CATSKILL CHILL ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: NADIS WARRIORS
Catskill Chill Sept. 18-20, 2015, Hancock, NY
by Elise Olmstead
The sixth annual Catskill Chill, taking place September 18-20, 2015, will be saying farewell to their Camp Minglewood venue this year. The Hancock, NY, festival is not only host to some of the friendliest vibes, but also big name bands combined with hot local and up-and-coming talent. Appalachian Jamwich wanted to highlight a talented band on the lineup that is new to the Chillfam, and Nadis Warriors is a set you won’t want to miss!
What came first for Nadis Warriors, three musicians with an idea for a band, or the idea for a live EDM band that needed multiple members?
We knew we wanted to have the possibility for improvisation, but also wanted to utilize the immense amount of technology available. Naturally, that led us to having multiple members. Basically, we were intrigued by the idea of using the traditional instruments we grew up on while incorporating the new technologies that were exploding at the time. The result was the Nadis Warriors.
How would you describe your musical genre and who are your musical inspirations?
Our inspirations are all over the map. We draw inspiration from a vast spectrum including Zappa, Phish, Squarepusher, & Tipper to name a few. We have also found much inspiration in the visual arts community. Artists like Alex Grey, Jonathan Singer, Android Jones, Chris Dyer, and too many others to name have been very influential to us. As far as genre goes I wouldn’t say we are striving to fit in the confines of any particular genre. I guess we could call it live electronic music. We have been called EDM, live-tronica, jam-tronica, and a ton of other things, but don’t necessarily know exactly what we are classified as. We think this is because our influences are all over the map and the result is a gumbo of many things.
What do you think of the recent popularity of “jam-tronica” music? What do you think attracts people to these types of performances? How do you stand out from other “jam-tronica” bands (if you consider yourself this type of band at all)?
There are a ton of talented artists pushing the envelope and incorporating live instruments with electronics. Everyone has there own unique flavor to how this is done. There really are no rules and the possibilities are endless. We think this style of music attracts people because it is something new and familiar at the same time. It kind of has one foot in history and one foot in the future. Society is integrating with technology at an exponential rate. Thus it is expected that the music we listen to would follow that trend. The idea of this integration is what inspired us to name this the Futurology tour.
Are your live performances planned out or more improvisational? What is your goal for those attending your sets (i.e. to make them dance, to make them think, to simply express yourselves)?
We like to have aspects of both. Most of our favorite artists incorporate composed material with improvisation. Our main goal is to express ourselves in a way that makes us feel something and makes the listener feel something. If that means people dance then that is wonderful. If it makes them think then even better.
Is this your first year playing Catskill Chill and why are you excited to play this festival? What do you think of the Northeast scene compared to your hometown of Austin, TX?
This is our first year and we are extremely grateful to be a part of the chillfam. The thing that most excites us about the chill is the family and communal vibe we have heard about and have felt a part of leading up to this.
Who is a band on the Catskill Chill lineup that you are personally excited to hear?
Zappa plays Zappa, Electron, Stratosphere All-stars, Dopakuaz, the tribute to Herbie Hancock……. Really everything because this is such a stacked line-up.