Bassist - Singer - Songwriter - Music Professor
This is the official website of Los Angeles-based professional bassist, music producer, and music educator, Nate Light.
Making this announcement a little late, as per usual, but I'll be in Vegas every Saturday this month with Save Ferris for our residency at Harrah's Carnaval Court stage. We hit each week at 8PM. We've done two of these shows so far and they've both been rad; I reckon things will continue to get bigger and better as the month continues! Come through! More updates to come.
So some time last year as I was doing a major overhaul of this site, I promised to add new photos in the immediate future, as the ones on the site were hopelessly out of date. As per usual, it took me a bit longer than expected to make good on that vow, but I finally managed to schedule a photoshoot with my good friend, Kim Zsebe, and the photos are officially live today.
Promotional photos on a site like this are tricky thing. Since this is basically an information site (i.e. online business card/resume), staying current on something like photos of oneself really comes down to valuing web-integrity (pretty sure I just coined this term). Integrity in this context simply refers to portraying oneself online in as accurate a light as possible. Admittedly, my 6 year-old photos were hardly accurate. I always get super hung-up on having to take new photos though, as (a) I'm no fucking model and would prefer not to be in front of a lens at all, and (b) who in the hell really wants to upload shots of an older, fatter, wrinklier, drunker version of the themselves? (not that I'm hung up on age, weight, or the deleterious effects of alcohol or anything)
But I digress. Personal qualms aside, I got some new photos! Kim did a bang-up job, and they're hi-res, retouched, and super pro looking. So as I make my best attempt at taking myself, my ego, and my insecurities out the equation, I'm happy to present these shots to you in the name of web-integrity ;)
So a little while back I had the honor and good fortune to play electric bass on all of the tracks for Here We Go Love, the new album by the English Beat feat. Dave Wakeling. My older sister was a huge 2-tone and ska enthusiast when I was growing up, and there were a few years where the Beat records were a constant in our house.
I've done so many gigs and sessions, where I feel like I'm trying to learn and assimilate a new style into my playing. While I always give it my all, some stuff just ends up feeling kind of forced. This was one of those instances though, where given my background, I really felt like I was made to play the music. And while it was a challenge to come up with the right parts and play lines that were appropriate given the density of the arrangements, the style fit my playing and personality like a glove.
Anyways, enough about me. Here We Go Love was released in the UK last month and has been garnering critical praise ever since. It was officially released in the U.S. on June 15th and it's available for streaming and downloads in all the usual spots. Click the image below to stream Here We Go Love on Spotify!
Here comes Summer!!! I've got some key shows in the books with both Save Ferris and Matthew Morrison, as well some killer gigs around town. I'll be kicking things off at Slam Dunk Festival in the UK with Save Ferris. We're hitting on the Fireball stage from 5/26-5/28 in Leeds, Hatfield, and Birmingham. Shortly thereafter we'll be playing the Wichita Riverfest in Kansas. See deets below. More to come!
geez, I feel like I blinked and 8 months went by. Let's all remember to seize the day, as we're gradually running out of them.
All is calm on the western front. Still rocking the teaching gig at LACC and doing miscellaneous sideman dates all over town. The newest and most exciting development in my musical life is that I'll be subbing with long-time So-Cal ska favorites, Save Ferris, for a series of upcoming festival dates throughout the spring and summer. We've been friends for a minute now and have been waiting for the stars (and our schedules) to align, and it's finally happening. There are some domestic shows on the books as well as some dates in the UK; I'll be posting them as the shows approach. We're kicking things off with the festival below. I can't tell you how stoked I am to be sharing the the stage with all of these titans of ska and so-cal music.
More news to come... and I'll make it a point post more often ;)
-NL
So after rocking the super-plain black template for several years, I've finally gotten around to redesigning this site. I dug into the Squarespace design features more than ever and really tweaked out on the template, fonts, and layout (dig the blurred out stock photo - somehow this was better than anything I had on hand). I've updated the about and credits sections to ensure both currency and accuracy. Additionally, I've added a fairly lengthy "rant" about my gear, detailing my current philosophy and preferences on musical equipment. There's also a new form on the contact page, making it possible for you to send me a message directly through the site rather than opening a separate email app or whatever. I've added links to my social media pages at the bottom of the website which are present regardless of which page you're currently on. I should note though, that I haven't been the most active dude on social as of late, so a couple of those pages are e-wastelands at the present. I plan on upping my social media game moving forward. As of now, I'm most active on Instagram. I still don't know what the hell to do with Twitter.
One thing that I'm really trending toward with this website is writing in the first-person and being unabashed about using my own voice. There's a tendency for sidemen/working-stiff/regular musicians (i.e. non-rock stars like me) to have a very sterile and quasi-businessy tone to the copy on their websites. I think we're all just trying to be professional and make ourselves seem like desirable contractors to potential clients, but it always feels like there's something kind of inauthentic about third-person bios. Like even if we try to be humble or modest, there's this air of making ourselves out to be bigger deals than we really are. In L.A. and in the music business in general, that's kind of the name of the game, and I'm over it. Maybe it's to my detriment, but I'm all about the music and musicianship; I could give a crap about puffing my chest to impress wankers. For now, I've kept the third-person bio on the About page. I've mainly done this because think it serves as a decent quick-reference for passerbys. More importantly, I was kind of just too lazy to write a new bio from scratch. Aside from that, all other content moving forward will be written in my own voice.
While I've updated most of the written material, ALL of the media on this site is starting to get kind of dated. The photos in the gallery are from 2013 - don't worry, I've been on the All Beer and Burrito Diet (ABBD) ever since then - I look great. Also, the most recent videos and tracks on the Audio/Video page are from 2015. I can attribute this lapse in new content to being completely caught up in - and overwhelmed by - my new gig as a Professor at LACC. Now that I'm 2 years into that job and I've started to get a handle on things there, I'm ready to tend my music career again and not let this place get too stale.
So here's what I've got in the works:
1. I'll be doing a new photo-shoot in October, my target date for having the re-touched photos online is 11/01/17. I need about two months to sweat off the beer and burritos, and then one more to loath myself and gain the weight back, only to surrender and take the photos in whatever miserable state I end up in. It's gonna be great.
2. I've been writing a crap-ton of music and I'm actually singing. You heard me right. I've joined so many extant bands over the years, always hoping that I can settle in and make it my own, so to speak, but I always end up being dissatisfied with the material and with other peoples' expectations of what a bass player should be. So I've finally just decided to say "fuck it" and start my own project where I'm the bass player and the singer. This doesn't mean that I don't still want to collaborate with others, it's just high time I had my own outlet as a writer. I don't have a target release date for any material, but I'll go ahead and threaten to have some Nate Light songs up on this site, and everywhere else, by the end of this calendar year.
3. The last thing that I intend to roll out this year is a youtube channel featuring instructional videos. I've been toying with this idea for a long time, and I finally bit the bullet and bought a camera and some accessories this month. Admittedly, I don't know what the hell I'm doing on the videography and video editing front, but I'm not too obsessed with perfection right now; I just want get the ball rolling. I'm going to be unleashing a series of instructional upright bass videos starting in October. I also have future plans for a series of electric bass videos, and some entry level music technology and music business lectures. There will be new a page entitled "Lessons" starting next month which will essentially just be my youtube video feed.
So that's where I'm at in a nutshell. Natelight.com has a new design and some new words, and I'll be rolling out new media and content NON-STOP in the near future..
I'll be posting again real soon. Thanks for reading.
Best,
NL
Alright, so I've lagged a little on promoting this, but better late than never, right?
As mentioned in my last post, I've been filling in on bass with my friends, The Diamond Light, for their their May residency at the Satellite. It's been a blast so far, and we've still got two Mondays left. I actually kind of know the songs at this point, so this would be an opportune time to come check us out ;)
We hit at 11PM each week. Just go.
Man, I've been sleeping on updating this site for a minute now. Please forgive me. It's a been whirlwind of a couple of years.
The most significant update in Nate-land is that I've seriously upped my teaching game: I landed a gig as a Tenure-Track Music Professor at Los Angeles City College in mid-2015, and I'm just now wrapping up my 4th semester as a full-time Prof. It's been one hell of learning curve, and I had to seriously dial-back my gigging schedule for a year and change. I'm just now starting to aggressively play out again and get back in the public eye.
On the playing front, I'm still doing occasional travel dates with my main man, Matthew Morrison. We were in Jakarta just the other week and it was a fricking blast, though it was hell on the body. It's always great to re-connect with that crew which is comprised of some of my favorite people and players on the planet: Brad Ellis on keys, Dan Kalisher on guitar, Peter Antunes on the kit, and Jimmy Emerzian on saxamaphone. I've also been getting back out on the L.A. rock scene. Most recently I've been subbing with my homies The Diamond Light for their May residency at the Satellite. TDL are one of the best bands that my old band the Janks used to play with on the reg, and they're no doubt one of LA's best traditional-hard-rocking groups (clearly I'm biased, seriously though). I've been beyond stoked to link-up with those dudes and get back on the circuit in town. As per usual, I'm also doing a smattering of random live dates and recording sessions: a little bit of yazz, a little bit of musico popular... you know the deal. I've really been focusing on upping my home recording prowess as well, and I've had several rad remote sessions in my living room as of late. If you need bass tracks, get at me! I'll turn that shit around in hours flat so you can get on with yer life!!!
Anyways, I'm mainly just checking back in here to let you know that (A) I still exist, and (B) shit is happening on my end and lots of good things are afoot. I'm planning on doing a complete overhaul of this site this Summer, including new photos and an updated layout and design scheme. If you have comments or suggestions, hit me up in the comments section below or contact me directly. I'll be back with more news real soon!!!
Love,
Natron
Check out the latest release by the The Janks, "I'm In It Now". This is our first fully acoustic single and it was recorded entirely in my living room.
Music & Lyrics by The Janks
Produced and Engineered by Nate Light
Mixed by Will Hampton at Sonus Bogus
Mastered by Brian Lucey at Magic Garden Mastering
Personnel:
Zachary Adrian Zmed - Guitars, Lead Vocals
Dylan Joshua Zmed - Mandolin, Harmony Vocals
Nate Light - Upright Bass
Leon Ledoux - Snare Drum
Released 5/29/15 as part of our #jankylastfridays campaign. Music & Lyrics by The Janks Produced and Engineered by Nate Light Recorded in Nate's living room Mixed by Will Hampton at Sonus Bogus Mastered by Brian Lucey at Magic Garden Mastering Personnel: Zachary Adrian Zmed - Guitars, Lead Vocals Dylan Joshua Zmed - Mandolin, Harmony Vocals Nate Light - Upright Bass Leon Ledoux - Snare Drum
Here's the 4th single of the year by The Janks, "Face the Night". Check it!
Personnel:
Zachary Adrian Zmed - Guitars, Lead Vocals
Dylan Joshua Zmed - Mandolin, Harmony Vocals
Nate Light - Fretless Bass, Upright Bass
Leon Ledoux - Drums
Music & Lyrics by The Janks
Produced by Nate Light
Drums Recorded by Roland Gajate Garcia
All Other Instruments Recorded by Nate Light in his living room
Mixed by Will Hampton at Sonus Bogus
Mastered by Brian Lucey at Magic Garden Mastering
Released 4/24/15 as part of our #jankylastfridays campaign. Personnel: Zachary Adrian Zmed - Guitars, Lead Vocals Dylan Joshua Zmed - Mandolin, Harmony Vocals Nate Light - Fretless Bass, Upright Bass Leon Ledoux - Drums Music & Lyrics by The Janks Produced by Nate Light Drums Recorded by Roland Gajate Garcia All Other Instruments Recorded by Nate Light in his living room Mixed by Will Hampton at Sonus Bogus Mastered by Brian Lucey at Magic Garden Mastering
The Janks are unleashing yet another new single this month. Check out "Do It Anyway". It's a tip of the hat to Ween, Brian May, and bad decisions. Enjoy!
Personnel:
Zachary Zmed - Guitar, Lead Vocals
Dylan Zmed - Mandolin, Harmony Vocals
Nate Light- Bass
Leon Ledoux - Drums
Music and Lyrics by The Janks
Produced by Nate Light
Engineered By Miles Senzaki at Grandma's Dojo
Additional Overdubs Engineered by Nate Light in his living room
Mixed By Will Hampton at Sonus Bogus
Mastered By Brian Lucey at Magic Garden Mastering
Released 3/27/15 as part of our #jankylastfridays campaign. Personnel: Zachary Zmed - Guitar, Lead Vocals Dylan Zmed - Mandolin, Harmony Vocals Nate Light- Bass Leon Ledoux - Drums Music and Lyrics by The Janks Produced by Nate Light Engineered By Miles Senzaki at Grandma's Dojo Additional Overdubs Engineered by Nate Light in his living room Mixed By Will Hampton at Sonus Bogus Mastered By Brian Lucey at Magic Garden Mastering
We're rolling out the singles this year. Check out the latest release by my band, The Janks.
Personnel:
Zachary Adrian Zmed - Guitars, Lead Vocals
Dylan Joshua Zmed - Mandolin, Harmony Vocals
Nate Light - Bass
Leon Ledoux - Drums
Music & Lyrics by The Janks
Produced by Nate Light
Engineered By Miles Senzaki at Grandma's Dojo
Mixed By Will Hampton at Sonus Bogus
Mastered By Brian Lucey at Magic Garden Mastering
Released 2/27/15 as part of our #jankylastfridays campaign. Personnel: Zachary Adrian Zmed - Guitars, Lead Vocals Dylan Joshua Zmed - Mandolin, Harmony Vocals Nate Light - Bass Leon Ledoux - Drums Music & Lyrics by The Janks Produced by Nate Light Engineered By Miles Senzaki at Grandma's Dojo Mixed By Will Hampton at Sonus Bogus Mastered By Brian Lucey at Magic Garden Mastering
Check out the newest single by my band The Janks!
Personnel:
Dylan Joshua Zmed - Mandolin, Lead Vocals
Zachary Adrian Zmed - Guitars, Harmony Vocals
Nate Light - Bass
Leon Ledoux - Drums
Music & Lyrics by The Janks
Produced by Nate Light
Engineered By Miles Senzaki at Grandma's Dojo
Mixed By Will Hampton at Sonus Bogus
Mastered By Brian Lucey at Magic Garden Mastering
Released 1/30/15 as part of our #jankylastfridays campaign. Personnel: Dylan Joshua Zmed - Mandolin, Lead Vocals Zachary Adrian Zmed - Guitars, Harmony Vocals Nate Light - Bass Leon Ledoux - Drums Music & Lyrics by The Janks Produced by Nate Light Engineered By Miles Senzaki at Grandma's Dojo Mixed By Will Hampton at Sonus Bogus Mastered By Brian Lucey at Magic Garden Mastering
I can't express how happy I am to announce my first official release with The Janks, the Living In Denial EP. This 4-song release was co-produced by yours truly along with the rest of the band and it's a hint of what is to come in 2015. It's available on iTunes, Amazon, Spotify, and pretty much anywhere else where you can stream or purchase music online. Check out the entire EP on Youtube below:
It was a real honor to play with Matthew Morrison and Co. at the Clinton Foundation's most recent Gala in New York City on 5/01/2014. We got to hang with Bill, Hillary, and Chelsea. They are clearly ardent supporters of the performing arts and they couldn't have been more gracious hosts. Dig this pic!
I'm really proud to play and endorse G&L basses. In addition to making top-notch instruments, the folks at G&L have been extremely supportive of my career. They recently did a very cool feature on some on my recent activity with Matt Morrison on the G&L website. Click the photo below to check it out!
Earlier this month, the Matthew Morrison band made our second appearance this year on the CBS program the Talk. This particular performance was in support of Matt's new EP "A Classic Christmas". In case you missed it, check out the video below. I'm playing a brand new M-2500 bass, courtesy of the good folks at G&L Guitars, through none other than a classic Gallien Krueger 800RB amp. Enjoy!
Hi all. I'm stoked to announce that my jazz trio will be playing every Monday night from 10:00PM - 1:00AM at one of my favorite bars in Los Angeles, Ye Rustic Inn. Ye Rustic is noted for its inviting atmosphere, its friendly and aesthetically pleasing bar/wait staff, and for having the best wings in LA.
Don't delay, come join the Nate Light trio for jazz and wings this Monday!
It was a very humbling and rewarding experience to perform with Matt Morrison on the Muscular Dystrophy Association's recent "Show of Strength" Telethon on ABC. Check out the video of our performance below.
I'm super excited to announce that I've officially become a Reunion Blues Artist Endorser. In case you're unfamiliar with the company, Reunion Blues makes the finest soft-shell cases and gig-bags in the business. I've been lugging my basses around in Reunion Blues bags both locally and abroad for years now without a single issue. They're light weight, the construction is top-notch, and they look great as well. I'm 100% confident that my gear is safe when I'm using these bags. Thanks Reunion Blues!
