When An Incomplete Bookshelf was initially conceptualized, I dreamt of it as not just an outlet for myself, but a space to show off some of my unbelievably talented friends. I wanted to review books, ask big questions and interview other artists without having to ask permission from a major publication. Between finishing my manuscript and moving to a different state, An Incomplete Bookshelf has been neglected. Since moving, the past few months of my life has been dedicated to querying out to literary agents to find representation for my first manuscript. My efforts, so far, have been fruitless. I prepared for countless rejections, so my ego has yet to be severely wounded, but in these past few weeks I’ve ached to return to this safe-space.
For those who haven’t been through it, querying is the absolute worst. The whole process reeks of desperation. But I don’t want to pull myself into a pit of negativity about it because I do believe the right person to represent this book is out there. I just need to find them.
Instead, I want to utilize this space to celebrate a dear friend, Nate Traveller, who has generously agreed to be the first interviewee for An Incomplete Bookshelf!
Nate is a singer/songwriter from Southwest, Florida. He was two years my senior when we met and quickly befriended each other in 2016. Since then, Nate has released two EP’s, two albums and has cumulated over a million monthly listeners across streaming platforms.
Nate generously agreed to sit down together (via Facetime) and discuss his new album, Trvll With Friends, set to release this fall.
Just moments into our call, Nate confided that this project is his favorite body of work. He called Trvll with Friends multidimensional in its sound, featuring some of his favorite people in the world. I could hear the excitement rattle his tone as he described the track list, which is set to feature nine songs, an interlude and two skits.
The two of us went on to call the album an eclectic mix, with what Nate described as, “A healthy balance of love songs, rap music, and a little bit of everything.”
When asked about his inspiration for creating such a diverse project, Nate laughed and explained that Trvll with Friends is meant to act as a showcase for artists that he resonates with, and an excuse to have some fun. Much like a method actor, Nate spent the summer travelling throughout the US with his team to immerse himself in creating the album.
“Overall, I wanted it to be an abundant experience,” He explained, “We went everywhere with this, we went to Georgia, New York, California. We’re connecting. Right now, the seeds are just being planted and I don’t want to rush it, but I feel like it has so much potential. It’s exciting and the music reflects that. It’s not even necessarily a conceptual project. It’s a bunch of different vibes, with homies on them.”
It came to very little surprise to me that Nate wanted this project to also be about showcasing other up and coming artists. When asked to do this interview, Nate didn’t care about how many people might read it or how “successful” An Incomplete Bookshelf was, he agreed to do it because he believes in the work that his friends create, despite mainstream success or a lack thereof. It’s very refreshing when living in a world where a “follower count” matters to most.
“Who are you really interesting in putting other people onto?” I asked.
Without hesitation, he answered, “OneWay Tb, Mark Richards, Sebastian Portillo. I feel like that’s the home team. I look at them and I believe in them. They’re constantly out there making music and not slowing down for anything.”
“Is there anybody that you’re dying to work with in the future?”
“I would love to work with Flatbush Zombies,” Nate exclaimed with a smile, “Erick on production. Those are the type of guys I’d love to bring in on everything. They’re so fire. They are artists that would be really fun to work and create with. Beast Coast New York, to continue my exploration of the New York scene and to humble myself more in hip hop.”
“Because this is for An Incomplete Bookshelf, we’ve gotta talk about books and women,” I joked.
“Yes!”
When asked about the women in his life, Nate wasn’t afraid to immediately gush about his mom and sister, two incredible women who are also voracious readers. Nate likened his sister as his “North Star” and his mom as “His everything.”
[Sidenote: A great book recommendation from Nates lovely mom, Sheila, is Isabel Wilkerson’s book “Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents]
“As far as other female artists,” He continued, “I just feel like Doja Cat is like a ‘fuck yes.’ She can’t do anything wrong. I remember the first time I heard Tia and Tamera and thinking that shit was fucking crazy. Sabrina Claudio is also really fire, her song Stand Still, if you need a good cry, listen to that one. Also, can’t sleep on my girl, Vida. We just had a single come out this June called Mountains. Vida is super talented, so being able to work together and showcase how incredible she is, that was so cool.”
When talking literature, Nate praised Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak, Illuminata by Marianne Williamson, Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse and The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho.
“My uncle told me to read the Alchemist and Siddhartha one summer and I read them both back-to-back and those were the first two books in my life that I could not put down. I had to finish them. Since then, I haven’t had that experience, but those two books got me.”
Slipping from literature into music, when asked what some of his favorite albums are, Nate warned that he could rattle off answers all day but insisted that these be included:
The Fray: Self titled and Scars and Stories
Post Malone: Stoney
Isaiah Rashad: Cilvia Demo
Jakk Da Rhymer: Open EP
To conclude our conversation after well wishes and lots of love, I asked my friend what he was excited about for the future.
4“I’m excited to keep going,” He said, “With all my friends and family and supporters. Just keep going. I feel like there’s a lot of work ahead, but the future is bright, we’ve just gotta show up for it.”
