I talked with my cousin, Nathan Graves, who fronts the band With a Gun for a Face and writes solo music under the name Kurtz. Nate’s music is usually pretty dark and dissonant, but strangely catchy. The more I listen, the more I like it.
This podcast episode is a bit longer than previous Composer Quest episodes, but we got into a pretty interesting discussion about avant garde art. Hope you enjoy!
[audio:https://charliemccarron.com/mediaftp/composerquest/composer-quest-004-nathan-graves.mp3]
Right click to download Ep. 4, or open in iTunes.
For more With a Gun for a Face music, visit Bandcamp or Facebook. Nate’s solo music, visit Kurtz on Bandcamp or Facebook.
Episode Playlist
- 0:43 – “Everything Burns Alike” – Kurtz (The Song a Week Sessions: Volume 1, 2012)
- 3:00 – “Parade of Horribles” – With a Gun for a Face (Corporate Callosum, 2012)
- 4:25 – “Robot Weekend” – Grass Party
- 5:14 – “Severance (live)” – With a Gun for a Face (Live at Hell’s Kitchen, 2011)
- 7:33 – “Neuro Theater” – With a Gun for a Face (Corporate Callosum, 2012)
- 11:14 – “Dying Fall” – With a Gun for a Face (Goodnight, Ladies, 2010)
- 14:30 – “The Living” – With a Gun for a Face (Corporate Callosum, 2012)
- 17:40 – “Artery” – With a Gun for a Face (Corporate Callosum, 2012)
- 22:12 – Live version of new With a Gun for a Face project, Autocrat.
- 28:40 – “Birthings” – With a Gun for a Face (Corporate Callosum, 2012)
- 31:11 – “Killing Hour” – With a Gun for a Face (Corporate Callosum, 2012)
- 44:08 – “Autocratic Intelligence” – Kurtz (The Irrational, 2011)
- 44:42 – “Approaching the Digital Infinite” – Kurtz (The Irrational, 2011)
- 47:14 – “Paranoia” – Rat People (2011)
- 48:33 – “Happy Cancer” – Rat People (2011)
Suggested Listening
- Pink Floyd – “Breathe” (Simple lyrics with deeper meaning)
- Nirvana – “Drain You” (Sarcastic lyrics)
- Mr. Bungle – “Sweet Charity” (Film-like “scene” changes)
- Radiohead – “Feral” (New shorter album approach)
- Bob Dylan – “It’s Alright, Ma (I’m Only Bleeding)“
- The Beatles – “Happiness is a Warm Gun“
Listen and Subscribe
I haven’t had much experience with the genre that With a Gun for a Face plays, but learning about the underlying complexities of this band’s album and Nate’s compositional techniques makes me want to listen to more of their music.