Here is part 2 of an interview I conducted with Nate Robards (Boba Fett Youth, Part Time Whore, and Elements of Now). I really enjoyed Nate’s insightful answers, and I have to thank him for setting aside time from his busy schedule to participate in this Q & A. Also, in case you missed part 1 of our interview, you can check it out here. Read on and enjoy!
Nate and his son, Gabriel, at Mt Charleston
What bands did you play in following the demise of Boba Fett Youth? Did you take a break from music after BFY broke up, or did you jump right into another musical project? Please talk a bit about each band leading up to your current band, Elements of Now.
It took about a month, which seemed like an eternity, to get some guys together for my new project, Part Time Whore. I started with Rob Nelson, who was a BFY roadie and close friend, on drums. I found bass player Judd Lange, who I had played with in Lickity Split. The three of us jammed in Rob’s garage, creating a massive beer wall and wrote a bunch of songs together. Finally we found Chad Simmons to do vocals and round out the band. We did a demo tape called To Repel Ghosts that was inspired by Jean Michael Basquiat. Shortly afterwards we did a vinyl only LP recorded in the garage and mixed down at Digital Insight. It was called Home and had inside cover art by Dierdre Luzwick. My favorite tracks were “If Only” and “Technocracy”. It was done on Chad’s label, Battle Born Records. The cool thing is that it was financed in part by the Nevada Arts Council and sometimes is displayed in start art exhibits around the state! This record is my favorite public release by far of anything I have done!
When PTW basically collapsed due to band member disagreements, probably mostly mine, I joined a band called SPX. That band was Victor Moya on drums, Ben Dubler from 2 Cents Worth and Monster Zero on bass, Billy from Happy Campers on lead guitar, Ernie from Happy Campers on vox, and I played 2nd guitar. Super cool band, and it was nice to play songs already written while adding my own touch to them. We had a few shows, which were awesome and full of energy. That lasted less than a year.
After that I played with Victor in this evolving band that also had at different times Rob Nelson on drums and Ian Gordon (Dirty Gynch) on guitar. This guy Danny did vocals for a while, and then my friend Anthony (Destruction of a Rose) came in and did vocals. The band names changed as much as the band members: 40 Helens, Siege Perilous, Trust, Broken Trust, and Kill the Head and the Body Will Follow. The latter is still a current project in hibernation with just me and Vic jamming from time to time. This was more of a fun band for me. We experimented with emo, artsy music, pedals, electronics, different percussion, and keyboards. We never really put an official release out. We had a demo which we made 100 of and passed out at a show once. I guess all of that kinda ceased when I turned 30 and decided I needed to grow up and finish college.
You are currently playing in a band called Elements of Now. What is the history behind EON? I know you guys have a 4 song EP available on your bandcamp page. What are your future plans as far as recording and shows?
Yes, EON is the lifeblood of my music world right now! After Boba Fett Youth, PTW and various side projects, I kinda dropped off the face of the Earth while going to school for about 7 years to get my MBA. During that time I missed out on so much, and now that I look back at some of the blogs and old posts on the internet from that time, I know there are some keys things going on I would have very much liked to be a part of. I felt a huge absence in my soul and I knew I was missing the music.
At the end of 2009 I hooked up with drummer Mike Tafralian from Lady and Catapult fame and we started jamming. I knew Mike from the scene, but he was more of an influence for me than a peer. I would go and see his shows and just watch in awe and sometimes I still get that “I’m not worthy!” feeling.
So here I am playing with one of the guys that I idolized as a kid and having a blast. We toyed with all kinds of ideas and then Drew Livengood, bass player for LV punk legends Leap Frog Society, joined in 2010. We settled on playing progressive punk rock with a dark, almost 70’s rock sound to it. Our first show was about 6 months after we formed, and was at Dan Pearson’s (Fried Green) Circadian Galleries with the great Defiance, Ohio. I was so out of the loop at that point that I wasn’t sure how to go about getting shows and we were lucky that Dan took a chance on us!
We met a few contacts and played the random show. I think we only had about 5 songs at the time and I started a Facebook page to try and get the word out. Shortly after, we hooked up with Larry Brough from Life’s Torment and he was the ultimate hook up for 2 years and a true friend of the band. Larry had several bands at the time and was constantly offering us shows to play with many all ages!
At the end of 2011 we spent several days at Brian Garth’s Chrome Werewolf studios recording a short EP called Forgive Us Xenu, a scientology joke with an intentional acronym pun. Awesome cover art was drawn by Greg Telles, Checko Salgado created a band logo for us, and Vic Moya did some shirts. We were set to go on a small mini tour with Life’s Torment and Drew suffered a broken clavicle the week before, canceling the plans. A couple family deaths and the band ended up taking a 6 month break which basically took the steam out of our EP release, which I think became a non-event.
Since then we have continued to refine our style, and simply hang out and have fun. We play the occasional show, but personally, playing bar shows just kinda eats at my soul and we don’t find as many opportunities to play other events as I would like. We have about 12 songs now and we have played covers of “Psycho Killer” from the Talking Heads, “Blitzkrieg” (Blitzkrieg’s version) for the end of the world show we played at Motor City Café, and the King of the Hill version of a song called “Yahoos and Triangles”. I have a studio set up at my house and we are currently working on some new material that is substantially different from our older songs. We just want to take our time and get a recording that three self-critics can stand back and be proud of. We are keeping an ear open for shows and we do not set limitations for ourselves, but the focus is on EON phase 3 at the moment.
Nate live with SPX
Since you are a guitar player, I have to ask this question. Who are some of your favorite guitarists of all time and why? Are there any other musicians aside from guitarists that have influenced your playing?
Greg Ginn from Black Flag, the guy from Propagandhi, and both guitarists from Fugazi come to mind. I really get into that creative post hardcore sound. I was never a classic rock buff and I personally feel that the most popular bands, even the Beatles and Pink Floyd, are popular due to circumstance moreover than talent. Start sending the hate mail now.
I can imagine that the best guitarists of all time are people that no one has ever heard. I can envision a person that plays at home as a hobby and makes the most creative and powerful sounds locked in a room by themselves that no one will ever hear and to me that is a really powerful idea. Because the music he/she plays is totally unbiased and not created with the intention of impressing, selling, and entertaining. The music would just be an internal personal expression with the guitar.
With that being said, local musicians I have seen play live have influenced me so much more than Hendrix or Page. Watching Dan Pearson taught me song structure while the guy from The Wholes encouraged me to play better and explore different styles. Clint from Catapult taught me how to use hammers and pulls in a unique way. Jeff Dean taught me to expand power chords and how to jump. Shay taught me to appreciate my unique style. Matt Fuchs taught me to break boundaries and not allow rules to govern what I do. Dude, local bands and musicians have inspired me so much more than anything else in this life.
As far as other musicians, I did see this neat cellist play with Shellac recently. But really, I wouldn’t say there is too much that influences my playing style. I like electronica, but do not understand it much. Local hip-hop like James Shahan (Machine) and Cutthroat Cadavers inspires me. I would really like to do a hip-hop collaboration some day!
I watch vocals a lot now that I do them. As far as vocals are concerned, I have been influenced by you, Lance. I also really like the vocals in Braid, Sunny Day Real Estate, and Guy Picciotto from Fugazi. Not sure if I will ever be able to play guitar and sing like those guys but it is a goal. Jeff Ott of Fifteen can probably be heard in my vocals quite a bit mainly because I can pull it off and I think it sounds cool.
Underground music has played a huge role in both of our lives. Do you try to keep up with new bands? If so, what are at least three fairly current albums that you love?
I have always had a group of friends that go out and seek new music, collect records, and just totally have this wealth of knowledge on all things new and current. Personally, I have lived on the cusp of that circle, and thanks to them, I knew tons of underground bands when I was younger. I guess I am that nerdy or uncool guy that never really knew where to look, and many of my friends tastes differed from mine anyway. Most of my music listening occurs in the car while I am driving, so lets use that as a gauge for my musical tastes. Currently I have the metal: Ghost, Neurosis, Baroness, Nile, and Black Dhalia. Hip Hop: Deep Puddle Dynamics and Wizards. Some progressive stuff: Circa Survive, Coheed, and Red Fang. And punk: American Discord, 5150 and Life’s Torment.
One great thing about playing shows is getting to see other awesome bands that I might not hear about otherwise. Torn Apart by Life’s Torment is hands down my favorite punk CD right now. So much energy, creativity, and passion! American Discord is another band I would highly recommend checking out. They come from Kansas City, played Vegas a few months back, and have a self titled CD out which I love. It reminds me of an old East Bay punk sound and has very passionate and relevant topics.
Aside from that, I love being turned on to new bands and I am listening to something new everyday. I look forward to tomorrow!
What does your life consist of outside of music? Do you have any other hobbies besides jamming guitar? Please tell me a little about your family as well.
I am all about being productive and enjoying life. Since I am not independently wealthy, I spend quite a bit of my time working for the man. Raising my kids is a huge priority. I hang out with them for much of my free time – hiking, playing with trains, video games, card trading games…really nerdy fun stuff. My 17 year old is in the North Las Vegas Fire Fighter explorer program and we are quite proud of him.
I love watching live music, although I work a night shift, so the world continues to revolve without me many nights. I like to make my own beer, work in the yard, read, watch movies, and travel. Lately I have been working on putting a small home recording studio together and I hope to start recording other local bands. Ultimately I would like to start a local band dedicated label.
Honestly, I do not have too much time to jam on my guitar. I play with EON once a week, and a few times a month I get together with random friends and jam out, which I really love. Other than that, my 5 guitars and a bass kinda sit around longing for attention.
It was great getting back in touch with you and thanks a ton for doing this interview. Now is your chance for some famous last words.
Absolutely, Lance, I had a real blast and I really appreciate the consideration. We have a ton of history together! We will have to get out to a show sometime and/or jam out (time for you to dust off that bass guitar).
In punk rock we are often preaching to the converted and sometimes I think that is not such a bad thing. It reaffirms our values and establishes the movement as more than just going to watch a band and get drunk and party. The number one thing I personally got out of punk rock and would like to reiterate is to always question authority. That axiom has always had a huge impact on me and how I make decisions and process information. It means more than just “screw the government” or “stop the police”. Questioning authority means to use your own mind instead of following the herd and accepting what you hear. Gather data and use critical thinking to challenge what you are told. Strive to eliminate bias filters within yourself and seek the real truth before acting. Just because you hear something on the bus, TV, or even at a punk show doesn’t make it true.
Thanks again, Lance. Now everyone go to an EON show!
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