Today we’d like to introduce you to Nat Parkinson.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
The Hattricks idea started with a Reddit post on r/shoegaze by Fab (our vocalist)in late 2022, where several of the guys connected after having found out we were all in the Triangle area looking to start a band. A former founding member had been in a similar type of band with Nat (Our Drummer) which unfortunately fizzled out, but there was a lot more excitement this time around. Things moved kind of slow in 2023, and ultimately we had a few lineup changes. Our bassist, Bryan, joined in fall 2023 having moved from upstate NY, and Kelley’s involvement came about because of the all-too-rare positive results of Craigslist. Our favorite part of the process has been seeing how all our different tastes and influences came together to create the Hattricks sound. ‘Little bit of this, ‘little bit of that. For its size, our area has an impressively vibrant music scene, a lot of the bands know each other, but it also seems like you are always finding out about someone new. There’s so much musical talent here; Triangle NC is where it’s at! We’re just happy to be a part of it.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
The band floundered a bit after first forming. It took us about a year to get the right group together and make meaningful progress collaborating as a unit. Some people aren’t always able to give the necessary amount of time and passion while working full-time and balancing family life. One of our founding members had to leave due to not being able to devote that level of commitment. Ultimately though, we got to where we needed to be and everybody that’s been a part of it has helped in some way to get the band to where we are now. Even with everyone firing on all six cylinders, however, it can often be an uphill battle for an entirely new band to secure the right gigs as well. As a completely unknown quantity for venues and other bands alike, you really have to take any opportunity to demonstrate to people that you can put on a great show. We’ve been incredibly fortunate to have been able to play with great local acts like Mush, Puppy! and Cuffing Season among others who’ve stacked our shows thus far with great performances. Our concern at this moment isn’t money or even stoking hype; we simply want to play our best to those who want to listen.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
As we’ve alluded to, our music definitely has one foot firmly planted in shoegaze and (if we’re working within the confines of this metaphor) it would probably be appropriate to say at least the ankle of the other foot rests solidly in indie rock. That does influence some decisions in our writing, but we pull from a wide variety of musical backgrounds. We feel that comes out in our songs. On “Unglued” (our debut EP, which dropped earlier this month) we incorporated bits of all sorts of styles like post-punk, four-on-the-floor disco grooves, and progressive rock. Additionally Fab (our vocalist) absorbs a ton of singer-songwriter music and more vulnerable hip hop, and that sensibility makes it into the writing. Regardless of cited inspirations or artsy notions of our songwriting processes though, our main guiding principle is always trying to give our audience the best experience possible when listening to our releases or watching us play. The archetypal image of the aloof, lazy rockstar doesn’t resonate much with any of us.
The crisis has affected us all in different ways. How has it affected you and any important lessons or epiphanies you can share with us?
Hattricks has only ever existed in a Covid-19 world, but most of us have been playing music for much longer. The pandemic was a reminder to not take community and live events, things that bring people together, for granted. Go see that artist that you want to see, go to that event, go hangout with people you want to be with. You never know when it can all be taken away from you. We’re really thankful though that the Raleigh/Triangle area venues weathered the storm pretty well and we still have a great scene here.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/whoarehattricks
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hattricksband/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@publicenemyhattricks
- Soundcloud: https://open.spotify.com/album/0eOeBArJPHTEeu6xCKZzRH?si=PXRAyRauS66tocfsI2xVvA
- Other: https://linktr.ee/whoarehattricks
