Interview with Nate Garrett (guitar / vocals) from Spirit Adrift
Just like MAGIC CIRCLE I came to know SPIRIT ADRIFT just recently, nevertheless Nate Garrett and his band piqued my interest and to my luck I quickly had the chance to ask him a few questions about his person, the band and Martial Arts…
Reflections of Darkness [RoD]: Nate, you are very sceptic regarding social media, what is the reason for your mind-set?
Nate: At best, it’s a distraction from all that is real. At worst, it is a cesspool of brainwashing and negativity. My goal is to be the best possible version of myself, and social media is not going to help me or anyone else accomplish that goal. I use it as little as I possibly can for the band itself, but I’m thinking of getting rid of all of it even for the band. I deleted the band Twitter and it feels great.
RoD: I often read about your love of Martial Arts, what brought you into it?
Nate: My best friend growing up was a Golden Gloves boxer. I started watching him fight in sanctioned and unsanctioned matches when we were 14 or 15 years old. Inside and outside of the ring he was destroying people that were much older and bigger than he was, so I learned at an early age the power of proper training. Then in 2007, my friend and bandmate in Arkansas properly introduced me to Mixed Martial Arts and I’ve been hooked ever since.
RoD: What bands are your main influences and what do you consider your idols?
Nate: BLACK SABBATH is my main influence and every other metal band’s main influence whether they admit it or not. Others are METALLICA, JUDAS PRIEST, TROUBLE, WAYLON JENNINGS, THIN LIZZY, and too many to name. My idols are strong people with hard work ethic, honesty, loyalty, and perseverance. My father and grandfather are two good examples. I don’t have many musical idols at this point, to be honest. For the past few years I’ve really admired martial artists for their obsessive dedication and commitment to their craft. A guy I’ve been looking up to a lot lately is a fighter named Jorge Masvidal. Much like me, he seems to have made some positive changes in his life and come back a better, stronger person.
RoD: The internet pictures you as a one man army because SPIRIT ADRIFT is not a consistent, constant bunch of people doing this classic band thing are you a loner or just a perfectionist?
Nate: Where are you seeing this? The SPIRIT ADRIFT live band has been the same since the very first show, and every promo photo since then has included everyone. But to answer your question, yes. (To defend myself here, sometimes information is not so easy to come by and everything I found led me to believe he was a one man metal machine)
RoD: What is the main reason doom is still relevant nowadays?
Nate: I’m not sure that anything is relevant anymore. Nobody seems to actually give a fuck about anything. It’s sad. Even most people in underground metal who are so self-righteous and superior can’t tell you one thing about their “favourite” band. We have more access to information than ever before, but people are somehow less informed than ever.
RoD: When will we see you in Germany next time?
Nate: September! spiritadrift.com/tour
New album ‘Divided by Darkness’ CD available on https://spiritadrift.bandcamp.com/
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