Musicians I Know: Nathan Griner

The new Nathan Griner album, This Road.

Nathan Griner is a singer-songwriter and guitarist based in Hastings, Minnesota. But he has guitar and will travel, often playing venues in the Twin Cities metro area and "up north," as we say in Minnesota. I would describe his style as boot-stomp alt.-country folk, influenced by the Lumineers and Neil Young (when Neil's in an acoustic mood). Nate sings with soul, feeling, and an underlying joy for music. His originals are earnest and heartfelt, and he's always down for some crowd-pleasing covers too. 

 

I first met Nate about five-and-half years ago at a family-and-friends bonfire at my aunt and uncle's place in Nisswa, Minnesota. My uncle had instructed me to bring my guitar so I could play along with Nate. I dutifully obliged, but hadn't really been a "campfire musician" before and so was unsure as to what to expect. The bonfire wasn't Nate's first rodeo, however, and he had his music binder ready to go. He was friendly and inviting, so jamming with him turned out to be a lot of fun.

Nate has a new album out, This Road, which is an excellent piece of work. Songs with lyrics are interspersed with short instrumentals. The album's arrangements are spare, leaving enough space for the lyrics to come through, but never feel empty. Guitar and vocals are front and center, but the album is also nicely seasoned with some mandolin, organ, and e-cello. Nate's use of percussion is interesting too: enough to know it's there and part of the song, but dialed back enough so as not to overwhelm. While the album is good throughout, tracks that caught my ear on the first listen are "River Run" (instrumental), "Writing on the Wall", "This Road", and "Baptized on New Year's Eve" (this latter track has an old-school gospel feel to it).

And so my ill-fated music blog declares, like a Monty Python character, "I'm not dead yet": in this third installment of "Musicians I Know," Nate discusses his influences, musical style, upcoming album release party, and thoughts on peanut butter.

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What are your earliest musical memories? What music did you grow up on?

I remember sitting in the living room with my dad, singing kid songs like "There was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly" as he sat there strumming his banjo that he made from a kit when I was somewhere around the age of 5. I also remember growing up listening to records, mostly from my Dad’s collection. Some of my favorites were "Graceland" by Paul Simon, Chicago "Greatest Hits," and Harry Chapin’s "Greatest Stories - Live,"… and you bet there are so many more.

The first CD that was ever purchased for me was Neil Young’s "Harvest." I have to admit that this was not an album I would have ever chosen on my own (thanks dad), but it is one I listened to over and over again. I’d listen through it once and only focus on the vocals, then I’d listen to it again and pick out the guitar, and again with the bass, and do this over and over again until I was satisfied I knew the song from top to bottom. When I listened to music, I was really trying to figure out the artist and pick apart everything about them until I felt like I was confident I knew them…to some extent.

What is it you like about your favorite artists? What draws you to their music?

Nathan Griner playing at
Spiral Brewery in Dec. 2022

I have always been an artist that likes other artists who are outside the box. I was never driven towards the mainstream groups. I did listen to them, but they never sparked a lot of attention from me. I remember falling in love with the blues for some years after I picked up the guitar, especially the great Stevie Ray Vaughn. The first song that I heard that stuck out was, of course, "Pride and Joy." I sat for days… no hours…weeks, or months…to now years picking apart that song and learning it to the best of my ability by ear. I still put my own spin on his tune, which I think is VERY important, being my own artist, but I think I still play it pretty true to Stevie.

I also remember the first time Nickel Creek hit my ears. I had never been a bluegrass fan before, but loved anything that was organic sounding, but that also pushed the boundaries. They definitely did that for me. They were not quite "proper" bluegrass because they broke all the rules, which I find very important in the artists that I choose to follow. They had a sound that brought me back to that very first Neil Young album I started picking apart when I was younger. I did this for years and years with Nickel Creek, from High School until present. They are a band that I will continue to follow to the end.

How much wood could a wood chuck chuck if a wood chuck could chuck wood?

I honestly don’t know how to answer this question. It’s kind of like trying to write your first song in 5/4 timing… Where do you even begin?!?! And believe me, I have started and failed so many times. But it will come.

What’s the first album that you owned that was yours (and not from your parents’ or another family member’s collection)?

So this is a VERY important question for me. I remember saving up some allowance money and some lawn-mowing money to buy the first album that was going to be mine. Not one that was gifted, but one that was my very own, and one that someone would see and hopefully understand that this was something that shaped the music I listen to today. I had to bring a friend in on this to help me pick it out, but the first album I picked out on my own was Nirvana’s “Unplugged In New York” album. When I picked it out I honestly had no clue who Kurt Cobain was. But I fell in love with almost everything about this album immediately, and it is still a favorite go-to listen for me today.

When did you decide that you wanted to play guitar and sing? Had you thought about any other instrument before that?

When I was five years, old my parents started me on piano. I then picked up the baritone ukulele at the age of 6 or so, until I was able to fit the guitar better. It then came time for the school band in 1994, where I picked up the trombone and played that thing until 2002. Sometime in 2000, I broke my right arm and picked up blues harmonica. And in 2001, I purchased my first mandolin. I have never considered myself great at any of these instruments, but they definitely all play into the musician I have become today.

Peanut butter: crunchy or smooth? If neither, what fills the role of peanut butter in your life?

Nate holding a copy of his first album

So I have always loved the crunchy peanut butter. For some reason, to me, it feels like you are getting something much more special with it. Each crunch of the peanut makes the peanut butter feel that much more authentic. If you take that grit away…it’s just way too smooth.

What made you want to write your own songs?

I wrote my first song back in 1993. I wrote it to try and get on the local kids' radio station “Radio AAHS.” But I was way too embarrassed to share it with them. But that didn’t stop me from continuing my writings. 

Do you feel that you’ve found your songwriting voice? Or is that something you’re still searching for?

I really feel like a songwriting voice is something that keeps growing with you. I don’t really feel like it is something you find…it is just something you do. As you grow, it grows.

I am definitely not one to write a song I would never perform. I have a ton of started songs that I am just not ready to perform. Mostly because they are either unfinished - literally a few words - or maybe way too personal at the moment. I do keep going backwards in my writings and have started re-working some of my old writings. But sometimes it is okay to let go of some of those old writings and move on.

As mentioned in the interview preamble, you have a new album coming out, This Road. You’ve put out 4 previous albums, but I feel like maybe this one has special meaning for you. Is that accurate? If so, what makes This Road special?

So “This Road” is a song that I really wrote about my mom, Randi, who passed away right after I turned 21. She was the piano player, singer, and the artist of the family. I feel like there are a lot of factors in my music that have shaped what I am doing today, but she was by far my biggest influence and the person who believed in me most as an artist. But even bigger than that, she was my mom. This is a very special song to me because I had never felt like I had written a complete song for my mom before this one. I had tried a couple of songs before, but this is the one that really hit home for me.

Is there a thread (or threads) that runs through the songs on This Road? Maybe not a “concept album,” per se, but some themes?

This was definitely an album I intentionally put together with songs that would define me and my style today. As an artist, I am always asking myself if my music is good enough or strong enough to face the current of all the other music out there. I’m not sure this one will ever be at the top, but it is definitely me, and it's a work that I am proud to share with others.

I don’t think I ever intentionally tried to tie anything together. I was mostly trying to get through some songs so I could move on to the next chapter.

With full-time work and a family, you’re a busy guy. How did this new album come together? How long did it take?

It is so important for me to always find time and make time for my music. But I am a man who wears many hats, which take priority in my life as well. I am a father of four amazing children and I work full time to support my family, not to mention being a husband to my amazing wife. This has been a project I have been working a long time on. I built a studio in my basement so I could record and dampen some of the noise of the pitter-patter of feet running across the floors upstairs, or the yelling of kids fighting over a toy. There was a lot of stop-and-go to this project. It was also the first one I decided I’d record all myself. It is definitely a project I have learned a lot from. I hope to keep tweaking my recording techniques in the future, but at the same time I am really pleased with how the recordings turned out.

Spontaneous human combustion.  Thoughts?

Ummm….nope.

Nathan's one-man show apparatus.

You describe your performances as a “one-man show,” which is interesting and sort of old-fashioned phrasing. What made you decide on the “one-man show” concept?

Throughout the years, I’ve tried working with bands or other artists. However, I have never found other musicians as committed to my projects as I am. So long story short, I decided I could get by with some simple percussion, so that is where the suitcase under my right foot, and the cymbal-stomper under my left foot came from. Sometimes I have some good friends who come in and join me when they can, but for the most part it’s just me. And believe me when I tell you, “I can create a really big sound for one guy.”

For those who haven’t seen you perform yet, what can they expect from a live show?

Nathan playing an outdoor show in 2019

A lot of energy, something unique, feel good music, and a show full of good vibes.

Is there anything connected to your upcoming album release party and tour that you’d like to shamelessly plug? If yes, please do so now.

I am excited about my album release party at the Aster Café in Minneapolis on May 26th because I have a couple of amazing musician friends playing with me: Greg Sylvester on keys and Matthew Probst on the 7-string e-cello (Matthew was featured on “This Road”). I will also have an opening act, Boots & Needles, a husband and wife duo who are absolutely amazing. And not to mention radio hosts Ryan and Matthew Rud from Fuzz Talk Radio will be there with their show “The Rabbit Hole.” More information can be found at www.NathanGriner.com.