Nate Grover from Love is Chemicals
Post Halloween Blues are a serious problem in our fair town. You’ve spent the last six months planning the perfect costume. You’ll spend tonight cruising the Castro. Tomorrow you’ll be back at your J-O-B, bleary eyed and feeling strangely let down. Never fear, SFist has your back... why not check out a local act that will sooth your over stimulated nerves and entertain you?
Love is Chemicals will be at Café Du Nord tomorrow night, and if you haven’t seen this local act yet, Go! Nate Grover, the singer of Love is Chemicals. has undergone the arduous SFist interview in anticipation of the event. True, this show may not involve fighting robots, but you gotta love Grover’s hopeful and realistic attitude about the music scene in this town as well as his picks for movies and artists and tips on pet photography. You can listen to songs from Love is Chemicals here.
Best show you've ever played and what made it great?
We played a show in an art space in the SOMA where they build fighting robots. We played with good friends The Invisible Cities and The Child Who Was A Keyhole (from Salt Lake City). The venue had a house kit that was situated behind a giant rhino skull. We shared the stage with a gang of chainsaw-wielding robots, which somehow made our music sound better. This, of course, was the show our parents decided to come to.
Best venue in the world?
The world? That's hard to say. Our favorite so far has been Mezzanine. They've got dressing rooms, a shower, and a fully-stocked fridge. The stage is big enough so that we're not all bumping into each other. The sound was great and they even had a lighting technician. They have couches for the audience to sit on. Really great place.
Best fans in the world?
The ones that come to see us headline at 12:30 on a Tuesday night and still find the energy to cheer.
What's your favorite song to perform?
Occasionally we'll do a cover of "Brand New Key" by Melany. There's something beautiful about a sizable, bearded man (me), singing in sweet falsetto, "I've got a brand new pair of roller-skates." I also get to scream a lot, which is cathartic.
Favorite collaborators?
My mates! To me, Love is Chemicals is a dream line-up. We're constantly working on a million new songs because these people make collaboration so fun. It's part of what keeps me engaged; I'm in love with our chemistry (clever, I know).
Lamest request made at a show?
An event planner asked us to play lighter so that people could talk. No joke.
What's it take to get a gig in this town anyway?
Not a lot. There are hundreds of places to play in San Francisco. If you're in a band here, there's no reason you shouldn't play out. If you're a small touring band, I hear it's tougher. I believe they're taking bribes at the Hemlock Tavern.
Check out Lovis Chemicals November 1st at Café Du Nord. They open for Finest Dearest and Teri Falini and go on first. Door at 8:30. 21+ $7
Name
Nate Grover
Introduce yourself in one sentence
I'm a musician/writer who lives in the Sunset.
Age
31
Occupation
Oh you mean for money? I cobble together various web/print design and writing gigs.
Home Town
Cupertino, CA.
How long have you lived in the Bay Area and Where?
I grew up in the south bay and moved to San Francisco when I married Courtney (our bass player). I attended art school at SFSU and received my grad degree in writing at USF. I wanted to live in San Francisco my whole life, and now that I'm here I’ve done everything I can to ensure I'll never have to leave.
Favorite place to spend time online
I don't spend a ton of time on line… um… Sfist.com?
Favorite local business
Green Apple
What I'm currently Reading
Turn of the Screw
Best Deal in San Francisco
The Strybing Arboretum in Golden Gate Park. They let me loiter there all day for free.
Favorite mode of transportation
MUNI. Seriously. I enjoy the culture clash.
Best Band or Musician to come out of the Bay Area
Smashmouth. No? I don't know.
Favorite Bay Area Stereotype, and whether or not you buy into it
San Franciscans and their dogs! And I totally buy into it. My friend, Robyn, is a pet photographer and does VERY well. We were joking that her new line should be: "Pet photography. It's not just for crazy people!"
Favorite local hangout
The Canvas Café in the Inner Sunset
SF has the BEST
Food.
Favorite Bay area politician of past or present
I voted for Matt Gonzales and I'm sad he didn't win. But I have to admit, Gavin has been refreshingly good.
Now that Mayor Gavin is single, who are you going to set him up with?
Sorry, I'm late on the draw. I think he's dating someone already. A twenty-year-old? Is that what I heard? Lucky girl. I wonder if she drinks in front of him…
You can tell someone is a local here IF
They scream "back door!" (and if they got that reference)
SF would be soooo much better if only
There was a movie theater in the Inner Sunset.
Best Burrito
Papalote's tofu molé burrito. Why don't more Mexican places have this???
Best Restaurant
Ugh. This is really tough. San Franciscans fight about food the way people of other cities fight about sports teams. I'll take a chance. The best sushi on the planet is served at Blue Fin in the Richmond. Now don't all start going there or you'll ruin it.
Best movie scene filmed in or about SF
When Magnito levitated the Golden Gate Bridge in X-Men 3 so all the evil mutants could walk to Alcatraz… no wait… that was the worst. Hmmm… When Nicolas Cage saved Alcatraz from being bombarded with poison nerve gas in The Rock… no… that's not it… I'm sure it had Alcatraz in it though.
Favorite artist to come out of the bay area
Casey Jex Smith
Favorite author to come out of the bay area
Thomas Pynchon… or P.K. Dick… or William T. Vollman. Don't make me choose.
Place you always tell visitors to check out
The Cartoon Museum
Favorite Bridge in the area
Bay Bridge. West-bound at night.
You have two hours and $15 bucks to kill in SF, what are you going to do?
Walk down the street and give a buck to every person who asks me for one until I run out of money. Spend the remaining hour and fifty minutes petting other people's dogs.
I have found/sold/bought the following on craigslist
Our guitarist, Nick! Also a Plymouth Neon. A couch. A cat.
I want all the SFists out there to know
The local live music scene is wonderful. You should check it out.
Question you'd ask if you were doing this interview
You:
So when's your next show?
Me:
Oh! Funny you'd ask. November 1st at the Café Du Nord with Finest Dearest and Teri Falini. We go on first. Swing by!