You have to wonder whether Nate Ostrander would’ve permanently traded in his guitar for a riding crop if he hadn’t run into yacht-rock cult hero Donnie Emerson earlier this year. In the late ’70s, a teenage Emerson recorded nearly 70 tracks with his brother Joe in makeshift studio on the family farm in Washington State. Eight of those made it onto 1979’s Dreamin’ Wild, an obscure curiosity with a few moments that measure up to a lot of the assembly-line light rock of the time. Three decades later, the Emersons’ story was the subject of the acclaimed 2023 film Dreamin’ Wild, from Love & Mercy director Bill Pohlad.
Growing up in an equestrian family, Ostrander now runs the successful Two Eyes Horsemanship training company in Spokane County, Wash. Much like the Emersons, he had musical aspirations—which thus far have amounted to playing in cover bands, doing sound for other acts and teaching guitar lessons. There was also a blues-flavored, self-released debut in 2012.
Ostrander and Emerson had known each other for years, but it wasn’t until they crossed paths this past February at a local guitar shop that their musical partnership began to gel. This fall, the two headed into the studio to record “Lovers Will.” Aside from engineering the track, Emerson pitched in on drums, piano and backup vocals.
“The song is about narcissistic relationships,” says Ostrander. “I was inspired to write the song after watching my sister-in-law experience what I’ve had to endure many times. There was a specific sound and vibe we were looking for. We had a lot of different takes, with four different bass players, three different drummers and three different piano/organ players. I wanted a lot of movement—the perfect kind of movement—to inspire the feeling of unnoticeable chaos. I think the song does its job. And if people really listen to it, really listen they’ll get it.”
We’re proud to premiere Nate Ostrander’s “Lovers Will.” Look for a new Emerson-produced album from Ostrander sometime next year.
—Hobart Rowland
