Jessee and Nathaniel spoke with us about their love story, their musical history and what you’ll see when you catch their set at Harvest Sun.
How did you both get started in music?
Jessee: We were both born into musical families, so music was always there. I was heavily involved in all things performing arts growing up and joined my first band (the Duhks) just after high school.
Nathaniel: Both of my parents are music lovers, and my father is a pianist, so there was always music being played in the house. I remember as a kid, I would sit on the floor of our living room while he played and I'd sing along, trying to find the harmonies. I took piano lessons (I think around the age of 12 or 13) but picked up the guitar shortly after and never looked back. I started writing my own songs and eventually playing in bands during high school, and it just grew from there.
What’s the story behind how Nation of Two started - it sounds like such an interesting story!
Jessee: We met at a mutual friend's party in St. Augustine, Florida where Nathaniel was living, and I was touring with the Duhks. A few years later, once the stars aligned; we fell madly in love and started playing music together.
Nathaniel: We were certainly fond of each other from the get-go, but circumstances didn't allow for anything more than distant friendship for a few years. One weekend I was scheduled to play a show in Jacksonville, FL and she happened to be in town, so she came along with some mutual friends of ours (who had evidently been working on this for a while) and before we knew it, we were falling hard and sending each other songs that would later appear on our first EP.
Jessee: Our first show was a little over two years ago; about a week after Nathaniel moved to Canada, sharing a bill with Scott Nolan in Kenora who is an old friend of mine and someone whose music we both love. In the year that followed, we played a bunch of shows, mostly in Winnipeg and nearby, recorded our EP, Spirit and Mind, traveled back to Florida to play the festival that was the reason we met, and somewhere in there, got married and went through the whole immigration process for Nathaniel. In the past year, we've been playing less and focusing on writing for our first full-length record, which we hope to record this coming winter.
For anyone who hasn’t seen you perform yet, what can people expect when they catch you at Harvest Sun?
Jessee: Heart eyed emojis and harmonies.
Nathaniel: Ballads and buzz cuts.
This is your first year playing Harvest Sun, so what are you most excited for in regard to playing the fest?
We love discovering new little grassroots festivals and have heard such amazing things about this one, so we're just really excited to get out there and experience it for ourselves on a bill with some of our favourite folks!
Catch Nation of Two at The Harvest Sun Music Festival in Kelwood, MB - August 17 - 19th. Tickets are still available online and at the gate!
Follow Nation of Two on Facebook, Instagram and their official website. Nation of Two's latest EP, Spirit and Mind is available on Spotify.
Janet Adamana is the Founder/Editor-In-Chief of Sound, Phrase & Fury Magazine - a Winnipeg-based digital publication dedicated to promoting independent artists and industry professionals from all over the world. More than just about inciting hype, she interviews/writes to capture an artists’ essence and their greatest passions to ignite meaningful connections between fans and really great bands.