Nate Maingard ao DanielaPress: «We are all student and teachers to those we meet»

Nate Maingard's interview for Danielapress

Nate Maingard é um trovador dos tempos modernos. Cantor e compositor, Nate nasceu numa casa de campo nos arredores de Cape Town, África do Sul, cercado por águas agitadas e montanhas escarpadas.

A crescer no meio da oficina de guitarras do pai, naturalmente lhe nasceu a paixão pela música, e pela guitarra em particular, que sempre o acompanha nas suas meldias apaixonadas, suaves, cheias de amor e que desafiam todos os arquétipos que partilhamos enquanto Seres Humanos.

Nate apresenta-se com um ar fresco e desafiante perante os estereótipos que temos atualmente na nossa indústria da música e convida-nos constantemente a descobrir o que faz seja em concertos, palestras ou até num podcast online.

O músico vai beber inspiração ao movimento folk-indie popularizado por por Bon Iver, Elliot Smith, Death Cab For Cutie e Tallest Man On Earth, mantendo-se fiel aos seus primeiros amores do lirismo dos anos 60, como John Lennon, Nick Drake, Cat Stevens e Leonard Cohen. São uma espécie de canções de protesto para quem é pela paz e pelo amor.

Amigável, simpático, apaixonado pela natureza e pelos animais e cheio de histórias de amor ao próximo, comecei a acompanhá-lo no seu podcast inspiracional “Getting Naked With Nate Maingard”. Daí à música foram dois ou três toques no ecrã e quando aceitou ser entrevistado para o meu blogue foi a prova de que, às vezes, a caixa está mesmo cheia de bolinhos.

 

Nate Maingard always cared about our Planet Earth
Nate Maingard always cared about our Planet Earth

Daniela Azevedo – Nate, first of all, thank you so much for this. I’ve been following you for about three years and I love your music and your lifestyle. You seem to be an artist of the future, since you are not only a singer, a musician, but also a spiritual coach. Is it true? Are you an all in one man?
Nate Maingard – Thank you for the kind words, I’m glad to know that my music has brought you joy for so long! I don’t know about being an “all in one man”, as you say. I just think and feel deeply about this world, and try to make sense of it in the way I communicate through my songs, videos, podcast and everywhere I share. To me, it seems that spirituality is an inextricable part of living, of being human, so I don’t really differentiate between those who are “spiritual” and those who are not. Yes, I’m a seeker, and I question a lot and do my best to learn more, but it doesn’t make me any more of a spiritual being than anyone else. We are all student and teachers to those we meet…

DA – You call yourself a troubadour. Is that because you feel like a lyric poet from past centuries?
NM – Yes, I call myself a troubadour because I am a storyteller who sings, and because I’m often nomadic, and my songs speak to the core experiences which we all share as humans. Also, one of my ancestors was Aimeric Du Peguilhan, one of the last great troubadours of the 13th century.

DA – Nate, your songs are very focused on love and healing souls. Do you feel like an angel with a guitar instead of wings?
NM – Haha, nice image there, Daniela. I think we’re all angels in our way. I remember once sitting on an underground train in London and looking around me, at all the people busy with their own lives. Suddenly I realised that everyone there had a light burning in them. Some shone brighter, and some were dimmer… but everyone there had the flame. I think we’re all angels, and we all have something special to bring to this adventure we call life.

DA – Musically speaking, how would you describe your music? Are you the author of them all?
NM – Someone said it better than I ever could: Love songs for rebels and protest songs for lovers. I write my songs from my own experiences, dreams, hopes and challenges. The more honest and personal I can be, the more I feel my music connects with everyone. So yes, I write all my own songs, although I do also love playing many covers and sharing them with the world too!

DA – You released a 2011 album titled “The Wild Land”, a 2012 album called “Home”, and then an EP called “In The Shadows”. When will we have a new one?
NM – I’m currently working on my next album, “Always Wandering”. Thanks to support from my patrons on Patreon (http://patreon.com/natemaingard), I am recording one song a month, which will be released as a full album some time in 2018. So far I’ve recorded three songs: ‘Lovers In The Morning Light’ [you can hear it at the end], ‘Echos’ and ‘Let Love Win’, with more coming every month.

DA – Is it true that you craft your own instruments? How do you do that?
NM – The guitar I play is named Melody, and I built her with the help of my father and his apprentice Matthias, way back when I was 18! My dad is Marc Maingard of Maingard Guitars, one of the top luthiers in the world, so I got kinda luck there, eheh.

DA – You also have a podcast, with a naughty title, “Getting Naked With Nate”. What is it about?
NM – Haha, it’s only naughty if your mind goes that way ;). To me, being naked is about being open, honest and vulnerable. It’s about acknowledging that we all come into this world innocent (naked), and it’s only the layers – trauma, social expectations, conditioning, “education”, etc. – we’ve put on which make us forget this. We so often feel the need to pretend that we’re not still the same naked people underneath. My podcast is about removing those extra layers, coming back to the beautiful mystery and awe inherent in the human experience; it’s about being real, with yourself and those around you.
Also, I think this society is so afraid of nakedness, of sexuality, because it is an inherently vulnerable way of being. If you look out into this world, you’ll notice that ultra-violence is “normalised”, while depictions of nudity, sexuality or authentic vulnerability are often censored or hidden away as if they’re shameful. The podcast is my way of inviting nakedness back into the world, to celebrate us in our beautiful fragility.

DA – What are you doing to save/heal the planet?
NM – I’m healing myself and sharing the journey as honestly as I can with the people I meet.

 

Nate Maingard and one of his dogs
Nate Maingard and one of his dogs

 

DA – Here, in Portugal, we have a festival that seems to me now that really goes with your flow. It’s called FMM – Festival Músicas do Mundo, in Sines. Have you ever been there or any place here in Portugal? If not, will you ever be here?
NM – I haven’t heard of that one, sounds lovely! I visited Portugal for two weeks, way back in 2007, I think. I was there on a surf trip with my friends. We loved it so much, but sadly didn’t find any waves.
I definitely want to come back again!

DA – You provide tons of music for free. Are you a “friend” of digital platforms? Why?
NM – No one should be denied music because they can’t afford to pay for it, so I offer mine on a “Pay What You Want” basis. This is so much about trust for me, because I trust that the people who value my music and who CAN afford to support it, will choose to pay what they can afford. I know that I can’t do this alone, and so I share with an open heart and invite people to share value with me in return. It’s a humbling and empowering experience. About being a “friend” of digital platforms: I am so grateful for these modern tools which allow us to connect all across the world. I am also aware that most of them make money by getting people addicted so that the platforms have peoples’ attention and can sell them targeted ads, or sell their information to advertisers. There is a big problem when the world’s biggest online platforms are designed to take us away from living our lives, and it’s something which needs to be dealt with. I try to share valuable and inspiring information so that people can improve their lives, not waste them on the internet all the time ;).

DA – How does it feel like to live and make music in South Africa?
NM – It’s a very beautiful part of this world, and I’m grateful for the life I had here growing up. So many of my songs are inspired by the surroundings I had growing up, and I will always be grateful for this magical, wild place. I found my musical home in London, because of the incredible people I met, like Roaman, Sam Garrett, Ny Oh, Kim Cassidy, Jesse Sheehan, Thomas James Smith… and SO MANY MORE!

DA – You are a nomad. Where do you want to move / be next?
NM – My sweetheart and I are planning some long-term travels in a van, probably through South and Central America! People can connect with me, my music and my podcast via my website: http://natemaingard.com.

 

 

Daniela Azevedo

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