when i was on an airplane this year, i struck up a conversation with the lady next to me. she asked me what i was writing. it was the mission statement for my radio station. she was curious; i explained. and then i asked as we landed: who from austin would you want to hear on the radio who you don't hear normally? her immediate answer: matt the electrician. (who has gotten some recognition on KUT this year!)..
her explanation: he's acoustic, and literary, and witty, .. and tells these stories.. so i made it a point to see him on my birthday last december ("winter storm 2009"-- we had 5 snowflakes). i was swept away--yet too joyfully sidetracked to write a blog post. my favorite songwriter james mcmurtry, in matt's audience, shared with me a birthday beer. later i was still so impressed by Matt, and could only think if i was writing a post, i'd repeat the lady on the plane, and say Matt is acoustic, and literary, and witty, and.. tells these stories.. at one point in the evening i turned to james and said, "he's a poet." james clearly nodded affirmative. that's no small nod.
see Matt's website for "the electrician" story..
tonight: was an average weekday night in austin, and every reason why any music fan lives here. matt is a true performer--someone chronically in tune with his own thoughts, the moment, with the crowd-- and he knows how to align them all. he performed with what is now i think his regular band-- if there is such a thing in this city: tom pearson on bass, seela on vocals and percussive tricks, jon greene on the drum kit, and scrappy jud newcomb on the steel/slide guitar.. and Matt switched it up between his banjo and his 1950's Holland guitar bought at South Austin Music Store. we heard the story.....
i struggle to categorize his music, and my brain hasn't settled. he's rooted in folk for sure, and is part americana (which means, uh, what?), part poet, part country, part bluegrass, even part rock and roll.. and at heart, a troubadour...
matt seems like a thinker, and observer-- and feeler. he writes with younger boy clarity about adult situations, a lot which seem to come from personal experience. his lyrics point out the obvious of everyday life that no one would likely ever put in a song (from cat shit to daylight to cookie dough to baseball cards).. done with comical surveillance, and oftentimes coupled with deep emotion or a deep story, and/or a blatant political message. ....
he and his band can range from what i call "acoustic disco" (go find out), to sparsely picked (on banjo, by matt) love ballads, to ominous and moody acoustic ambient haunt music (what?) to " acoustic calypso" (go find out) to straight up rock. Scrappy Jud added real fine accompaniment and solos on his metallic twang thing, as did seela on vocals. matt proved he can really belt it out during the last number, (called "mother"?), dedicated to the moms for upcoming mother's day. i'm not familiar with all his song titles, but i know we also heard "what's so funny".. and "college"...
for some philosophers, education was once considered "the great equalizer"-- the institution, practice, and medium through which all socioeconomic classes, races, genders, yadda yadda, can find common ground and equal footing in our USA democracy. i say matt the electrician's song "college" is also the great equalizer. go listen. and enjoy.
i'm sure it's a different song with each performance, but tonight's climax was "for angela"-- a letter to a customer complaint department in a Wal-Mart (which he wrote for real, but then sang..) praising the kindness of a box-store car mechanic employee who basically fixed his car for almost free while it was breaking down on its way to matt's gig at a church in Dallas... on a hot texas day. we all know how those go...
and like the lady on the plane said, he tells stories.. tonight it was of a college library (that had books), of the fact his CD Animal Boy just came out today, and of the truth: that he is Bob Schneider's younger brother, Matt Schneider, who lost a bet and is forever destined to open up for Bob, not shave his beard, and, well.. do all important things with only his left hand. We also learned that none of the cover charge at the venue went to pay him.. which only means I'm sure to be at his CD recording party (which is for real) this upcoming Friday May 7 at Flipnotics...
The live CD will likely capture Matt's ability to win an audience, and turn even an awkward moment of silence into comedy. He'll tenderly whisper: How y'all doin? .. and he'll listen to the giggles, waiting for a real answer..
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