Interview with Nathan Hussey of All Get Out

On Saturday, November 12th, All Get Out is returning to Charleston to play their first show in the city since 2012. They are releasing their new album, Nobody Likes A Quitter on October 28th, and then going on tour in support of the new record. Last week I had the opportunity to interview Nathan Hussey, frontman of All Get Out about the new record, the upcoming Music Farm show, and what it was like recording Nobody Likes A Quitter with Andy Hull and Robert McDowell of Manchester Orchestra. Read the interview below, and get your tickets here.

So you’re originally from South Carolina, and now you live in Texas. What prompted the move to Texas?

Yep, I’m from Sumter, South Carolina, but moved down to Charleston when I got out of high school, in like 2004, so I’d been there for a while. I just needed a change. It was time to move on. It’s also a very expensive city, so my wife and I packed up and moved out here to DFW, she started grad school, and I started doing the record. Being here and by a major airport has helped. All in all, it made more sense for us to move out here, and pursue our dreams more rationally.

Can you tell me a bit about the difference in your experience in Texas compared to South Carolina?

In Charleston, we went out all the time. It was what we did in our early 20’s. It’s a beautiful, boozy city. But once we stopped going out it only took a year to be like “Let’s not be here.” Here in DFW, we’re indoors a lot more unless there’s something coming through town we want to see or we’re heading out to one of the many art museums. This is great because we tend to be more creative when we’re less distracted. I definitely write a lot more because of it. Completely different lifestyle. I’m in a better, more creative state of mind here and it’s probably less to do where I am and more to do with being too comfortable with where I was.

You haven’t played a show in Charleston since 2012, when you were touring for The Season. Are you excited for your return to the Holy City?

Holy hell. Oh yeah, you’re right. It was with Against Me! They tweeted something like “Hey Charleston, who should we have open for us?” They tweeted us in. It felt like we had won a battle of the bands. It was really weird. Yes, it’s been a very long time, and I’m excited to come back. Charleston’s a market I’m interested in seeing.

Do you still consider it a hometown show when you play in Charleston?

For me it’s always felt like Columbia was the hometown for the band. When we first started touring out we noticed that most of our fans we’re coming from there. Two of us were from Sumter and in other times were in bands out of Columbia so we were always around. Personally though, this will feel a little bit like a homecoming. I miss the city often if I’m being honest and I’m anxious about finally playing a proper show there. It’s going to be fun.

I’m really digging what I’ve heard so far of Nobody Likes A Quitter. How are you preparing yourself for the release and subsequent tour?

Well, preparing is usually just me sitting at a computer waiting for the internet trolls to emerge. Nah, I’m kidding. But really, the record took a long time to make. We were basically in and out of Atlanta over the course of a year, so I’ve had a lot of time to think about it, and stew on it throughout the process. To love it, to hate it, to love it again. Right now I’m on the upswing, I love it, which is good because the release is very soon. I’ve got a sort of cliché confidence about it right now but really I’m eager to know what people think.

How did you link up with Andy Hull and Robert McDowell of Manchester Orchestra?

It was right after high school, like 2005, 2006. I had a band that I was in from my Sumter and Columbia. We were your typical Christian rock band that wanted to be every brand of emo we knew about. Manchester Orchestra had just started, and we would buddy up together for shows over here. We would play for 10 people in Myrtle Beach or 20 in Columbia. I think in 2006 that changed drastically for them. That was 100 percent inspiring. They started Favorite Gentleman before that, wanting to have a sub-pop collective, kind of thing. A community really. Very aspirational people. So yeah, then I quit that band (Firefly Summer) and toured around with another band playing bass (The Explorer’s Club), and finally I started my own.

Manchester turned their community label into a real label around 2007- 2008 and released our first EP. A couple years later they put out The Season for us and two years ago co-released our Movement EP with Bad Timing. So we’ve been working together like that for a long time. Playing together early on and staying friends over the years.

Andy and I had talked about doing my next record with him for years. When the time came it was me, Josh Kean (local Charleston drummer), Andy, and Robert. A pretty cool band to make an album with if you ask me!

I understand that Nobody Likes A Quitter is a co-release between Bad Timing Records and Manchester Orchestra’s Favorite Gentlemen Records. What are the implications of that, if any?

Favorite Gentleman is a moniker that represents releases that Andy and Rob have done or have been a part of. It’s on all of my releases. It’s letting people know what family the music or album is in. Bad Timing is the other label in this release. We had such a great experience in the re-release of The Season with them and they have been kind enough to put out two albums for us since. I am very lucky here.

I love the Reservoir Dogs influence in the “Get My Cut” music video. What gave you the idea to do that?

I wish I could take credit for the idea! It was a friend of mine named Cory Santilli. It was actually an idea that he thought I wouldn’t like so we went through a couple of other ideas first. Which is crazy because Reservoir Dogs is an amazing film.

All Get Out – Get My Cut (Music Video)

What do you think is the most important thing you’ve learned from spending so much time on the road?

Wow. That one’s on the spot, let’s see. I don’t know, man, there is just so much. That’s incredible.

I think you learn what’s important to you. I also don’t think that’s exclusive to being on the road. I’ve discovered the things that I value and the things that I want in life versus all of the fleeting nonsense you see day to day.

You also find out what success is for you, what you actually need day to day to get by, and what makes you happy. Your psyche is getting insane amounts of affirmation. When a couple hundred people clap for you, it does something to your brain. Like, “Oh, yeah, I guess I’m awesome.”

But you’re not anymore awesome than the person clapping. After a while you start to see through it, and that’s when it gets good.

~

Super huge thanks to Nathan Hussey for taking the time to speak with me. Below you’ll find Spotify streams of the three tracks that have been released so far off Nobody Likes A Quitter. The rest of the record will be available on October 28th, and for my Charleston people, be sure to see these guys at the Music Farm on Saturday, November 12th with Gates, Microwave, and Tigerdog. It’s going to be a really great show; their first time back in Charleston since 2012, with a new record to boot. See you there.