In the late ‘90s, Nathaniel Rateliff and close friend Joseph Pope III moved from Hermann, Missouri, to Denver, Colorado, hoping to make music. The two formed the duo Born in the Flood but eventually went on to create Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats with five other musicians.
Nearly every member of the band is able to play more than one instrument, but on stage, Pope and Rateliff play guitar and are accompanied by Mark Shusterman (keyboard), Patrick Meese (drums), Wesley Watkins (trumpet), Andy Wild (saxophone) and Luke Mossman (bass).
The group is considered a gospel-soul-folk-rock band which released their first album in August 2015. The self-titled album was made popular by its lead single “S.O.B.,” which topped the Billboard adult alternative chart five months after its release. The fame garnered from “S.O.B.” continued to grow at an alarming rate. After performances on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and the success of other singles, “Howling at Nothing” and “I Need Never Get Old,” both from the album, the band was asked to perform last April on Coachella’s main stage.
Now, Rateliff and Pope are coming home. The Missouri natives and the rest of The Night Sweats will be performing at the Roots N Blues N BBQ festival.
Jack Gilkey, a junior at Mizzou and a fan of the group, says his favorite quality about the band is their disposition.
“I got to see them perform at Coachella, and it was entertaining and humbling all at the same time,” he said. “On stage were seven guys with unbelievable talent at one of the biggest festivals in the United States, yet they acted like it wasn’t even a big deal. They really took the spotlight off of themselves and made it all about the music.”
Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats perform at 9:30 on Sept. 30 on the Missouri Lottery Stage.
####During the show:
Be ready to clap
Keep an eye on trumpeter Wesley Watkins. It’s impressive.
See if anyone gives Nathaniel a drink during “S.O.B.”
####After the show:
Keep an eye on MOVE Magazine for a follow-up piece on their performance and an exclusive backstage interview with the band.
