. So I guess my point is I've always done that and I've never chosen gigs. By the way. Based on. Political or financial gain? So numerous times. I've had a. That might be more beneficial politically or financially, frankly. But maybe I hate the music or I've got gig B. Where I love the music and I love the dudes, but it pays half what gig pays on gig based. And the reason I've always done that is because I've always hoped that in the end, wherever I land, I'm gonna be playing great music with great musicians in a cool situation with guys that I really love being around. And I am so fortunate that that's the case. The guys in the band on the boys are my brothers. Those are my guys.
Joe: Right. It could
Nate: You
Joe: Prove
Nate: Know.
Joe: To be a really long tour if you're on a gig where it pays a lot of money. But the music sucks and
Nate: Or you
Joe: You don't
Nate: Don't
Joe: Like
Nate: Like
Joe: The
Nate: The
Joe: People.
Nate: People. Yeah, or you don't like the people you're playing with. And and yeah. And. Yeah, I like I said, I've just I've just been very I've been very fortunate, you know? And again, it's like the guys on the voice are my family and not even just the guys on the voice. The guys are the boys in the band. The girls on the voice in the band. The whole voice, music, family. People sometimes say, how do you guys get along so well? And I'll quote one of our keyboard techs slash. Brainiac Patrick, who knows the answers to all the questions. He just does he's like DOE technology. But someone once asked, how do you guys get along so well? And Patrick said, or no, they said, why do you guys go along so well? No. Was it. Hold on. Let me go straight. Yeah, I was how do you guys get along so well? And Patrick said it's because we have to. But we have to in other words, what we do and the product that we create and the amount of time that we spend around each other and working with each other. It could only exist if we had the kind of family relationship that we did. We have to if it if it's not that it can't get done, it can't
Joe: Right.
Nate: Happen.
Joe: Right.
Nate: You know,
Joe: Yes.
Nate: So I'm rambling, but that's kind
Joe: No, no,
Nate: Of where
Joe: No.
Nate: That's kind of that's that's the whole story. So, so, so an answer.
Joe: So, again, in the timeline, year two thousand nine.
Nate: Yeah. That's when the voice starts 2010, somewhere in that ballpark. Yeah.
Joe: When the voice was, I guess I might be getting it mixed up with the rock star. The Voice wasn't a lengthy audition, right? It was you already because of Paul and everything. I don't remember.
Nate: Well, I mean, the voice, so the voice came about. The voice was not an audition. The process that led to me being on The Voice. Started. A decade prior. Over a decade prior, you know, so. So, no, it wasn't an audition, but it was a relationship that built over the over the preceding however many years that was from. Well, I said it decades. So I guess I guess not a decade. But. The voice would have been 2009 10 and I would have met Paul is more than five. So about a half a decade. So, yeah, so would have been a five year, six year relationship prior that led to the voice ultimately
Joe: That's
Nate: For
Joe: Amazing.
Nate: Me anyway.
Joe: Right.
Nate: Yeah.
Joe: And it's and it's going strong and you guys sound better than ever. And it's just amazing. And just to be on the set. It was so cool. I think the funny and I tell people the story all the time. The fact that I was able to have, you know, some ears to listen to
Nate: Yes.
Joe: The band,
Nate: Oh, God.
Joe: The banter
Nate: Oh.
Joe: On the bandstand.
Nate: Woo! Oh, don't you ever put that out anywhere
Joe: Oh, okay.
Nate: Where the worst are the worst.
Joe: Okay.
Nate: All we do is back on each other all day.
Joe: Oh, my gosh. It is amazing. So what else? I want to make sure we didn't miss anything. And I want to also give you a moment to plug anything that you're doing. I don't know if you still you still have your band outside of The Voice.
Nate: Well, I'm involved in a side project with my buddy Sean Halley, Sean Halley and I, and sadly now do you always do these v a zoom?
Joe: So far, because I just started it when all of this happened.
Nate: Right.
Joe: So.
Nate: And all of this for your listeners who may see this down the road, years, three years, four years is that we are in the midst of a zombie apocalypse.
Joe: Correct.
Nate: There are cars being turned over.
Joe: Better known as Cauvin
Nate: Yes,
Joe: 19.
Nate: Yes. Yes. That's
Joe: Yes.
Nate: It's it's it's crazy. So, yeah, I mean, all of this is happening amidst this time when, you know, gigs are getting canceled and all of this. And actually, I had a gig with my side project, which is a band called Fraud Profits, which is myself and my dear, dear friend Sean Halley, also a genius, by the way. And we had this band for our profits, which was filled out by bass player Ben White. And Ed Roth was gonna be playing keys with us. And we had a gig booked on April 10th that we were all excited to do it. And so it's not happening. But in terms of things that I'm doing outside the voice, that is one of the primary things. So you can if you're interested, you can look up Frauke profits F are eight. You d p r o p h e t s dot com. And you can also find us on Instagram. You can also find us on Facebook. And so we will continue to keep you updated on what we're up to in the albums available where all albums are available. It's called Pop Ptosis and it's really rad. Yeah,
Joe: Awesome.
Nate: Yeah,
Joe: All
Nate: Man,
Joe: Right, cool.
Nate: It's.
Joe: And then what about lessons? What are you doing
Nate: I don't know, I guess trying to study with you at some point when you have some have
Joe: Ok.
Nate: Some availability
Joe: Well,
Nate: And you can you
Joe: Yeah,
Nate: Can fit me
Joe: I'm
Nate: In.
Joe: Pretty tied
Nate: Ok.
Joe: Up
Nate: We'll
Joe: Right
Nate: Get back
Joe: Now.
Nate: To me. Get back to me. You can when you can fit me in your schedule. Now,
Joe: Oh,
Nate: So.
Joe: Good. No, sir. So how can people how can drummers that want to go to the next level take lessons from you? How I know that.
Nate: Right.
Joe: I guess if they're in L.A. and when things get back to whatever air quotes normal, if that happens, they could come there to your studio and
Nate: Right.
Joe: Do it.
Nate: Right. But in
Joe: You
Nate: The meantime,
Joe: Doing?
Nate: I
Joe: Yeah.
Nate: Will. I am making myself available for online lessons. And it's a thing that thanks to this. I think I mentioned to you earlier, I got my whole rig up and running. So I'm talking into like an actual microphone as opposed to my my earbuds and I have on headphones as opposed to my earbuds, because the headphones, the microphone are all running through my studio gear, which I'm making like gestures at, but no one can see. But I am getting the rig here setup so that I can do online lessons. I have done some of the past and I'm thinking that with my new audio going on. Thanks to the motivation of getting with you and chatting tonight. I have it a little bit more under control. So sure, if you want to man if you want get together online for like a lesson or an exchange of knowledge or any of that stuff, I'm so easy to find. I'm on Instagram or Insta, as I call it, when I want to make my wife really
Joe: It's
Nate: Angry. She's like
Joe: Nice.
Nate: No one calls it. It's the I call it ads that no one calls it. It's. Oh.
Joe: Oh, good.
Nate: No,
Joe: So
Nate: It's very.
Joe: What's your what's your handle on Instagram?
Nate: Oh, no.
Joe: Oh, man, I'll I'll find
Nate: Shut up,
Joe: It and put it
Nate: Shut
Joe: In the show
Nate: Up.
Joe: Notes.
Nate: Wait, wait, wait. No, I think it's just. I think it's in in as inmate eight, the number eight D. Are you Amzi in eight D. Are you M z. I think that's me on Instagram. It's also my license plate. Oh, hey, buddy, sorry. So so the band was having a rehearsal at center staging. And my license plate on my SUV says in eight D-R, UMC meat drums. And there were some other band there and I can't remember who the artist was. But like the drummer and the guitar player of that band came over to our rehearsal. I was hanging out. And you know how it is. Musicians know, what is this? The voice. Oh, what are you doing? I'm doing this gig. And so the drummer talks to me and says, Oh, you know, you're the drummer on The Voice. What's your name? Nate anymore. Oh, Nate. Nate. Oh, is that your car in the parking lot? This is Nate drums on the license plate. I was like, yeah. And like, literally, I swear to God, that's because. I could be an atriums like like I felt like I needed to have a gig
Joe: Right.
Nate: Of a stature that would allow me to
Joe: The
Nate: Have the mic.
Joe: Name
Nate: And
Joe: On
Nate: They
Joe: Your
Nate: Trust.
Joe: License plate. Perfect.
Nate: Oh, yes. I was like, oh, you're so young, like young, you
Joe: Oh,
Nate: Know?
Joe: Good.
Nate: But he was funny. He was funny. All right. You could be aid drops was like, thanks.
Joe: That's so
Nate: Next year,
Joe: Funny. It's awesome.
Nate: Let me just give like a..
Joe: Yeah.
Nate: Ok.
Joe: Oh, God.
Nate: David, he was girl. Of course. And of course, I looked him up and he's like, you know, what are these killing young drummers? There's so many bands. There's so many of those incredible guys
Joe: Yeah,
Nate: Just playing all that stuff.
Joe: Well, cool.
Nate: And I go, boom, boom, boom bap.
Joe: Yeah, well, no, you don't, but you can say that if you want. You do a lot more
Nate: It's
Joe: Than that.
Nate: True.
Joe: So how about
Nate: Well.
Joe: Facebook? Do you know where they find you on Facebook?
Nate: Yeah, sure, Facebook dot com slash Nate Morton drums.
Joe: Perfect. So we did Instagram, Facebook. You have a website.
Nate: I don't have an actual Web site. The closest thing I have is probably the for profit scam
Joe: Ok, cool.
Nate: Site.
Joe: Ok.
Nate: And what else we got?
Joe: I assume
Nate: Facebook.
Joe: You don't hang out on Twitter or do you?
Nate: You know what? So here's the thing. And I'm just being honest right now, it is being real. Somewhere along the line, I intentionally or unintentionally linked my Instagram to my Twitter. So it seems like whatever I put on Instagram winds up on Twitter. Or maybe it's my Facebook. But no, I'm not really active on Twitter. So if you actually want to catch up with me, find me on Facebook and I'm easy and like I'm not always the fastest to get back, but I get back to people. So if you find me on Facebook, dot com slash Nate Morton drums and you follow me there, you send me a message, whatever, whatever. I'm going to find it eventually. I'm gonna get back to you because it bugs me. My OCD would be bother. I can't look at a message and like, just delete it. Like, I look at it and I go back to that. So even so, if it's a it's over a day or a week or a month. I do my very best to get back.
Joe: I'm sure.
Nate: And and and you can always go, like super old school and just email me at an eight D argue Amzi at EarthLink thought that.
Joe: Cool. And then really important is your YouTube page.
Nate: Oh, I asked ask you to recite
Joe: No.
Nate: It.
Joe: I'll put it in the show notes. But do you have more? Do you have your name? One and then. Is it the nake?
Nate: No, no, it's just one.
Joe: So it's the one
Nate: It's
Joe: With
Nate: Just
Joe: The
Nate: One.
Joe: Nait can. Like all the stuff. The
Nate: Yeah,
Joe: Voice videos.
Nate: Yeah, it's all
Joe: Right.
Nate: On the same. That's all
Joe: Ok,
Nate: The same.
Joe: Cool.
Nate: Yes, that's all the same channel and it's YouTube dot com slash. See, like the letter C slash. Nate Morton drums,
Joe: Perfect.
Nate: Youtube dotcom
Joe: See,
Nate: Slash
Joe: Nate Martin jumps.
Nate: C slash O C anymore and drums. Oh, wow.
Joe: There you go.
Nate: I kind of just got that. Again, I swear.
Joe: Oh. I think I should actually put some, like, cool Jeffs
Nate: Yes,
Joe: On the
Nate: Yes,
Joe: Video like that, lower
Nate: Yes.
Joe: Your head, just explode like the top flies off.
Nate: I think
Joe: All right. Endorsement's.
Nate: If. You're awesome, Joe.
Joe: Say always thinking.
Nate: That's my endorsement. That's my words.
Joe: No, no,
Nate: That's my judgment.
Joe: No.
Nate: You said endorsements, Joe, your incredible.
Joe: Yeah, well, you're amazing. But that's not
Nate: What
Joe: What you know.
Nate: Does that mean? OK. So I am very, very fortunate to be affiliated with some really awesome companies. I'm afraid to say them all because like. I'm afraid to forget one and then
Joe: Oh, I know. OK,
Nate: So, so, so, so it's OK to put it in the
Joe: I put in
Nate: In
Joe: The show.
Nate: The text.
Joe: Yeah. Is there anything else that I missed that you wanted to talk about? You know, I don't want to leave anything out.
Nate: You know what? That's that's that's interesting, you should ask. And I will just I will just say this. I have it's going to be really weird. I'm going to go a little a little go a little left, Joe.
Joe: That's
Nate: And I
Joe: Right.
Nate: Know if you're expecting this
Joe: That's
Nate: Or not.
Joe: Ok.
Nate: I have six kids. I have a wife. Her name is Nicole, and outside of all of this, the show stuff and the gigs and this audition and that audition and this tour and that artist in that venue and that TV show and all of those things are amazing. I have to say that. I find my motivation and I find myself. Looking back on what is most important and all of those things are great. In the sense that. They allow me to do the things that I want to do with my family. Does that make sense?
Joe: Absolutely.
Nate: Know, I don't mean to be fruity or anything. It's just it's like I spend I spend a little bit of time getting to do things like this, like chatting to you. And I talk about drumhead to talk about music on the show. And I just never want to lose sight of the fact that within that world. I take a lot of pride and I put a lot of import on being able to spend time with my kids and my family as well. And one of the biggest words in our industry or in my life. I'll speak very small scale. One of the biggest words in my life is balance. And so while it may look from the outside, like the balance is completely shifted to all of that, there's also the other side, which is that you've also got allow yourself time to like spend time with your gnarly four year old to drive you crazy because she's insane or you're a two year old who might fall off the trampoline if you don't zip the thing closed. Or my 13 year old who has a tennis lesson or who can't play tennis right now. So I take him to Home Depot so he can hit on the on the wall or my 17 year old who I drag into the lounge room to play a game of chess with me or my 19 year old who is away at college while he's home. Now, who I communicate with and go, how's things going in your pursuits? You know. Or my. I left on my eight year old. Who? Who is it? Eight year old teenager. She's eight, but she's already a teenager. Isabelle, could that have a hug? Okay.
Joe: Fine.
Nate: You know, so. So it's like I don't mean to get too cheesy, but, you know, a long time ago, a great and dear friend of mine, Tony de Augustine, said the hardest thing about creating a career as a professional musician is finding a balance. And I said, a balance between what? And he said a balance between everything. And at the time, I was in my early 20s and I was like, what? What does that mean? And the older I get and every day, every week, month, year that goes by, I really do get it. It's a balance between. Gigs that you love. Gigs that pay the bills. Being gone on tour, making money and supporting your family. Seeing your family. Working hard and, you know, doing whatsoever versus having to work, but making yourself spend time doing things that are important otherwise. So again, I don't mean to get too cosmic with all of this, but yeah, I just want to make mention of that. I just wanted to make mention the fact that. Again. Certainly. Certainly way back again to Sharon, what's her name? Who said you don't sound very well rounded? I said I'm focused. Well, now I've adapted that focus. And that focus is, you know, to fill the time, music and and creativity and doing that side of things. But it's also in focus on Family and spending time with the wife and the kids. All those people who put up with me,
Joe: Yeah.
Nate: You know, all those little people who call me dad, I'm like, what?
Joe: Yeah. Yeah. You have such a great
Nate: And
Joe: Family.
Nate: My wife and my wife and the wife who puts up with me, the wife.
Joe: Yes.
Nate: I couldn't. I couldn't I couldn't be in my studio working 10 hours a day without her.
Joe: No.
Nate: I couldn't jump in my car and drive in the universal and work, you know, 80 hours a week without her.
Joe: Go
Nate: Right.
Joe: Get.
Nate: So. So those people are important and those people create the balance that that that makes my life really fucking cool.
Joe: You deserve, brother. It's. I am honored to call you a friend. I am so glad we met. I don't even know how it happened. I, I know that we were both at one of those drum get togethers. It was a remote village in something.
Nate: Yes, sure, probably, yeah.
Joe: And I saw you as I was leaving and I handed you a card. And I had this funny slogan on the back of the card. And I was like a block and a half away already. And you're like, Hey dude, I love your card.
Nate: It's
Joe: It was really funny
Nate: Like
Joe: Like
Nate: Me
Joe: That.
Nate: That
Joe: Yeah.
Nate: Sounds
Joe: And
Nate: Like me.
Joe: Then it just it went from there and all the other stuff. So I appreciate you so much and I can't wait to
Nate: I
Joe: See
Nate: Appreciate
Joe: You in
Nate: You.
Joe: Person
Nate: I appreciate
Joe: Again.
Nate: It.
Joe: Please give.
Nate: Hopefully soon.
Joe: Yeah, I know. Please give my love to your family.
Nate: We'll
Joe: And
Nate: Do, buddy, and you
Joe: Yeah I will.
Nate: And you.
Joe: I will. And I really appreciate your time. And this is awesome. And thanks so much.
Nate: Joe, absolutely my pleasure. And thank you for having me on.
Joe: All right, brother, I appreciate it. You take care.