Meet Nat Lort-Nelson | CEO of a Non-Profit & Musician

We had the good fortune of connecting with Nat Lort-Nelson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Nat, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
It was 2020 and it was the middle of the pandemic. I was sitting around the house keeping safe, watching the news and thinking about whether I wanted to wallow in the tragedy of the world at that time or if I wanted to do something. I built up my courage and started by trying to convince my wife of something crazy.
‘Honey’ I said ‘what if we just decided to raise funds as a non-profit to build a place where bands both in or traveling through Denver got all their needs met, and we did all of the work to meet those needs for free.”
She slowly raised her head and with a crying newborn in her arms, she gave me that look that every husband dreads. But we talked about it, we prayed about it. We kept chipping away and refining the idea and how it could practically work. And before I knew it, before SHE knew it we were on board.
We decided we had to do something good in this world, as an example to our kids, but also because we seemed to have the exact life experiences and skill sets to pull something like this off.
We ended up calling our non-profit Tortuga Musician Services. And we offer a hub of services to musicians here in Denver. We fix stringed instruments, Amp, and Pedals. We build band websites and do social media consultations. I handle the repairs, our good friend Tim Gaskins handles the online services, and my wife Genevieve, with her master’s in musician sustainability, runs operations and organizes the core fundraising events. We saw a huge need in our community, where the cost of living is pushing out the creatives. Making them less creative and more reliant on a steady income. More and more musicians are unable to dedicate time and resources to their craft. And revenue for those who do produce and release music is slim to none. And as touring musicians ourselves we all have a heart for our community. We offer our services for free or at the cost of parts if needed. And when we are asked why we do it by that kid who just got his Fender Strat fixed we say simply “Cause we love ya.”

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
As far as being an arstist, I am a musician. I have been in a band with the aformentioned Genevieve and Tim along with our other dear friends Tim Miller and Tina Rea-Huerta. We are called Vatican Vamps and we are a post-punk band who has been playing around Denver and beyond for over 10 years now. We cant really see life outside of doing music together, its almost co-dependency problem now. We just released our self titled album, wich is by far the best work we have ever done. It’s an album about self discovery, a little self honesty, but lots of heavy groovy riffs and funky bass and drums. Thinnk if Interpol, The Smiths and Idles had a baby and yourd have our ugly mugs.

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.
I love the South Boradway area, I love the night life there. The bars and the music, especcially at hi-dive the bands are always killer. I love the day life there too, great coffee and vintage clothing stores. Those are my people, and those people are pure love and creativity. A true place where art still lives in peoples hearts and conversations.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I am so thankful for my wife, she is a rock and a steady compass in all weather. I usually have to be reined in with my eagerness to take on the world and she keeps me on track every day with love and grace.

I’m thankful for my colleague Tim, he is always full of joy and optimism. He is kind and patient and ready for any challenge facing him.

I’m thankful for our monthly supporters, they see a huge impact every month with their contributions to our organization. They never waver in encouragement and I’m so grateful to have such cheerleaders behind us.

Website: https://tortugamusician.com/

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

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tortugamusician

Image Credits
David Sands
Austin Marrow