Nate Sabat is a JUNO-nominated bassist, vocalist, songwriter, and arranger currently based in Brooklyn, NY. He is a founding member of award-winning bluegrass band Mile Twelve. A native-New Yorker, he attended LaGuardia High School as a vocal principal and went on to study upright bass at the Berklee College of Music. He has performed on stages throughout Europe, Japan, New Zealand, Australia, Canada, and the United States. It’s the wide variety of musical roles that he has played — bandleader, band member, sideman, chorus and orchestra member, music director, arranger — that gives him his unique musical perspective and voice. And it’s the teachers and mentors he’s learned from — GRAMMY winners Latin jazz pianist Arturo O’Farill, cellist/conductor Eugene Friesen, guitar virtuoso Julian Lage and MacArthur fellow Francisco J Núñez, to name a few — that have helped him craft and hone that voice.
Nate has written vocal music for NPR’s Radio Lab, written string arrangements for the Heifetz International Music Institute, and written songs that are in rotation on Sirius XM’s Bluegrass Junction channel. The debut project under his own name, Walking Away, was released in the fall of 2018. Roots music journal No Depression says, “…it becomes clear that within only six tunes, Sabat has effectively constructed a short but dense epic through the mind of a man looking to forgive his past and travel fearlessly into his future”. At the core of a rock project, it draws from influences as wide as the Stanley Brothers, Dvořák, Joni Mitchell and XTC.
Q: What inspired the piece you wrote?
The inspiration for this piece lies in the mental roadblocks that I have faced this year. Initially, I felt overwhelmed, frozen, and stifled by the issues facing our society. Gradually, I became hopeful, inspired, and prepared to take them on, mostly by breaking the issues down into manageable action items. The first few lines of the song document the former feeling, but the lyrics quickly take a turn to the latter. There’s something fearless about the latter mindset, that no matter the enormity, a person will do their part to help enact change. There’s also something angelic, dedicating one’s time to serve as a force for good.
Q: Tell us what social cause you are passionate about and why.
After recognizing the intrinsic link between the people that represent us and the resulting outcomes in people’s lives, the majority of my social justice work has been in the political sphere. When I was living in Somerville, MA, I became involved with the local Our Revolution chapter. Though our work door-knocking and phone-banking, we were able to elect a brand-new slate of progressives to city council. The following year, I did similar work with the Ayanna Pressley campaign. This May, having returned to New York, I put pressure on state officials to overturn Section 50-a, which has now resulted in greater police accountability. My heart lies in campaign finance reform, so going forward I will continue to do my part to diminish corporate influence in politics and increase the power of the electorate.
Q: Is there a favorite lyric or part of the song that is particularly important to you?
My favorite part of the song is the round at the end, when the chorus sings: “I won’t let my fearless angel fly away,” with a layered and staggered approach. That texture gives the effect of countless people committing to work for what they believe in.
Q: What do you want listeners to take away from your piece?
I want listeners to recognize that practically everyone has times where they may feel overwhelmed by the problems facing our world. I also want them to recognize that somewhere inside of them, they have a small, optimistic voice that truly believes good things can come out of hard work, dedication, and involvement in larger societal movements.
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