If you are interested in finding amazing local bands we’ve got a great resource for you, Raised On Rhythm Podcast. I was lucky enough to catch up with the host Nate Louis to chat about his podcast and Seattle local music calendar.

THE CROCODILE: Tell us about Raised on Rhythm.

NATE: Raised on Rhythm is my podcast dedicated to up-and-coming Seattle bands!

THE CROCODILE: What inspired you to start the podcast?

NATE: So my goal when I started this was to give a platform to bands in this city after COVID shut down live music. I wanted to create a platform where bands could talk about what they were going through, but also address inequities I saw in the music media space. (The most attention going to the biggest names, etc. It encourages us to spend a lot of time engaging with what's familiar or most accessible rather than fostering new talent. Also, social media tends to give a promotional advantage to solo artists and individuals since people tend to connect with individuals more than organizations, corporate accounts, or bands.) When it came to starting a podcast, I had a lot of advantages going into it.

I've been drumming in bands on and off for the past 20 years; talking about what bands go through is like second nature to me. Prior to COVID, I worked as an online session drummer, so I knew enough about audio engineering and owned enough gear to do all the production work myself, which made things a lot easier because that way I didn't have to rely on outside engineers or studios to make things happen. I actually started with a mobile recording setup, so we could record the episodes wherever bands felt comfortable. I also just felt like podcast medium is a space where bands are free to talk the way we normally talk outside venues, but we can also edit things for clarity, so it's not as nerve-wracking as (say) doing a live interview in an unfamiliar place.

THE CROCODILE: What is your involvement in music besides the podcast?

NATE: Currently, I play drums in 3 original bands here in Seattle - Peyote Ugly, Forest Ray, and Blade Palace. Peyote Ugly’s finishing up our debut album at the moment and I’ve been touring a good bit with Forest Ray. I consider myself a drummer first and foremost because that's really where everything else I do originates. I started playing drums just before my 9th birthday and I'm 35 now.

 Outside of drumming, I helped start up SeaGigs, which is a community website that lists all the live music events happening around Seattle. Anybody can submit their events on the site! I also host a Discord server where we pair Seattle music with different micro content from social media to help Seattle bands get their music out there!

I'm also part of a startup focused on musician networking. I can't offer too many details on that right now but it’s is something I'm excited to reveal once it's ready!

THE CROCODILE: What are 2-3 of your favorite episodes?

NATE: This is like asking someone which one of their kids they love the most! I only talk to people I really want to and I'm grateful for everyone who's been on, but if I had to give someone a starting point, I'd say Episode 22 with Guy and Ian from Acid Tongue! I showed up at Guy's apartment one afternoon with all my recording gear and the 3 of us had a great conversation!

The Guest DJs episode with Danny Denial was also a personal favorite! Danny's just the best in general! We spent the episode with him and his band playing their favorite tracks from other Seattle bands and I discovered so much amazing music!

Rachel Field (Episode 5) was also a conversion I was really proud of, because it felt like we were able to have a very real conversation about her career in audio, and there were some topics we discussed that I've since heard discussed in other interviews she's done since, which is cool because it feels like we were able to move the dialogue forward on those topics.

THE CROCODILE: Where can people find the podcast to listen to?

NATE: You can listen to the Raised on Rhythm Podcast on Spotify, Apple Music, and basically everywhere podcasts are available just make sure to spell it right when you search because a lot of people don't know how to spell "rhythm"!

THE CROCODILE: Do you have any big things for the podcast coming up?

NATE: You know what's wild is the podcast branched off into all these other things I got involved with, whether that's some of the bands I'm drumming for now like Forest Ray, making show calendars for Seattle bands, working on a website like SeaGigs, or just documenting the shows I go to and sharing the highlights on Instagram.

I gotta be honest, towards the end of last year, I was overwhelmed and struggling with whether or not I wanted to continue the podcast itself, but there's been so much support and encouragement from the community and that's a huge motivation! Shaina Shepherd and Kelly Fleek are 2 people in particular who've been very helpful and supportive with a lot of my struggles behind the scenes. Shaina's the realist person you'll ever meet and Kelly's been like my godmother to the music scene. My engineer Blake Burton (NAST Podcast) also does a really good job helping me stay focused and he's been a great person to bounce ideas off of!

I'd say overall, definitely expect to see a lot more videos in 2022! I plan on doing way more with that, both for the podcast and the music scene in general. Over the last year, I've gotten to know people like Eric Luck and Brittne Lunnis, people who are truly gifted when it comes to visuals. I'm trying to brainstorm how we can put our heads together! More than anything, I'm just thankful to live in a place where there's no shortage of amazing bands to talk about! You can also listen to the website at www.raisedonrhythm.com.