TeamNate

The peculiar thing about the techno electronic (tecktronic) duo TeamNate is that neither band member is actually named Nate.

"We get a lot of question about the name," explains keyboardist/music arranger Brandon Scott. "TeamNate derived from our friend Nathan Buker's idea of a perfect community he plans to build when he's a billionaire. It involves an island and a barter system, and all the lovely things we like to put in our versions of a perfect world such as ice cream fountains and beer slides."

The name is also a play on the word "teammate." And while Scott and vocalist Alan Plotts are not named Nate, they're definitely teammates. Together, the two non-Nates utilize their musical abilities - Scott with his knack for producing sounds using various software and hardware synthesizers, and Plotts who is a classically trained vocalist - to create music that people notice. With glitchy blips, harsh bass lines, and the amalgamation of several genres into one tight, yet aloof package, TeamNate proves to be a fresh musical act hailing from Bowling Green Ohio.

-ER - Toledo City Paper

Alan Plotts felt great, as if he was being lifted up by the crowd’s energy.
And he physically was.
“My best show was when I accidentally crowd-surfed,” he said. “I was singing into the crowd… and then I was being carried away, but I was still singing and holding onto the mic when my cord ran out, and I was like ‘Oh! Send me back that way!’”
For TeamNate bandmates Brandon Scott and Alan Plotts, this is just one of the many stories they can share a good laugh over.
Whether recording an album, waiting to play a live show or simply hanging out, Plotts and Scott are in it for the experience, not the money. It’s this element of fun that is apparent about TeamNate right from the get-go.
“Right now, we don’t have these limitations where we have to make money to survive as a band,” Plotts said.”
TeamNate’s music is hard to fit into a single genre.
“We started out trying to do the electronic and techno dance thing,” Plotts said.
“But you wouldn’t really put us on your techno-party playlist,” Scott added.
The consensus is that TeamNate is a part of a sub-genre of electronic music, and falls close to what they call tecktonic music. But the fact that their sound is hard to describe is not an issue to the band.
“It’s a good thing that it’s hard to define our style,” Plotts said.
“We wanted to create something that was a little more diverse and complex. We have things constantly changing so it’s not like you’re not listening to the same 808 beat for 3 or 4 minutes,” Scott said.
Although TeamNate is barely a year old, this summer has been a pivotal time for growth and development, including recording a first EP.
University senior Domenic Grazioso and recording engineer of WhyZenDies! Productions, is helping TeamNate get to the next level. Grazioso has been around to witness the band’s transformation.
“They’ve become a lot better,” he said. “The new beats Brandon’s made have become more intricate and every single section is a lot different. There are little elements that are constantly changing.”
Recording together has been a great partnership.
“A lot of people don’t see the work that goes behind creating an entity for yourself in the music scene, and I’m really grateful to have met Dom to help us out with that,” Scott said.
As both full-time University students and musicians, for Plotts and Scott, the upcoming school year will bring a certain level of pressure along with it.
“Next year is make it or break it for us,” Plotts said.
Since both members of TeamNate will be graduating next year, finding a day job may have to take priority unless the band reaches a certain level of success.
“After December, I literally have six months,” Plotts said.
Even with the pressures of graduation looming ahead, TeamNate is thinking positively.
“This upcoming year, we can use all of our experiences from the past year to make ourselves better. We’re just looking to improve,” Scott said.
Plotts is on the same page.
“We’ve never had to prove ourselves, but we’ve always felt like we have to improve ourselves,” he said.
It’s clear that the next year will be an interesting one for TeamNate, but they are a band that will evolve through it all, and stay optimistic in the process.
“Being 21 and an aspiring musician,” Scott said, “there are millions of people who want to do that. The question is how are we going to make ourselves special? And I think that’s what we’re going to do in the next year.”

-Luda - BG News