Artist Friendly | Nathan Williams

On this week’s episode of Artist Friendly, Joel Madden sits down with Nathan Williams, the San Diego musician behind Wavves.

Williams started Wavves in 2008 as a solo recording project and has since built it into one of indie rock’s longest-running bands, putting out records through Fat Possum, Mom + Pop and his own label, Ghost Ramp. Last year’s Spun was his first full-length in four years, and his new album, Cherry Soda, arrives November 13.

In this conversation, Williams explains how watching A Hard Day’s Night as a kid set him on a path to make art every day. He shares stories from his unusual upbringing of growing up in a commune, passing on a college soccer scholarship, how a producer once threatened to end his entire career, and why he started his own label.