Name: Nathan Barnett
What do you do? Guitarist
Where are you from?
My dad's from [Cayman], from West Bay. I grew up in Florida and then I went to school for music in Florida – I have a degree in performance, classical guitar. Then I moved to New York and was there for about four years and then I moved to Cayman in 2013.
How did you get into music?
Growing up, my dad had all these old vinyls of all these Spanish classical guitarists and he used to actually force us to listen to them. But then after a while, I'd go grab the vinyl and put it on myself. The album art on those vinyls was amazing. I would just stare at them and listen. So when I started playing guitar, I wanted to play Led Zeppelin and rock and stuff like that. But then within two or three months, that childhood memory kind of kicked in and I just wanted to play what I heard when I was a kid.
When did you start playing guitar?
Fourteen.
Where do you play around Camana Bay?
In Camana Bay I've played at West Indies Wine Company a few times. Initially, I used to play at Abacus. But I've been playing Union Grill & Bar on Wednesdays. They have a tapas night and I really enjoy them. They're awesome. They used to live in Spain and I think it's probably the best ambient vibe out of anywhere that I play.
How's the experience of performing live in front of people?
It depends whether it's a concert setting or a gig setting. If it's a gig setting, I know I'm there to provide the ambiance. I actually enjoy that. A lot of people don't because maybe the spotlight's not on them. But the amount of people who have come up and said things...you don't realise how much it makes an impact and how much it adds [to their dining experience].
And then a concert setting is just between you and the audience. There's a lot of electricity. There's nothing better than performing in front of like 300 people who are just watching you. It's really great.
Do any gigs stick out in your mind?
The best gig that I've played here in Cayman was the Festival of Fine Arts 2021. I was invited to be one of the featured performers. It was a sold-out event and I got to perform my new album and play that.
What's next for you?
I'm working on a new album this year. It's going to be a solo album. You can check out my music at my website, nathanherrera.com.
This article was originally featured in the February 2022 print edition of Camana Bay Times.