The self-titled album with the Night Sweats was also the first time Rateliff worked with producer Richard Swift.
Most people assume Denver’s folk hero and his current bandmates, The Night Sweats were an overnight success even though Rateliff had been playing solo and in various other bands years before “S.O.B.” hit the airwaves. He spoke about the days when “no one really gave a shit about what I was doing” with affection. He smiled warmly as he picked up one of the guitars and addressed the crowd, explaining how much he was enjoying the weekend. Almost exactly at 11pm, Nathaniel Rateliff walked back onto the stage, gave his fans a quick wave and seated himself in front of the microphone. In that moment, it held three guitars, a couple of cases, a stool, a microphone, and a small amp. Whatever its original intention, it played an integral role in summoning magic over the three days of Pickathon 2019. Crafted entirely of fallen branches bound together by rope, it resembled something closer to an alter than a stage. I was seated in sawdust at the front of a structure known as the Wood Stage. A few hundred hard core fans were gathered among a thicket of trees on the Pendarvis Farm outside of Portland, Oregon, and the man who helms the Night Sweats didn’t want them getting all wound up for a sound check. With the wave of a hand adorned with tattoos and turquoise rings, Nathaniel Rateliff motioned the cheering crowd to hush.