“Nate’s the kind of person that doesn’t seem to want for much; everything around him could become his next piece of work,” says John Durbin.
Indeed, multi-media artist Nathan (Nate) Treme has long practiced a DIY ethic. Spartan rooms in old houses in the Highland neighborhood have been his lair for the past six years. In those imperfectly cooled and heated rooms atop a makeshift desk or table, Treme has developed a stream of musical and graphic work that has become a large part of Shreveport’s underground ambience.
Ads for the numerous musical acts hitting Bear’s on Fairfield recently are the work of Treme. Cats, faces, sewing machines, and pieces of the alphabet orbit wildly in his work.
Says Molly McCombs, “Nate is the freshest graphic designer in town; his grasp of collage, color, and type brings a smile to my face. I would love to see him hired by non-arts/non-music businesses to communicate that Shreveport is by no means a visual and/or typographic backwater.”
“I first became aware of Nathans’ work through his identity package for the MSPS New Music Festival in 2011,” says Randall Ross. “Nathan’s representational and exceptional typographic skills made the original Texas Avenue Makers Fair logotype truly memorable. His Louisiana Typographic Slogan Spirographic Poster is prominently displayed on our refrigerator.”
Known to aficionados for his graphics, he is also becoming widely known for his electronic music. Being good at graphics gives more info about how creative he is. No wonder he creates music as well.
At a recent gig at Rhino Coffee, he arrived with a garage sale telescoping table and a battered suitcase. The suitcase contained the half-dozen pieces of electronic gear upon which he makes soundtracks. Vocal samples and home-made percussion spilled across the patio.
“I make music and graphics pretty much the same way – sort of grabbing things and cutting and pasting them,” he said.
While Treme is sometimes a solo act, he has also made a name as a collaborator. Between the Dalzell Street Collective and Blood Punch – with Raiven Williams and others – he is rarely at rest. Remembers Durbin, “The first time I saw a Blood Punch video, I was excited to see an example of a fully realized idea coming at you in multiple mediums, and it was local.”
In fact, Treme was a central mover of the Dalzell house collective which became notorious for indie shows. In a not-very-large living room, bands from coast to coast performed to house audiences which could be both thoughtful and meditative as well as raucous and sweaty. The promise of a place to overnight and a guaranteed audience made a strong impression on musicians.
“It was a community that formed organically, people helping each other out with creative endeavors, and splitting the rent as many ways as possible,” said Treme. “The first show at Dalzell was an art show. The people living there at the time tried to have the show at artspace but were told it would cost $1,000 dollars to use the space. So they had the show at home, and it grew from there.”
“In the months after that, shows grew more frequent until they were happening multiple times a week. After a couple noise complaints and harassment from the police, things slowed down. Shows still happen regularly but not as often. I feel like the energy has now expanded beyond the Dalzell House. Creative energy in Shreveport seemed kind of concentrated then, at places like Dalzell and minicine? but now there’s more going on citywide,” observes Treme.
His influences? “Some of them: Dacoda Montana, Dylan Hillman, Amy Lynn Treme, April Dahm, Mark Flentge, Pete Fetterman, Bill Daniels, Josh West, Raiven Williams, David Nelson, David Nelson and, of course, David Nelson.”
In the beginning there was a free computer program called Jeskola Buzz. “I released some music using that while in Guadalajara, Mexico, under the name Rabbit Weather. That was around 2005. In college I got an SR-16 drum machine and Ableton Live and a midi controller and was in an electro-punk band called River City Death Cult. Now that I’m more comfortable with the tools I use and a little experienced with making music I’ve noticed that I approach it the exact same way I approach graphic design.”
In Blood Punch, “The main goal is always to have fun. Our first show at minicine? was encouraging and sort of set the tone for what we wanted our live show to be like ever since. Playing at Lucky Liquor was memorable and the Louisiana Music Prize was also a very encouraging show.”
What’s next? “I don’t know what’s next, I want to get better at both. I might do a small tour eventually, but I’m not too concerned about it.”
Comments David Nelson, “He seems driven by a genuine love of music and art, as well as a beautiful passion to grow community. He’s contributed so much to his neighborhood, Highland, and to downtown. The guy is definitely someone to support in his endeavors.”
“He’s not waiting around for something to inspire him, or financially provoke him; he’s a true artist who will use anything on hand to create something new. To top it off, he’s easy to talk to, makes people feel included, is ultra mellow, and just genuinely a nice person,” notes John Durbin.