— Nathaniel Rateliff —

Certainly the main attraction and highlight for me of HSBG ‘25 was the incomparable Nathaniael Rateliff and the Nightsweats. His huge, powerful voice, as well as his energy, passion, humility, and soul won the weekend for me. If you are not familiar with his Americana/Blues/Folk/Gospel work, you’ll enjoy his uplifting and inspiring sound that he has made all his own.

His music to me is deeply personal and honest, as any good artist will offer. His candor, vulnerabilty, and purity makes me appreciate him all the more, as he reveals his own challenges and struggles with being a good human, of having an open heart in this crazy world out of balance.

Incidentally, there were two times when he "played" with me and looked right into my lens and “posed’, which you can see amongst these shots. This made me love him all the more; the fact that he was so free and present, that he was able to have fun and play. After all, thats what musicians and actors are supposed to do: play. They do call it a Play for a reason. But one has to stay in this spontaneous and present place, which takes confidence, experience, and curiosity.

Bravo Nathaniel and thank you for your courage, your cuore (heart).