It can only exist in your mind for so long.

Sooner or later, you have to either let it out and share it or put it away.

This is Joe Wong. Welcome to the Trap Set. I want to play something for you. You're hearing Rambo the Vigilante by my guest, Nate Smith.

Over the last two decades, Nate has emerged as one of his generation's

most innovative and in-demand drummers. His unique style marries a deep, earthy sense of time

with cerebral adventurousness. Nate has collaborated with A-list artists such as Pat Matheny,

Dave Holland, John Petitucci, and Brittany Howard.

In recent years, he's come into his own as a band leader.

We spoke last summer just before the trap set went on hiatus.

Listening back now, I'm struck by just how aligned with the zeitgeist Nate's story still is.

And now I'm thrilled to present my conversation with Nate Smith.

I was doing a lot of sessions last summer and into the fall. And then around December,

things slowed way down. And I haven't, I'm going to do my first sort of multi-day session of the year

next month. So there was a lull you know for a little while but

i did some uh i did some promo stuff for people i did some you know uh in studio like uh videotape stuff for

promo i did some of that stuff but um in terms of like multi-day session work, yeah,

it slowed down from December until just about now. Things are starting to open back up now.

You said you spent a lot of time reflecting over the quarantine. Did any kind of new insights

emerge through that reflection? Yeah. You know, I realized that I had been, you know,

burning the candle really hard. And, you know, I needed some rest. I really did need some rest.

I had been going really, really hard for many years, you know, and I'd been cramming as much as I possibly could fit into my schedule, trying to make money and save money and stay afloat.

And when everything shut down, at first I was really scared.

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