The Natural Child is one of the best rock’n’roll bands recently. They started as a trio in Nashville, 2009. They are mixing garage rock, blues and punk elements in their music. During the years they have been influenced by the roots of rock and roll, so their blues burns with more power, their rock has a pretty heavy taste and they also add country elements to their music, while they just simply keep the élan of punk.

The Second Best Rock and Roll Band of the World

an interview with Seth (g/v)

Nashville is the capital of country music. How does it influence the average days there?

In Nashville everything is from the country, or from its profits. Many offices and bureaus use the Peace in the Valley (really very famous country song) for when they put you on hold on the phone. Country music also determined my life, because my grandfather was an excellent country guitarist. He played with Red Foley and Hank Williams. Lots of celebrated musicians took part in his famous all night long boozing and playing music in his home, like Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash, one or twice Elvis Presley. My father could tell about these parties. I smoked weed for the first time on a morning after a party like this. I was nine or ten. My mother sent me over to grandpa for something. Everybody was sleeping, except Willie Nelson (multiple Grammy winner country legend) . He was sitting in the garden and offered me his cigarette. I asked him: what is this? He said „God’s gift to the suffering people.”

1971 is the title of your 1st album. Why exactly 1971?

It was the best year of rock and roll. For example: the New York Dolls was founded, the last studio albums of Hendrix and Joplin, and the last Doors album with Jim Morrison were released. And there were the Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin and Rolling Stones albums. Such famous songs were born this year as Imagine (John Lennon), Smoke on the Water (Deep Purple), Stairway to Heaven (Led Zeppelin) Brown Sugar (Rolling Stones) or the L.A. Woman (Doors). And I could tell all day long.

The blues has come to the front gradually in your music. Originally what was your aim with the band?

We have founded the band because there wasn’t any true rock and roll band. The genre was threatened by danger of the passing and we would save it. So, we are the last rock and roll band in the world.

OK. I know the Natural Child is the best rock and roll band of the Earth, but the self-praising which arises from inferiority complex is a rapper habit.

Hey! We are the favorite band of Keith Richards’ daughter (K.R. is the guitarist of Rolling Stones)! She even was at our place once in Nashville. We found out that that she liked very much. Male or female doesn’t matter to her; if it’s a bassist.

Have you met her father too by any chance?

I talked with him on phone. He called his daughter when she was practising with Wes in the next room, so I picked up her cell. That’s when he told me that we were the second best rock and roll band in the world.

A pedal slide guitarist and an organ player joined the band recently. It was a big surprise for me. And for you?

Yes it was also a big surprise for us. It took me too weeks to realize we were five, but Wes still doesn’t know.

Why did you need more members?

We added Benny and Luke about a year ago to fill out our sound and be able to take our music in new directions.

You have changed a lot since 2009, not only in music, but in your looks too. It seems as if your appearances changed with your music. The country also got into the repertoire recently. Which way is Natural Child going in the music and the fashion?

Musically we tend to step across every lines between genres. About fashion I can only comment about the three founders. I represent the truck driver country rocker style; Zach follows the Midwestern gas jockey fashion; Wes’s ideal is the Czech cartoon hero, a shaggy forest robber called Rumcajs.

What??? What does Rumcajs do in Nashville?

Wes’s family is of Czech origin. They didn’t break away from the Czech culture; they are in connection with his old native land. Wes is in contact with with Czech beers and cartoons primarily. Of course he speaks Czech excellently.

My mind is shut off.

Even there is a Czech country song which is always played in our house parties. Then everybody is convulsed with laughter. Especially when Wes plays it on a banjo and sings.

Huh. I cannot say anything else just “Nudíte se? Kupte si medvídka mývala!”

– ???

– Are you bored? Buy a raccoon!