Today we’d like to introduce you to Captain Carl Nelson.
Hi Captain Carl, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
The Southern California band Yachty by Nature began in 2016, a spin-off of an 80s cover band that realized the growing appeal of “yacht rock”. Keyboardist Captain Carl and vocalist Scotty McYachty, along with other musicians, decided to form a new group dedicated entirely to the genre.
Inspired by the term “yacht rock”:
The band’s founding members discovered the term “yacht rock” in 2011 when a “hipster girl” at an industry party we were playing in Los Angeles strolled up to our band and asked “you play any yacht rock”. I just about died and then hadn’t yet realized that the music of yacht rock artists like Michael McDonald, Toto, Steely Dan, Boz Scaggs, etc. had always been a fascination and enjoyment of mine but no one had ever connected all those dots.
At the time, they were the first yacht rock band in Orange County. And only a band from SF was really making any west coast waves.
From their start at Stillwater Dana Point, the band quickly gained a following in Southern California, expanding to perform at venues like the House of Blues and the Whisky a Go-Go. Within just their first year, they became a national act, appearing on the Rich Eisen Show and opening for Snoop Dogg in 2019.
Just a little background on yacht rock: it is a style of soft rock music that originated in Southern California in the late 1970s and early 1980s. It is characterized by:
Smooth, polished production.
Breezy vocals and jazzy rhythms.
A fusion of rock, jazz, and rhythm and blues.
Prominent use of studio musicians.
The term itself was popularized by a 2005 online comedy series called Yacht Rock, which jokingly re-enacted the stories behind the music. While initially comedic, the appreciation for the music’s high production value and technical musicianship became the focus for many fans.
The success of the band really has been derived by passion. The passion for the music and the love that we put into each song and each performance really connects that great music with such a fantastic time and the good vibes that happen from playing these “yacht party” type of tunes. The outfits and fun of the yacht party with us wearing nautical outfits make it a contagious thing where people arrive to our concerts decked out in captains hats, etc. Captain Carl even took to living the yacht rock life and wearing blown out feathered hair in early shows. The band took off immediately and even inspired other knock off yacht rock bands to do the same.
What sets Yachty by Nature apart from those bands though: all live musicians playing without the aid of backing tracks (there’s a prominent LA band that is ALL tracks), people constantly make it a big deal to say, wow, you guys are covering those songs ALL LIVE? Lotta work and hard to play and create a live and fun and interactive show at the same time! Therefore it’s a unique show every time, it’s not planned out and tied to a click track with no feeling/soul. It’s fun, outrageous, goofy, but above all, phenomenal music that touches people. We were the first to don Captain’s Outfits and then the classic Navy blazer look that others have copied now. First to wear the Broner Captain’s hat brand, and even our social postings have been copied, in addition you see some of our crowd interaction and dance choreography from the show appear in other bands’ repertoire. Although we didn’t start the yacht rock craze, we’ve added to it immenselyyyyy and been quite an influential player in the mix.
Our success has followed the success of Yacht Rock Revue who started the whole Yacht Rock tribute scene from Atlanta. However, Yachty by Nature truly pioneered so many things, we’ve made our concerts and our life on social media quite a powerful and influential vibe in the genre.
At current, we just played a show in Texas and been offered some pretty huge gigs out there. We played shows in Florida, Texas, Colorado, Utah, Iowa, Idaho, Oregon, Nevada, and the Bay Area just since April and the calls keep coming in. It’s truly been a love fest: we love the music, we love our fans, and we just love the opportunity to keep spreading these great vibes.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Struggles: we all have jobs so we can’t always take every show, but we sure do get around. Competing bands doing dirty tricks and being predatory and negative (ugh…too many stories there). Yacht rock music wasn’t well understood at the beginning so we had to break down some doors and turn some heads. We don’t have an agent or manager so we are a mom and pop shop that some of the venues won’t open up to…..especially in SD! The music can be snoozy so we really work hard to put on a show that keeps the vibe up and poppin’.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I’m a 6th grade school teacher and proud to have passed the National Board for teaching. It’s the highest degree a teacher can get. I love my job but it just shows you what’s possible in the realm of creativity and art. This band has personally been my creative outlet and gives me the opportunity to “perform” on the side. It’s something that I hold dearly and makes life truly special. To be able to do one thing with my life in teaching and then put on my cape and be a rock star sometimes on the same day has been incredibly fun and rewarding. The band has the utmost respect for the achievements, accolades, travels, and connecting with people that we’ve been so blessed with. Again, it comes down to the music, but our success has been quite special too. The experiences have been wild and we always come back so thankful for those opportunities
So, before we go, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you? How can they support you?
Hit us up! We’re quite an agreeable crew here and of course, we always urge people to connect with us on social media, send lots of love and encouragement, buy tickets to see us play, song requests, and anything under the sun.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://yachtybynature.com
- Instagram: @yachtybynature1
- Facebook: @yachtybynature
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/YachtybyNature
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/yachty-by-nature-mission-viejo
