The Denver band Nathan & Stephen was a short-lived but locally renowned project founded by friends Nathan McGarvey and Stephen Till. The duo went on hiatus in 2009 but the two have stayed busy with other projects like Black Black Ocean and Hearts of Palm.
But this weekend kicks off a new chapter in the Nathan & Stephen story. Illegal Pete's asked the band to reunite to perform at Red Rocks Amphitheatre this Sunday for the Colorado restaurant's 20th anniversary party.
The two namesakes of Nathan & Stephen visited OpenAir for a stripped-down take on some of their songs. (The band usually features nine musicians.) They also spoke with Aaron 'Loki' Johnson about reuniting, their relationship with Illegal Pete's and the participatory nature of their live shows.
Stream the full session above and read interview highlights below.
McGarvey on the sing-along nature of Nathan & Stephen live shows:
"My range is only like an octave and a half. So pretty much if I can sing it, anybody can sing it. I think it makes them pretty approachable songs."
McGarvey on a memorable previous Red Rocks show:
"One year we played at the same time as Brian Jonestown Massacre on the Main Stage. Their set blew up really, really quickly. They're kinda notorious for getting a little crazy and getting in fights on stage. The lead singer walked off a song in.
"Their whole audience was standing around like, 'What do we do?' They wandered up the stairs and watched us play, so we ended up having a crazy big audience."
Songs performed:
- "Happier"
- "Like You Don't Care"
- "Tunnel of Love"
- "Tip Your Glasses"
