I’ve been a fan of Sherwood for a long time, and recently I got ask Nate Henry (vocals, bass) some questions.
Chuck (IVM): Who am I talking to and who exactly is Sherwood?
Nate (Sherwood): I am Nate and maybe Sherwood is a group of guys trying to take excess from the rich and give to the poor both figuratively and literally.
Chuck: How would you describe your sound to my Grandma?
Nate: She already likes our band, in fact she came to our last show we played in Sacramento. She’s hip and she mows her lawn at the young age of 83.
Chuck: Why Mexico to write for the new album?
Nate: Mexico seemed like it was the right place to write a “summer” record. Our last tour ended in Southern California so all signs seemed to point toward Mexico. We tour all year so it’s gets really hard to stay focused when we come home. It’s tough to balance friends and family all while trying to do our job. So I found a cool secure beach house a little south of Ensenada online and made some calls. The rest of the band seemed to like my idea after I had a few good conversations with the property manager. It was a little risky for a lot of reasons but ultimately it was a really rewarding experience.
Chuck: How is recording in San Francisco going and do you have any crazy stories to share from the studio?
Nate: We made some videos and have been eating more burritos than humanly possible. The studio to me is kind of like a really good movie. Good movies make someone laugh, cry and feel various emotions all while telling a story. The studio is something that should take everything out of artists and if its not doing that then something is wrong.
Chuck: Title of the new album?
Nate: We don’t have a title yet.
Chuck: How is the new record going to be similar/different than “Sing, But Keep Going”?
Nate: Whew. Well we have grown in so many ways since we released S,BKG. We have focused our efforts to let this record “make sense”. So many bands put out records that don’t make sense in context to previous records. This record is all we’ve got (so far).
Chuck: How does faith impact the music you make?
Nate: Faith means more to me than pop music. My deepest held beliefs are important to me and I feel they require some sort of intentional relationship to be explained accurately. As for Sherwood, I feel we are very much concerned with being as authentic as we can. Sherwood songs are often just fun and really need no explanation. My faith tends to motivate me to say less and do more which makes it awkward when I am always behind a microphone.
Chuck: What’s it like working with MySpace Records?
Nate: Amazing, we have creative control with a limitless resource to see our ideas become a reality.
Chuck: How did your Summer EP come about and why release it for free download?
Nate: We were free from contract and wanted to give away some free music while we could. We have always tried to do things differently all the while trying to please our fans. This idea just made sense and inadvertently created a lot of attention from record labels.
Chuck: What has been your favorite album of 2006?
Nate: American VI, Johnny Cash.
Chuck: Favorite movie?
Nate: Nacho Libre is recently a favorite of mine. I don’t have one movie that I can say is it for me.
Chuck: Favorite game/game system?
Nate: Nintendo 64
Chuck: Blockbuster Online or Netflix?
Nate: The local indie movie store seems better to support, right?
Chuck: Why parody of the opening of Full House?
Nate; It was an idea I had one night while walking through a park to get dinner with Mike our keyboard player. I wanted to make a funny video to introduce that Sherwood is recording in San Francisco. It was just a perfect idea for our band and people really liked it.
Chuck: Closing thoughts?
Nate: Check our myspace page as often as you can for new songs, other involvements, good times, and funny videos. Myspace.com/sherwood
Chuck: Thanks for taking the time to do this interview!
Nate: No problem.