Nate Silas is one of the prominent singers of the singer-songwriter genre noted for his clever wordplay and the multilayered plots. Songs such as “Masks and Mirrors” and “Wandering Lunacy” demonstrate his talent to include much joyfulness in addition to the darker facets of life.
His newest piece, “Neophyte Club,” is more whimsical—it focuses on all the childhood memories that we miss, although we are now old, there is no denying there are some times in our childhood that we would have loved to revisit. It nostalgically recalls the carefree days of our childhood and past summer experiences that we have and cherish.
Hence, Silas’s music arises from a blend of fantasy and historical references that define his brand of music that is appealing for those who appreciate deep lyrics and quality music production. His songs are very musically creative and engaging providing a way to escape into imaginary worlds while still confronting very human emotions and situations.
“Neophyte Club,” is a song that is very relatable and we all do miss the times we were young, our friends, the memories we had and the bond we created, this goes to tell how creative Nate Silas is, look how he effortlessly put us into another dimension, but there was more he had to say.
During this interview, Silas shares with the audience how he composes his music, where he draws his inspiration from, and the narrative behind his songs. Picking on “Neophyte Club” is like readying ourselves for a trip back to a time when companionship was of utmost importance, and every day was a startling adventure.
Listen to Neophyte Club below
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What is your stage name
Nate Silas
Is there a story behind your stage name?
Nate is what my family and friends have always called me, and Silas is my middle name. I chose to use it over my last name to keep a little separation from my “everyday” life.
Where do you find inspiration?
Lots of places! I am a big fantasy enthusiast (J.R.R. Tolkien’s works, Magic the Gathering, Warhammer) and I love the idea of creating other worlds out of pure imagination. Saying that, I am also fascinated by the real history of our world so I take a lot of inspiration from exploring the ruined castles and ancient stone circles of Britain and Ireland. I love the outdoors and I think I feel the most musical and creative when I’m in a garden on a sunny day with a guitar.
What was the role of music in the early years of your life?
I have always been able to carry a tune and I think I have a pretty good sense of relative pitch. Some of my earliest memories consist of singing along with cassettes of children’s singers like Charlotte Diamond and Tom Chapin and feeling the joy of hitting the right notes.
My favourite part of attending Sunday church services as a kid was joining my voice with the congregation and taking part in these beautiful songs of joy and praise. So, I always loved singing but it wasn’t until early adolescence that I started learning to play an instrument.
Are you from a musical or artistic family?
My parents both love music, even though neither of them are really performers. There was a radio in Mom’s car, a cassette player in Dad’s car and a CD player at home so there was always music around. My most musical relative was probably my cousin Dani who was a number of years older than me.
She loaned me her old flute, taught me a couple of chords when I started learning guitar and was very supportive of all my musical endeavours. Dani actually passed away very suddenly a few weeks ago and it breaks my heart to think that she and I will never get to do a sing-along again.
Who inspired you to be a part of the music industry?
Am I a part of the music industry? Woo hoo! Jokes aside, my great leap forward came last year when I started mentoring sessions with Polly via City Vocal Coach. She helped me decide what elements make my music special and gave me some guidance on releasing songs in our modern era.
How did you learn to sing/write/to play?
My first formal musical instruction was in the school band starting when I was about 12. With the flute I borrowed from my cousin, I learned how to read music, understand rhythmic subdivisions and play [more or less[ in time to a given tempo. Big shout out to Ms Snowsell and music in education! I got my first classical guitar around the same time. I never actually took proper guitar lessons but the minister at my church, a friend and my cousin Dani were all guitar players and they showed me enough chords and technique to get started.
What was the first concert that you ever went to and who did you see perform?
When I look back on it, a lot of things happened at once; the same summer I started playing the flute and got the guitar, there was a really fun folk music festival called Rootsfest in my hometown. My favourite band at the time was the Newfoundland folk group Great Big Sea and they headlined Rootsfest that year. The energy of the show was fantastic and I think that’s when I knew I wanted to be a musician.
How could you describe your music?
My music is for people who have time to listen to the lyrics. I love writing catchy hooks and memorable melodies to add value but the poetry and the stories I am telling are the heart of what I create.
I try to have humour and lightness in my songs but I’m not a comedy songwriter. As a solo artist, I try to compose songs that I can replicate live with just voice and acoustic guitar. My recordings might sound a little more produced with extra instrumentation but at my core I am a folky singer-songwriter. Is it too pretentious to say “a modern troubadour”?
Describe your creative process.
Most of my songs start with an idea and I work backwards from there. For example, I started writing a tribute to my late friend Shaunah and knew I was going to call it “Wandering Lunacy” after her old hotmail address. Words come quite naturally to me so I’ll almost alway start by writing out my lyrics in a notebook.
Once I feel I’ve written enough words to tell the story, I pick up an instrument and begin finding the best key, chord changes and melody for the musical feeling I want to create. This usually happens on my acoustic guitar but I also love experimenting on my electric piano or my little lap harp because they help me approach the music in a fresh way if I am feeling stuck.
Finally, I record the instrumental and vocal parts at home and send the digital stems off to a producer for mixing, mastering and potentially more instrumentation if I think the song needs it. Something I love about making music in the 21st-century is that I can contact a producer to make my releases a reality without needing to leave my home! Glenn Kerrigan has produced my first four singles and I think he’s done a great job on all of them.
What is your main inspiration?
I take inspiration from the fact that music is everywhere; even if a person never intentionally puts on music, they will still encounter it in restaurants, in train stations, in supermarkets or wherever. Some of the artists I love now I first heard in completely unexpected settings, and that inspires me to keep making my own music; who knows where and how it might be heard!
What musician do you admire most and why?
Tough to narrow it down but I have deeply admired Peter Gabriel over this most recent phase of my musical development. The night before I moved to the UK, I actually had an extremely vivid dream that I met him in a restaurant in London. A proper meeting still hasn’t happened yet but I was lucky enough to see him in concert last year. I have a huge respect for anyone who is still touring in their 70s and collaborating with much younger musicians from completely different backgrounds.
Did your style evolve since the beginning of your career?
Definitely. I spent my youth and early adulthood playing bass and singing in bands with my friends. From Langford Chrome, to Rock and Roll Circus to The Awedibles, I was always a guy in a band having fun with my buddies and showing off on stage. These bands did mostly covers but when I did write something it always had to make sense for performance with guitar, bass and drums.
It wasn’t until after these bands broke up that I really started taking acoustic guitar seriously and writing songs that I could perform completely on my own. I am so thankful to have had the experience playing with other musicians. Now that I’m a solo artist, I must be a more mindful player and not just rely on the other instruments to cover up my mistakes!
Who do you see as your main competitor?
That’s an interesting question. I don’t regard other creatives as competitors because I believe that a rising tide lifts all boats. A person can have me, Ariana Grande and The Doors on one playlist and I think that’s awesome. Because my music requires people to really enter in and listen to the whole song, I would say my biggest competitor is mindless doomscrolling; I know that I offer a great product to music lovers but I am constantly fighting through the noise of limitless distractions to reach a wider audience.
What are your interests outside of music?
Loads! I am a big reader and just about always have a book on the go. I’m reading “The Canterbury Tales” right now and I can’t believe it’s taken me over 600 years to get to it. It’s great! I also really enjoy fitness so I work out most mornings and run, cylce or swim when I can. For less instensive exercise, I love walking around scenic places, ideally if there is a castle nearby.
If it wasn’t a music career, what would you be doing?
Well, music isn’t quite my day job yet. I am a qualified teacher so I can often be found in a classroom. I studied foreign languages at university and enjoy teaching and tutoring in German and Spanish. I love the process of learning and teaching and helping pupils of any age make connections and expand their skills and knowledge.
What is the biggest problem you have encountered in the journey of music?
Procrastination. I wish I had started actively writing and producing original songs much earlier. Unfortunately, I doubted myself and kept making reasons why I wasn’t quite ready to think of myself as a serious singer-songwriter. I also took “no” for an answer very easily, assuming that if a song hadn’t gone viral on Youtube it was because it wasn’t good enough.
If you could change one thing in the music industry, what would it be?
It would be great if musicians were expected to do fewer things for free. It’s a tricky web to untangle because, like I mentioned earlier, music is a wonderful, ubiquitous part of nearly everyone’s life but that leads to a mentality that it is always there and isn’t something the listener should have to pay for. That’s fair enough but the songwriters, instrumentalists, producers and so on all need money to buy food and clothes and so on. I guess if it’s not economically viable to pay music makers for every single note they play, maybe supermarkets could let musicians pay for their weekly shopping by performing a song or two.
Why did you choose this as the title of this project?
I love looking up the meaning of words and “neophyte” jumped out at me one day when I was flipping through my dictionary. It means a beginner, a novice and that got me thinking about childhood, the friends you make on the first day of school and the adventures you have when you’re left to your own devices in the summer.
What are your plans for the coming months?
I have a gig at the Sindercombe Social in Shepherd’s Bush on Wednesday 28th August, for which I’m quite excited! After that, I plan to keep releasing a single every month or two, following the same process I outlined earlier. I’ve also already recorded four songs with a friend for an EP and I’m hoping we can produce that before the end of 2024. Stay tuned!
Do you have any artistic collaboration plans
I do a livestream on twitch.tv once or twice a week. My friends and fellow streams Charlotte Rotherham and Bethan Le Mas have propsed a collaborative stream in September. They’re both really talented musos and we did a very fun collaboration together back in January. I’m looking forward to the next one. Check my instagram for announcements!
What message would you like to give to your fans?
Thank you so much for listening to my songs from start to finish, engaging with my social media posts or even paying your hard-earned money to download a song on Bandcamp. I love making music for its own sake but seeing a group of people developing who genuinely appreciate what I do means a great deal to me. Thanks even more so for the recent support you have given me with some of the challenges my family is going through (if you know, you know.)
