Talking with Nat and Alex Wolff of the Naked Brothers Band
By: Nicole Gagliardo with Luca and Michael
Image Courtesy of: Nicole Gagliardo
Parents of Nickelodeon-watching children are probably already familiar with the names Nat and Alex Wolff--aka the stars of The Naked Brothers Band television show. Take it from me, as aunt to a seven- and an eight-year-old boy, I can verify that to the lunch box set, Nat and Alex are the kid-friendly equivalent of legendary rock star brother bands like the Allman Brothers or Oasis.
The show, which is a mockumentary that follows the brothers' fictional rock group as they navigate the waters of fame, fortune, friendship--and of course, world-wide musical domination, has become one of the top-rated programs for kids 6-11 and tweens 9-14, they are a constant topic of conversation amongst their young followers.
So you can imagine the reaction when I told my nephews Luca and Michael that we would not only be attending one of the shows during the first ever Naked Brothers Band cross-country tour, but they would get to interview their idols themselves. When the shock and awe subsided, excitement took over and the brothers became increasingly eager for the day to come.
We met up with Nat and Alex at the New York City stop of their 13-city weekends-only tour, which started in Asbury Park, NJ and ends on December 14th in Los Angeles, CA.
On stage, 13-year-old Nat, who writes and performs (sings, plays keyboard, and guitar) all of the band's songs, was a strong and confident force as the group's front man, while 11-year-old brother Alex handles his bad boy drummer part with aplomb--a definite ham, and lover of the crowd's attention. However, the brothers were careful not to outshine one another, and in brotherly fashion, they took turns sharing the spotlight over the course of the show.
After such a great gig, Luca, Michael, and I were eager to meet the brothers and speak with them. As fans of the show since its first season, Luca and Michael were brimming with questions for their favorite TV stars. Down-to-earth and gracious, Nat and Alex fully engaged in the interview and answered the following questions posed by Luca and Michael:
Q: How many songs have you written?
Nat: I have been writing for about five or six years and Alex has been writing for about two. [We have] a large number of them, I don’t really know the exact amount, but all the songs that are in the show we have written.
Q: Are you nervous when you perform a show?
Nat: Yeah… I have a really nervous freak out for about 5 minutes before a show and then after when I go on stage I’m not usually nervous.
Alex: Yeah..same with me.
Q: What is your favorite band?
Nat: Definitely The Beatles.
Alex: Yeah…I love Led Zeppelin
Q: What is your favorite video game?
Nat: Umm… I don’t really know. We don’t really get to play that many games because we have to practice and stuff. Guitar Hero is probably my favorite. We are in Rock Band…we got stuck in it (laughs). We also have our own video game. It’s kinda like Rock Band, but with all Naked Brothers stuff.
Alex: Tony Hawks Underground
Q: Your real-life dad (jazz musician/composer Michael Wolff ) plays your father on the show, but how come your mom (actress/director Polly Draper) is not on the show?
Nat: Well she is actually the creator. She writes and directs all the shows. She is behind the camera doing everything. She can’t be on the show and do all the stuff behind the camera.
Q: What would you put on your Christmas play list?
Nat: The song that comes to mind… is that song…with every season turn, turn, turn. That song by the Byrds.
Alex: Christmas song? (Starts to sing…Feliz Navidad…Feliz Navidad)
If you want to catch the Wolff brother live and fully clothed, check out the list of cities and dates on their Nat & Alex Wolff: Fully Clothed & On Tour. If you have kids that are fans, they won’t be disappointed! For more information, check out NatNAlex.com:
Saturday, Nov. 1 Asbury Park, NJ Stone Pony
Sunday, Nov. 2 Westbury, NY Capitol One Theater at Westbury
Saturday, Nov. 8 New York, NY Blender Theater at Gramercy
Sunday, Nov. 9 New York, NY Blender Theater at Gramercy
Saturday, Nov. 15 Baltimore, MD Ram’s Head Live!
Sunday, Nov. 16 Philadelphia, PA Theater of the Living Arts
Saturday, Nov. 22 Chicago, IL House of Blues
Sunday, Nov. 23 St Paul, MN Myth
Friday, Nov. 28 Orlando, FL House of Blues
Saturday, Nov. 29 Orlando, FL House of Blues
Sunday, Nov. 30 New Orleans, LA House of Blues
Saturday, Dec. 6 Washington, DC Sixth & I Memorial Synagogue
Sunday, Dec. 7 Boston, MA Berklee Performance Center
Saturday, Dec. 13 Anaheim, CA House of Blues
Sunday, Dec. 14 Los Angeles, CA The Roxy
You can also check out the boys this November on Nickelodeon for the third season of The Naked Brothers Band. Special guests and all-new music written and performed by Nat Wolff and Alex Wolff, upcoming episodes feature a star-studded celebrity line-up including Whoopi Goldberg, Natasha Bedingfield, David Attell, ?uestlove (The Roots), David Desrosiers (Simple Plan), Simon Kirke (Bad Company), Tobin Esperance (Papa Roach), Leon Thomas and Nickelodeon's very own Victoria Justice, star of the upcoming Nickelodeon television movie Spectacular.
Nickelodeon will premiere a new hour-long movie titled "Operation Mojo" on Saturday, Nov. 22, at 9 p.m. (all times ET/PT), followed by the first-ever animated The Naked Brothers Band special, "The Supetastic 6" on Wednesday, Nov. 26, at 8:30-9 p.m.

