Article by Heather Nolan
Picture yourself in a basement studio, eyes closed, matcha tea in hand, as your producer says, “tell me a story,” and you explore each metaphor in each lyric.
You discuss all possible meanings. You can practically visualize the exact moment those words came to you in the first place. He says, “Now, sing it like that.”
This is Nathan Day. This is Badger. This is Yar Records.
Day has been recording his own projects for years, but since turning his studio public in the last year, he has been working on several EPs and Full-length records for local bands, including Mooch, The Undesirables, The Beer Patrice’s first commercial album, Quilt, Fish Easy, and a forthcoming album by my own band Lady Brett Ashley.
“Right now, I think the most important thing is to work with as many different types of artists as possible while maintaining a degree of selectivity,” Day said.
Through juggling multiple recording projects at a time, being the frontman of one of the city’s favourite bands, The Beer Patrice, as well as playing with two currently recording bands, Allie Duff & the Happy Campers and Temples, and maintaining a full-time job, Day manages to be completely present and dedicated to each of his recording projects in the moment: a rare feat.
Day approaches record-making from a different angle than most: he rushes nothing, will dedicate himself entirely to your project, and his roommates will complain that your songs are haunting them in their sleep. He will do anything he can to ensure that you are happy with the way everything sounds and feels. He crawls inside your songs and studies them.
Dan Greene of Mooch said that through the multiple projects that they have worked with Yar Records on, there was a natural and casual atmosphere.
“He made us feel relaxed and was able to accurately capture our sound as a band,” said Greene.
Day has big plans for taking local music and bringing it beyond the island’s borders.
“We mean to move past local niche markets and show the world that Newfoundland has bands that are as good as anyone – anywhere,” Day said.
He adds that it can be difficult for local artists to truly get their music on the radars of industry professionals and listeners off of the island. He hopes to be a part of the force behind changing that.
For now, that means getting as many local groups interested in recording as possible.
“The music business is very large and goes much deeper than I or any of us have been exposed to yet,” Day said. “Right now the key is to do the best work we can, research extensively, and keep working as hard as possible.”
To keep up with Nathan’s projects, look for Yar Records on Facebook.
way to go badge!