SXSWORLD

SXSW.COM | M A R C H 1 5 , 2 0 1 8 | SXS W O R L D 4 1 "I guess we have all the different [musician] stereotypes but really, we're just all good buddies," Rateliff says about his band, who came from different parts of Denver's close-knit music community. Following last fall's live memoir of that Red Rocks show, the forthcoming Tearing at the Seams is the Night Sweats' third album on Stax Records, the iconic label once known as "Soulsville U.S.A." Stax, revived in 2004 by the L.A.-based Concord Music Group, and the Night Sweats couldn't be a better fit. "A legendary label with a lot of legendary artists; people that changed a lot," marvels Rateliff. Unlike its debut — largely based around demos Rateliff made with some help from Meese — the entire band created Tearing at the Seams from scratch. Last month its first single, "You Worry Me," matched "S.O.B." by hitting No. 1 on Billboard's Triple A songs chart. "I trust those guys on the stage, and now going into the studio we proved to each other we could rely on each other and listen to each other's ideas," Rateliff says. "[We] know that our input is not because of our egos, but actually because we all care about the songs." At SXSW, the band will arrive fresh off a gig at Harlem's Apollo Theater, before months of touring starting in Europe; winding around large U.S. theaters and outdoor venues; and culminating in August with two more nights at Red Rocks. For Rateliff, that means keeping certain essen- tials handy. "You can make it [on tour] without a camera or a notebook, but clean undergarments are important," he chuckles. Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats will perform on The SXSW Outdoor Stage presented by MGM Resorts (Riverside Dr & S 1st St), Friday, March 16. "I guess we have all the different [musician] stereotypes but really, we're just all good buddies..."

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