Meet Native Space

We had the good fortune of connecting with Native Space and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Native Space, what are you inspired by?
One of the things I like most about our band is that we are all inspired by different things and in turn we all inspire each other. We all listen to different things and have different backgrounds; and I think this adds a true collaborative nature to our music and makes our sound unique. I think we’re really inspired by community and the way music can bring people together, and that’s a big part of our musical style and approach.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
(From Rachael)

Native Space was born during the pandemic when live music was virtually on hold and creative outlets for music were very limited. Our founding members were really craving the collaboration and creative fix that comes from making music with others; and they recorded our first album independently in a basement. Once things opened up a bit, our new members (myself included) joined and we were really able to use the foundation built by the founding members to find our unique sound.

It’s taken a lot of dedication to get to where we are today. We all have full-time jobs and put in hours to practice at home as well as together every week. It can be tough to do something you really love and believe in but to then show up to shows and play to empty rooms. It can definitely be discouraging and a bit of a grind. But there’s these moments on stage when we’re all really in a groove together that are really what make it worth it. Music is definitely a release for all of us. I think our audience enjoys seeing that too. We’ve driven through blizzards to play dive bars just because we love it that much. I think we’ve embraced being in a band together as an opportunity to be joyful and present; and It’s been really cool to see our fanbase grow and to see people start showing up to see us and to really enjoy the music. We really love our fans and our community!

What I’m most proud of lately is our new music. I have a folk, country, and musical theater background. I love to tell stories through music and process my emotions through my lyrics. The guys love to play music you can dance to and that they can flex their funk influences and musical chops on; and it’s been a fun songwriting challenge for me to adapt my lyrical style to their musicianship and points of view. I love that people can move their bodies and have fun to our music while also being able to engage with the meaning of the song and hear a story. For example, I had a song I’d written about working as a social worker in a hospital during the height of COVID. It was a sad song and had kind of been sitting in my voice memos for a while. I showed it to the guys and they were able to inspire me to make it into something more hopeful, and it’s one of my favorite ones we’ve written yet! Ultimately, I think music is about making connections with one another and finding some kind of healing together. I really think our new stuff was born out of that spirit. We’re getting ready to get in the studio this summer and I’m so excited!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Restaurants: Angelo’s on 6th, La Diabla Pozole y Mezcal, Lucky Noodles, Babe’s Tea Room, Mango House food hall, Hamburger Mary’s
Bars: Englewood Grand, The Electric Cure, Broadway Roxy, Room for Milly, Mercury Cafe, Retrograde
To Do: Denver Botanic Gardens, Red Rocks, Ceramics in the City, Denver Museum of Nature & Science, Lakeside Amusement Park
Visit/Shop: Denver Cat Company, Mutiny Information Cafe, Wax Trax, Twist & Shout, Petals & Pages

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
We’d love to dedicate the story to our friends and family who support us by listening to our music, coming to our shows, and being there for us along the journey of making music, which can sometimes be stressful. We also want to give a special shoutout to all the musicians throughout history and in our community that have inspired us and paved the way for us to make the music that we do. Also a big shoutout to Jerry, our guitarist’s cat and our band mascot!

Website: https://www.nativespacemusic.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nativespacemusic/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/nativespacemusic/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLsRSCXEw3MudfaBtDunpFg

Other: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/222qHyFSGy56UAZWFbvHIw

Image Credits
Anna Martinovich