Rivulets, Nathan Amundson’s musical moniker, has been making some sweet sad Americana for years, steadily releasing one killer record after another. Last year, he put out I Remember Everything on JellyFant Schallplatten, which was easily one of my favorite and most listened to records in 2014. Absolutely incredible stuff. Still can’t get enough of it. I reached out to see if he was willing to participate in my Q&A series, and (thankfully!) he was. Who knew he almost died rolling a car down a mountain?
What is the best way to die?
Ready, I would think. Or completely blindsided, doing something you love.
How do you think you’ll die?
Where I live now in Denver, I bike most everywhere I go, as long as it’s above freezing. Denver drivers don’t care much for people on bicycles. Cyclists are murdered here by automobiles, rage-drivers, etc. with regularity. I think that’s a likely way for me to go.
What makes you happy?
Hmmm. Dark chocolate, cocoa content 70%+. Cuddling. Hot, connected sex. All the usual stuff I suppose.
How close have you come to death?
I rolled a car down a mountain in Alaska once. [Check out the full story here.]
What does kindness mean to you?
Getting out of your own head enough to be present for everyone around you. Just literally giving people the time of day. It’s a struggle.
Where do you find love?
My fans – people who love my music. How can you not love them too? I fall in love all the time. At the movies, reading books. Just walking around I see like a half dozen girls every day that I want to marry immediately.
When were you most afraid?
When I felt like the world wasn’t listening.
How do you listen to music?
You know, I’m still rocking an iPod classic. Is that what it’s called? 160GB black iPod. I buy CDs and rip them at full WAV resolution. I’ll put stuff on my phone too but I forget it’s there. A lot of my music is being released on vinyl these days but I still don’t own a record player :(