Project Description

Interview with

NATHAN CAVALERI

by Dave Bruce

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Much of the country was oblivious to the career Nathan Cavaleri lead beyond prime time Australia. By age 12, he found himself the centre of a bidding war between the labels of Michael Jackson, Prince and Madonna. By age 16, he’d toured with B.B. King as his guest, and played at the Kennedy Centre in front of The Clintons with Etta James and Bonnie Raitt. All after winning his battle with Leukaemia. Whether it was signing a CD for Jimmy Page, jamming with Dire Straits Mark Knopfler or being called “The Bomb” by Dr Dre, Nathan viewed the world just as any kid would, with childish naivety. It’s only now that he has experienced the depths of adulthood adversities, is he reflecting on his past accomplishments in awe as if it was lived by another. Evident in his blog.

In 2010, Nathan’s battle with insomnia and anxiety was witnessed by thousands when he blacked out on a festival stage. Struggling to regain his confidence and drive he stepped away from his art for 4 years with the expectation of never returning. In Nathan’s own words: “to move through those 4 years of paralyzing anxiety/depression I had to ask myself the question, ‘Why’? Out of self-preservation, I had to find reasons to fight and be ruthless in discarding any reason that wasn’t rock solid.” It was during this period of personal confrontation that he stumbled upon the same cathartic connection with music that he had when battling Leukaemia at 7. Upcoming EP, “Demons” is the result of this period.

“This time around, I wanted to express more than blues would allow. Each track throughout the writing and production process conformed to no specific genre and called upon an array of my favourite artists. From J.J.Cale and B.B.King to Bowie, Lana Del Ray, and Mos Def.”

Nathan’s new EP was co-produced between Sydney and Los Angeles with ARIA nominated Tony Buchen (The Preatures, Montainge, Asta and Mansionair) and will be released as a series of consecutive singles approaching 2019.

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I usually ask people “How did it all begin”? In your case we all know because you have been in the limelight since you were a boy. How did you deal with all the publicity at the beginning? Was it fun, or just lots of hard work?

Us adults use up so much extra energy on either being nervous, stressed, or swept up in expectation which is often self induced. As a kid, you just do whatever is in front of you giving it as much thought as what’s needed. For this reason, I handled those crazy schedules fairly easily. It was both fun and hard work and even though I didn’t really understand what it all meant, I appreciated it every day.

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You had made two albums by the age of 12, and starred in two movies by age 15. I imagine at that age it all might feel a little easier than when you do it these days. Do you appreciate the creative process more as an adult?

Absolutely! It goes a little deeper now. You become a bit more purposeful with time and therefore try to only spend time creating things that truly mean something. It therefore requires more effort, or at least a different type of effort, but the pay off is soooo much better!

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You were diagnosed with Leukemia so young. Thankfully it has been in remission for a long time, and we hope that remains the case. How did the diagnosis affect you and your attitude to your work, and how did its presence in your life drive your attack on life and the different projects you have powered through?

I didn’t understand until much much later in life what I was dealing with. For me, every day was a fight to rise above the pain of treatment. For my parents it was about keeping me alive. During this period, my bond with my music deepened because it was one of the few things that provided refuge. It took me high above needles and pills. My family and music kept the fire to fight alight. That determination, focus and “attack” on life sustained for years and is probably still a part of me. 

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More than most, you have had a roller coaster of emotions in recent years given the highs and lows you have experienced as a performer. Depression and struggle is a huge part of many peoples lives today, and it didn’t pass you by. The new single and EP Demons obviously is born from that experience? Can you describe its origins and evolution, and if you are up to it, can you share something from that dark period?

I see depression/anxiety like warning lights on a car dashboard. It’s the body and minds signal for help. I didn’t know this at the time and kept pushing through. Emotions weren’t dealt with and little was understood about fear. I could write a book on what I learnt over this period of self confrontation. My habit of running from fear/anxiety lead me to shutdown many aspects of my world. First it was socializing, then it was gigging. It got to a point where I couldn’t even go down the road for a beer with a mate without feeling crazy amounts of irrational dread. 3 years of insomnia/anxiety, and I eventually crashed hard with chronic fatigue. I had memories of myself as being energetic, confident and invincible and couldn’t see how I could ever get back to being that. I thought I was stuck like that forever. Through that loss, I felt an appreciation for the person I was and the experiences I had. Demon’s captures this in a simplified way.

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I know how challenging the creative and producing process can be. How good did it feel to complete the video and EP?

Ha! First moment of bliss is when the final mixes are done, the hours of torture are in the past, and it gets cranked in the car. Real quick I went from “Damn awesome!” to “Shit, what if this actually works??!”. Hello “Fear of success” – Something I could never understand. I’m so damn proud of this EP and so grateful for the support I received during the creative process.

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I see you have an East Coast Tour coming up to promote the EP. Can you let us know what you have planned for those shows?

This will be my first tour since I burnt out. It’s definitely a psychological leap and for this reason, I chose intimate sized venues that are appropriate for the duo set up. I get a lot out of blogging about my experiences and will be bringing some of that onto the stage in between songs.

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Do you know who the supports will be? Any destinations you are looking forward to most?

Not at the moment. Looking forward to Gosford’s The Rhythm Hut. A lot of nostalgia. That was one of my first gigs “back”. I proved crazy amounts of fear/anxiety wrong on that stage and was flying high for weeks after it!

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Any plans to go back overseas with some new projects?

Absolutely! When the time is right but for now, I want to re-connect with my home.

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Dave Bruce

My nickname is “The Amnplifier”. Why? Because around here my focus is on being a conduit for providing greater outcomes that people come here for. My day to day “work” is living in the moment, and I love helping others concentrate on finding their connection to themselves through their experiences.

Why start a music environment? The truth is I love music, I love writing, and I love life. I work with musicians every day, and I feel certain that I will be until they put me in the ground. I have been managing people in businesses of some sort for over thirty five years so along the way I have developed some “wisdom” from my regular and constant “observations”.

Amnplify your experience. That is what we want you to do here, and if you want to let me know why you do, or don’t, shoot me a message on Facebook.

Hope you enjoy yourself here and find something that hits you somewhere.