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Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats released their self-titled debut album last Friday on the legendary Stax Records. This week's Westword cover story details
Past Denver Bands: Rowdy Shadehouse, Air Dubai, Petals of Spain
Current Denver Bands: The Other Black, M.Florea, Midget Wizard, Kid Astronaut, Bonnie and the Beard, Izcalli
Instrument in the Night Sweats: Trumpet
"It's just weird, you know? Being on TV — it was such an opposite thing for me, man. I've been homeless so many times. When people first started knowing me in town, it was because I was playing trumpet on the 16th Street Mall." Wesley Watkins is lamenting on the moment everyone has been asking him about lately: performing on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon backing Nathaniel Rateliff. He's getting phone calls and Facebook messages from all sorts of people who have come out of the woodwork following Watkins's mild glimpse of fame outside of his home town. But Watkins — who plays trumpet, tuba, keyboards, percussion and sings — is beyond humble, almost pensive about it all. Not to say the Night Sweats are a side gig for the musician, by any means, but he's been hard at work for most of his young life, writing, performing and recording his music and that of others. He's a session player and a
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