The best stories often start with the most random and nonsense beginnings – take for example, an ostrich farm and a stone quarry.  This is literally the beginning of Nathan Klatt’s musical journey.  

Growing up outside the small town of Portland Indiana, Nathan grew up on a road that was bracketed by an ostrich farm to the west, and a stone quarry to the east.  There may not have been a plethora of options growing up in rural Indiana, but Nathan discovered the violin when he walked into the local Arts Council in 1986 at the age of 7.  He heard the sounds of young children practicing to the Suzuki Violin Method, and when his father asked him if he would like to try the violin, like any seven year old would respond, he said, “sure!”  The next 7 years were spent practicing classical music, and the foundations of technique, theory and discipline was instilled in him by his teachers, the late Dr. Freeman Burkhalter and Kae Gurnee (Byrd).  Nathan credits both of them for being an instrumental (pun intended and unintended) role in his development as a musician and violinist.

Fast-forward to 1999 – now a junior at Wabash College, Nathan was immersed in his studies (as he desired to go to law school), and also competed on the school’s basketball and track teams.  One November fall afternoon, after Wabash lost the Monon Bell football game to archrival DePauw University, Nathan and his Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity brothers attempted to console themselves after the loss.  During the commiserating/partying, one of Nathan’s fraternity brothers happened to pick up a guitar and started singing, and Nathan joined him on the violin.  As the crowd of revelers grew and sang their hearts out, the seeds of the musician/entertainer were planted.  After several hours of improvising along to popular/top 40 songs, Nathan started to realize several important things: not only did the violin work for just about any style or song, but it was also unique and catchy.   Improvising to songs that  people knew opened a completely new world of possibilities, and for the rest of Nathan’s time at Wabash, he grabbed fellow musicians whenever possible to jam together.  

Fast-forward again to 2009.  After dropping out of law school in three months (couldn’t stand it) and trying his hand at social work (loved the people, couldn’t handle the heartache), Nathan did what any intelligent, educated person would do – pursue a musical career.  After six years of playing in several Indianapolis bands (Ashworth and the Celtic rock band Siochain, to name a few), Nathan found himself starting a cover band with friends Eric Maitlen and Steve Hueber.  All three grew up together on the same street in Portland.  It was mutually decided that the band should be built around Nathan’s unique and expansive style on the violin, as well as his fearless front-man skills and his penchant for singing female songs in falsetto register.  Calling themselves My Yellow Rickshaw, the band continues to go strong after seven years.  Followers of MYR are just as apt to hear “Sweet child of mine,” “Uptown Funk,”  Girls just wanna have fun,” or “Thriftshop”  on the violin as they are to “Devil went down to Georgia” or “Callin’ Baton Rouge.”  Nathan/MYR have had the opportunity to play for the Indianapolis Colts, New York Giants, Nebraska Cornhuskers, Wisconsin Badgers, the Indianapolis 500, Brickyard 400, to name a few events/organizations.  

Through the years, practice, late nights and crazy stories, Nathan’s love and pursuance of the violin continues to grow.  This brings us to his current and first foray as a solo artist – his debut album, titled “Love songs revisited, Volume one.”  Nathan takes well-known love songs from the past forty years and puts his musical/instrumental spin on them, using the violin as his “voice,” as well as the mandolin and ukulele.  Nathan’s goal is to take the listener on a musical journey that is equal parts quality and cathartic, timeless and therapeutic, edgy and classy.  Most of all, he hopes the album brings you some peace and blessing!