Howdy All,
Matt here. I'm trying out my new blog so I don't have a lot to say. I'm most excited to announce that I do have a ton of new music coming your way. It will be a while yet before we can get back into the studio, but I plan on bringing you the rough vocal/guitar mixes to see what you think. My songwriting has gone schizoid since the release of Hinges. Of course, with the wild and whooly world we live in how can you blame me? You can break down my songwriting into 5 distinct projects.
The first project will be a set of songs much in the same introspective vein as "Pickup Truck" and "Through Your Eyes". In this crazy economy I find myself looking not out at the world at large, but at my immediate surroundings, trying to find the value in what we already have. So you can expect to hear a couple of road-tripping songs, a couple of love songs (unusual for me, I think), a country stomp or two and a couple of hillbilly tunes as well. Really nothing too different from my last 3 albums. Although there are a couple of surprise cover tunes on there as well. Throughout, I manage to stay strangely optimistic. I figure life goes on whether we can pay our bills or not, so why dwell on it. We're here for the day, we might as well enjoy it.
I save the darkness for the second project, a Mexican themed set of songs that will make up more or less a concept album. There are mariachi songs, cowboy songs, and some surf-psychobilly songs. Lots of people die, get robbed, get their hearts broke, and have to shoot their way out of hard times. I know this sounds strange, but I think it will make more sense once you hear it. I, as most of you know, have a long standing love affair going with Mexico, and despite the drug troubles, immigration troubles, and whatnot, it’s still a great place where the people are very nice, accepting, tough, fun-loving, hard working, extremely musical, and just trying to make their way through a 24/7 crazy ass world. I don’t know what else to say about it except that it’s the most Steve Earle-esque album I’ve ever come up with.
The third project is a tribute to the troops. I’ve written a handful of tunes and re-written some others that have been revamped to fit todays times. I’m very excited about this one as the proceeds will go to benefit the Wounded Warrior Foundation.
The fourth project is a collection of Bluegrass tunes and a tribute album to my Dad. Many of the songs on this album will be songs he wrote but never recorded, and some songs that we wrote together. It will be an all acoustic bluegrass album. Dierks can kiss my ass...I stole this idea from Steve Earle way before he had his "Up On The Ridge" released. I swear he reads my mail. Maybe I could get Tenacious Dierks to come sing on the project. Hey Kristin...hook me up:)
The fifth album will be a “covers” project of classic country songs from the Bill Burry All Request Hour. I sat down with Bill not too long ago and had him list his favorite 10 country songs. He listed them for me, and I intend to record them here and release the results. This project’s proceeds will go to benefit the TREC program here in Effingham County.
So look for the demos to start showing up very soon. Please let me know what you think of the new tunes. I would rather not put a turd out there if I can avoid it and you guys can help me with that process.
I guess you may know this already, but I didn’t win the Zac Brown Sailing Southern Ground Cruise Contest. It’s an honor just to have made it to the finals, but…I really would have loved to win that mo-fo. :)
All for now…til next time…don’t let the bastards get you down!
Poss
Reading:
1. The Future of Music
Listening:
1. Dierks Bentley – Up On The Ridge
2. Tom Russel – Tonight We Ride
3. Tom Petty – Mojo
Watching:
1. Kick-Ass – (great)
2. The Losers – (ok)
3. Gross Point Blank – (classic)
4. The Future Is Unwritten, The Joe Strummer Story - (awesome)
