Nate Bergman: ‘Here’s My Sadness… Take It.’

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Hello, I’m Fraser Kerr, and you join me backstage here at 2000 Trees with Nate Bergman. How are you doing?

Nate: I’m great.

I mean, you played today. It was your debut UK festival. How do you think it went?

Nate: I don’t think it could have gone much better. I felt really embraced by the crowd. The crowd grew exponentially. By the end of the set, it felt like we were all kind of there together as a family. And it was beautiful.

Yeah. I mean, you played the Forest stage, which is quite a nice open stage.

Nate: Wild. Yeah.

But it’s quite intimate as well.

Nate: Beautiful.

I mean, you had quite a lot of interaction with the crowd. Your set is very engaging and very… You’ve just got a magnetic pull to you.

Nate: Oh, cool. Cool.

How do you achieve that?

Nate: Magnets. No, I think, you know, I’ve had the privilege of touring with some of the great frontmen of all time, Neil Fallon from Clutch, Danny Kiranos, Amigo the Devil. Jeff Rickly from Thursday. The list really goes on. And I’m really privileged to be able to watch these guys who have spent their whole lives doing that. So I think it took some time to learn and I think the realest thing is for me, just completely being vulnerable, being myself one hundred percent. And you know, it doesn’t always land, but those are the people that are not for me.

A hundred percent, watching your set you had quite a lot of vulnerable lyrics and quite personal songs. How do you feel when you release a track that is so vulnerable and putting yourself in such a vulnerable place?

Nate: I think when you’re writing it, you’re writing it from a place of pain or vulnerability or whatever place you’re at. And I think as time goes on and you heal from it, you know, it’s not the easiest thing to kind of relive it, but it gives me some perspective because I’m in a very good place right now. So it’s kind of nice to think back, oh man, I was fucked up when I wrote this, but now I’m doing better.

Yeah.

Nate: So I also tell people it gets better because that’s the truth.

A hundred percent. And during your set earlier, you said you had quite an unfair interaction in a way with the crowd because you’re writing these songs as sort of a therapy for yourself.

Nate: A hundred percent.

And then they get to hear it and it’s just like, a dumping on them.

Nate: And then you’re like, “oh, fuck, that’s sad”. Yeah. That sucks. It’s just funny because that’s what music is for us, you know? It is this weird exchange, right where you’re like. Here’s my sadness. And I’m like, here, take it.

Yeah.

Nate: And then you take it and you’re like, “yes, I’m sad.” And then we do it and we do this back and forth forever.

One hundred percent. And you brought up earlier, you know, working with lots of globally recognized legendary artists. I mean Clutch, My Chemical Romance, to name a few.

Nate: Yeah.

What have you really learned from working with these big artists?

Nate: I think that’s a great question. My three biggest takeaways: Number one, work harder than everyone else, you know, do the shit that no one else wants to do. Number two, be fucking cool and kind to everyone because that’s the only way this shit works. And then I think the third thing is, pay attention to your craft. Like, if you’re a singer, fucking be a singer.

Yeah.

Nate: If you’re a guitar player, really do it. You know, if you’re a writer, spend hours writing, you know, it’s just those bands are all great because they put in the time to be great. There was no instant gratification of social media, so they had to be great. There is no faking it.

Yeah.

Nate: So those are the top. That’s what I learned.

And, this week, you’ve been touring around the UK.

Nate: Yeah.

I mean, how have you been spending your time? Have you seen any local sites? Enjoyed any of the local delicacies?

Nate: A lot of Greggs.

A lot of Greggs. Yep.

Nate: No, I’ve been coming over here since about 2013 and I’ve done all the touristy stuff, and now I kind of have my spots in every little town. Manchester, The Whiskey Jar is a place I love to go. Or I like to go to Rudy’s for a nice fucking Neapolitan. And London. I got a couple spots I love to go to Blondies, in Clapton. Yeah, I mean, I have my spots.

And, you released a new song recently. ‘Deep End’?

Nate: ‘Deep End’.

‘Deep End’, yeah. How was your reaction to that?

Nate: People seem to love it. And it’s probably the heaviest one I’ve written yet. Like, sad. And it’s real sombre and quiet, and people seem to love it. So I’m also trying to give people more of my range, if that makes sense.

And working on a song like that, what is your process?

Nate: To bum out, to bum myself out as hard as I can and then try to capture that vibe, and then everyone else is bummed out, and then I’m like alright this song works.

Do you write the backing, the guitars and stuff at the same time?

Nate: I don’t have a process, really. Sometimes I come up with a melody while I’m in the shower or driving sometimes. Hold on. My friend Danny is here. I want to introduce my…

Getting a new member to the interview.

Nate: This is my husband, Daniel Kiranos. Yeah. Hi, honey. And we’re on tour together right now, and Amigo the Devil’s. Can I have a sip of that Irn Bru? Danny’s Amigo The Devil’s are playing the forest stage at 5:20 today. Sorry, I didn’t mean to divert the question completely. But I have no set pattern. It could be singing in the shower or strumming a chord, and it just strikes. You know, I think the worst songs I write is when I intentionally am trying to write something. And I think the best stuff that I write is when the antennas just kind of up and something comes in, I’m like, oh shit, that sounds cool.

Fair enough, fair enough. And so what influences go into your music, would you say?

Nate: Listening to other great music.

Anyone you can name in particular?

Nate: Fuck. Well, I’ll just let’s just be honest, right?

Oh yeah. Pull up the Spotify.

Nate: The new John Moreland record called ‘Visitor’ has been on repeat. I don’t know, why am I, okay, here we go. John Moreland, ‘Visitor’, Lizzie No, ‘Halfsies’, here. Gary. Gregory Alan Isakov, ‘Evening Machines’, Terror ‘Keepers of the Faith’, Lil Wayne, ‘Tha Carter III’.

So, yeah, you pull from lots of different places.

Nate: I’m all over the place, baby. Yeah. Of course. Spice of life, you know.

And so, you released your debut album in 2022. Have you worked with lots of people on that as well? Like lots of big names, Frank Iero, etc…

Nate: Yeah.

How was it working with those guys in that capacity?

Nate: It was sort of, I did this fucked up thing where basically I sent the song out and was basically just like, play whatever you want. Because what am I going to do? I’m going to tell Frank, play this specific part. Tucker Rule from Thursday plays drums on ‘Repeat Until You Die’. And he came up with the perfect drum part. I didn’t say anything to him. I just said, here’s the song, here’s temporary drums. Play what you would play. Travis Stever from Coheed and Cambria, Tyler Bryant, the list goes on. And I just handed it to the people. Corrina Reichman plays on ‘Living on the Line’ and, listen, there is a reason why they’re where they’re at.

I think that’s fair enough.

Nate: So it’s like, what? I’m going to tell them what to do. It’s just like, hey, play the fucking thing you think is sick.

Yeah, I mean, there’s no point dictating it.

Nate: Yeah, it was awesome.

Otherwise it would just not be worth having them.

Nate: Agreed.

Yeah.

Nate: These are great questions, by the way. Truly, truly great.

I’ve got one last question for you.

Nate: Yeah. Of course.

Just focusing more on the festival. If you were to be promoting it yourself, who would you pick as the headliner?

Nate: Of this festival?

Yeah, this festival.

Nate: I mean, they fucking did Gaslight Anthem. I mean, it’s not going to get better than Brian Fallon. That’s a really tough one. Who headlines 2000 Trees? What about Nick Cave? What about Nick Cave, who’s kind of, like, probably a common thread between, like, all of these alternative artists.

I could see that working. I could see that working.

Nate: You know, the Bad Seeds just fucking doing ‘Jubilee Street’ and just. Everyone’s losing their minds.

Yeah, I could see that working.

Nate: Yeah. That’s dirty.

Oh, it’s been an absolute pleasure talking with you.

Nate: Pleasure’s mine. These questions were amazing.

Thank you very much for joining me.

Nate: Sincerely. Thanks for taking the time.

And I hope you enjoy the rest of your day.

Nate: I will have a great time.

Thank you.

Nate: Thank you guys.