Nate says he has "always been attracted to music with funk and soul" and
it all started with his hearing the music of Stevie Wonder. "As a kid,
I do remember sitting in my room listening to him.. it changed my life."
From Stevie he says it expanded to his interest in Hip-Hop.
While in high school Nate performed for fun. In college he was
introduced to tap dancing and the ole movie musical. Nate saw "Singing in
the Rain" with Gene Kelly and was inspired by both the cinematic performance
and the music of the era. Nate has "been in Off-Broadway shows,
modeled, done TV and film, and sang with big bands". He says he "wants to
bring brilliant and still relevant tunes back that the younger ears have
never heard, (sometimes, with drastic interpretations, sometimes not) and
write songs that will be as immortal as the ones from the American
Songbook."
Nate is cast in the role of a musical bridge that joins the past to the
present. Classic jazz standards married to contemporary interpretations of
the music of both times.
BIOGRAPHY:
"Always been attracted to music with funk and soul, and it all started with hearing the music of Stevie Wonder."
"As a kid, I do remember sitting in my room listening to him.. it changed my life." From Stevie he says it expanded to his interest in Hip-Hop. "It expanded again to Michael Jackson, Bobby Brown, the Drifters, Lionel Richie, Run DMC, and then the untouchable A Tribe called Quest. I appreciated some of the rock and alternative, and to this day love 80’s tunes, but at the time couldn’t put my finger on what attracted me so much to Rap and Motown. It went on …" While in high school Nate performed for fun. In college he was introduced to tap dancing and the ole movie musical. Nate saw "Singing in the Rain" with Gene Kelly and was inspired by both the cinematic performance and the music of the era. He says he "was floored and challenged by the caliber of performer" and being introduced to such "incredible music". "The more I learned ‘bout that time period and the music, the better it got". He added, "These performers rose to the occasion of being stars, they were more than familiar faces; they were personalities that the fans could count on and believe in. Music meant more to these people who were going through the depression and world wars; it was more than just a catchy phrase and a hot video. And the songs, the songs were gems that flowed out of these composers’ open hearts through these performer’s souls." Nate says he became "a sponge about the time period". He became serious about the music. He performed solo for the first time in his senior year in college in a Gershwin/Berlin Tribute."Been in Off-Broadway shows, modeled, done TV and film, and sang with big bands".
He says he "wants to bring brilliant and still relevant tunes back that the younger ears have never heard, (sometimes, with drastic interpretations, sometimes not) and write songs that will be as immortal as the ones from the American Songbook." Nate believes he knows "the power of the right song is incomparable to any other art form. Whether it is expressing the words for how someone feels for the love of their life, inspiring someone to be the best person they can be, taking the listeners to a better world, or sharing oneself completely and singing about a broken heart. It is a wonderful gift to give, and I couldn’t dedicate my life to anything else." He says there are many early entertainment music greats who have influenced him, but notes Fred Astaire and Sammy Davis Jr. as being two "Master Rennaissance men" who have left strong impressions on him. From the period songs, Nate considers "Misty", "They Can't Take That Away From Me", "Good Morning Heartache", "Round Midnight" and "All of Me" to be some of the most memorable. Nate is cast in the role of a musical bridge that joins the past to the present. Classic jazz standards married to contemporary interpretations of the music of both times. He says he believes in the "artists that have something to say, and give back" to the community. These are "the performers that head charities, build schools, buy books and make a positive change". He sees this as "the road less taken, but it is the primary force that drives" him. He says, "of course in the 21st century we have a couple wonderful personalities who fit that description; I’d just like to join the ranks."VIDEOS:
NateKid and Jane Monheit sang "Darn that Dream"NATEKid: "Get Up"
