We were lucky to catch up with Nathan Berkley recently and have shared our conversation below.

Nathan , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

Throughout the years, Grim Waters has released several meaningful projects; everything we create is backed with emotion and vulnerability. Each release tells a story that we hope our listeners can feel and relate to. Our hope is that our audience feels heard and are not alone. Each project is curated meticulously by each member of Grim Waters. We all come from very different musical backgrounds, which helps develop a unique sound and brings tons of ideas when writing.

Our first release, “Latchkey Years,” was initially all written exclusively on an acoustic guitar. The songs were intended to be played solo and have a more singer/songwriter feel. After showing my friends the songs, they ended up really liking them, and wanted to jump on board. We decided to ditch the acoustic guitar and go electric with the EP. Corey Palkowski joined on lead guitar and brought an atmosphere to the project that brought more life and emotion into the songs. Will Kulkarni joined on bass, which brought a funk feel to the songs that gave it bounce and groove. Our previous drummer was inspired by metal music, so his contributions were very metallic and punchy. The albums lyrical themes were based around childhood trauma, hence the title “Latchkey Years.” I grew up a latchkey kid– someone who did not have a lot of parental guidance or supervision growing up. I went through a lot of things that have shaped me as the man I am today. We hope that the record gives a voice to those who need one.

Our second project was a single called “Just Before You Leave.” This song felt more like a rock opera. It’s a ten-minute-long song and a love letter to my childhood. Lyrically, the themes are about missing the scary or bad things I have encountered. Even the scary experiences were still experiences, and as an adult, I tend to not have experiences with family or parents. I state that it is better to feel loss and pain than nothing at all. The music for this was written to be more upbeat and rock n’ roll-like, something that you could not resist banging your head to.

Our most recent release is our EP “Guilt and Closure,”which I’m so proud of! We spent such a long time writing and recording it, and the love and energy that went into it definitely shows. The album’s theme is “time,” and theideas range from time healing wounds to time shaping us as humans through experiences. Each song holds themes of time and how time can play into your feelings and emotions. Once again, I bring up the word vulnerability. We as a band decided to lay it all out and speak of feelings or ideas that may be hard for some to talk about. This EP is an emotional rollercoaster that ranges from soothing and pretty instrumentals to crushing breakdowns. So much love was put into this project!

As of today, Grim Waters is currently working on our next full release with our new drummer, Cam Anderson. So far, the album is sounding pretty “grim.”

Nathan , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My name is Nate! I’m originally from St. Louis, MO and moved to the Fox Valley towards the beginning of high school. I’m married to the most loving and beautiful woman on the planet, Alice Berkley. I play guitar and sing for my second love, Grim Waters. I have many passions,mainly music and secondhand fashion, but I also love video games and film. Particularly, I gravitate towards horror-based media.

I got into music at an early age. It all started in 8th grade when a group of us wanted to play the talent show. None of us knew how to play instruments but we figured we would give it a shot. Once I got a drum set for Christmas,the rest was history. My band at the time, “Broken Silence,” played small venues and coffee houses through high school. After my first band went our separate ways, I joined a few metal bands throughout the 2010s, and then ended up with my best friends in Grim Waters.

It takes a lot of discipline to be in a band. It’s like a second job and also being in a relationship. Not only do you need to practice on a regular basis as a band, but you also must on your own. Gotta keep your chops up! Grim Waters is its own manager, so we also have to keep up with promoting, booking, social media content, music videos, art design and tons more. It’s worth the work though! Seeing the final product always brings a tear to my eye.

Grim Waters is an all original, emo/alt-metal band. We write our music ourselves and record with close friends from other bands. We are lucky that we have a lot of friends in the entertainment industry (cinematographers, recording engineers, promoters, etc.). We would not be the Grim Waters we are today without them. Our circle is small, but tight and talented. Shout out to y’all – you know who you are!

The struggles we bump into are mainly location-based. In the Valley, cover bands rule the stage. They end up playing many of the larger venues and get paid a ton to do so. We realize that the genre of music we play is niche, but we also can fill a room and put on a good show. Pay outs for bands of our caliber are not the best, and that is something I would like to see change in the future.

Our inspirations are all from our life struggles and experiences. This is what makes our music raw and real. We do take inspiration from a few bands sonically though. Those of which would be: Gorjira, Deftones, Tool and Thrice. If you have not checked any of these dudes out,please do!

As a band, our mission is to continue to grow our reach and hopefully connect with people who feel the same as we do.

Be sure to check out “Guilt and Closure” on Spotify, iTunes, or any other major music streaming platform, and peep our new music video for “Sonder” on our YouTube and Facebook page. We are very proud of this EP and music video.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

Seeing people connect with our music and lyrics. I never thought I’d see people I didn’t know singing our lyrics and wearing our merch.

Another rewarding aspect is seeing people being moved by our music. When I’m up on stage and can see the emotion in the eyes of someone in the crowd, I know that I have connected with them. This is such a rewarding feeling! Our music lets them know they are not alone, and others feel the way you do. It’s ok to not be ok.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

Egos are real. I remember I used to shit on so many bands. I used to think I was very high and mighty as a teen/young adult, thinking that my previous bands were the best bands in the Valley. This simply was not the truth at all though. My outlook on this has very much changed over time. I have been humbled by true friends who have given me honest opinions on my music. I have playedhorrible sets, and I have been turned down for festivals or shows. No one is perfect or better than others. I’ve made so many more friends of bands when my way of thinking changed. I was young and arrogant, and that version of Nate no longer exists.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/grimwaterswi/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GrimWatersWI/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/grimwaterswi
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@grimwaterswi
• Recent Music Video for Sonder: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwjbLSPKHS8

Image Credits
Dusty Hansen of “Vestige Photos” for all the photos provided.