Following the release of his latest album, Six Kinds of Passion Looking
For
An Exit, Eric Matthews took the time to email OneTimesOne and speak
about
his lifelong journey-- from his partnership in Cardinal with Richard
Davies,
his new record in practically a decade, and his heightened
determination for
the future.
Interviewer: Arie Musil
Arie Musil: Talk about the progression made from The Lateness of The
Hour to
Six Kinds... musically, how do you feel that you have differed, and how
have
you grown as a person?
Eric Matthews: As a person I have changed a little, as people do over
time.
In the years since The Lateness I got married, bought the dream
house, and
in a way really settled in and got comfortable. I believe that this is
just
a next stage in my life and my music will tend to react to the life I
am
leading at the time. So on this new set of songs there is something
laid
back and grown up that comes out, I think. My work before was also of
the
same serious tone but the nature of my angst has transformed into
something
else, perhaps not quite as sad sounding.
Musil: All of your lyrics seem to be very personal and possibly true
stories. Are they? Or are they conjured up by your imagination-- or
maybe a
mix of the two?
Matthews: I have to really think about this because I am already
working on
a new record and frankly, there are so many lyrics, stories... But
yeah,
nearly all of the Six Kinds songs are real-life things. The most
obvious story on the record is in "Cardinal is More." In that one I
depict
some the internal happenings that led to Richard Davies and I breaking
up
and the years of silence that followed, but it has a Disney ending
(beginning actually, I tell the story in reverse) where I sing about
our
recent reunion.
There are times in songs where I stray away from myself and will refer
to
situations that friends are experiencing or every once in a while I
work in
pure fiction. I make up fantasies about people I don't know and build
up a
story.
"You Will Be Happy" is a mix of the personal and the fiction thing I
do. It
is about a grandfather of someone I am very close to. This grandfather
(that
I am not at liberty to reveal) was somewhat mysterious in life so I
built up
a kind of a story about a man who is troubled and possesses a rich
history
of trouble and romance. It's a man that was born in the 1890's and
what
we do know is that he saw it all.
Musil: What inspires you? What do you find yourself drawn to writing
about
most and why do you think that is?
Matthews: Music inspires me. I listen to lots of film and television
music
but in my work I first come up with the music, the chords, the backbone
of
every song. Later I nail down the main melodies while I write the
lyrics.
I hear my music (the pattern of chords) and something happens in me
where
suddenly I am scribbling madly to the melodies that come to mind. I
never
work on a song, the songs just happen very naturally. The first draft
is
the final draft, the truth for that idea.
Musil: You've been compared to the likes of Paul McCartney, The
BeeGees,
Nick Drake -- and on numerous occasions, Brian Wilson. Who were your
musical
influences growing up? Who do you listen to now?
Matthews: I grew up on all that stuff. My parents had most of the
great pop
music of the 60's. My childhood happened in the 70's and the music of
those men we now know as "hall of fame" masters was still fresh and
like
ringing from a big bell not yet done vibrating. By 1975 I already
knew
very closely all of the artists you mentioned. The Vietnam War was
barely
over and I was the first generation of "kids" raised on the music
culture of
our young parent's 1960's. I am grateful for what feels like a real
and
close connection to that time.
Now, I listen to very little pop music. It's been a dead time for
decades
by my standard. The early 80's was a strong time but in these last 20
years I think I only have 10 or so artists that I regularly listen to.
Jason Falkner, Spookey Ruben, Supergrass, The Divine Comedy, Richard
Davies,
and then the second tier stuff like Radiohead, Oasis, Jason Wolfstein,
Tahiti 80, Ivy, etc. The first group are what I consider absolute
masters
of what we do. The second grouping are all genius' who I love but
somehow
not as heavy and not as reliable. By this I mean, the body of work is
either not long enough or inconsistent to the point of making me wish I
were
them...
Musil: Six Kinds... is significantly shorter than your previous two
albums.
Why
did you choose to go with seven songs?
Matthews: It was of course not of my choosing. The label I am working
with
wanted to ease my stuff back in front of the music-buying public. I
hated
the idea but they were not the only ones. Many labels over the past
years
suggested the same thing for me but I didn't understand. I still don't
but
so much time had passed that I thought that I should put my career on
the
mercy and in the hands of guys like "Empyrian" and just go along with
the
program. It's some sort of marketing thing that is over my head. If
I
had my choice this would have been a double album. There is some sort
of
trend underway where displaced mini-legends like myself are putting out
mini-records or EPs. It's market trend that somebody far smarter than
me
understands.
Musil: Speaking of the album, what's the story behind the album's title
and
what meaning does it have to you?
Matthews: It's a strange title but easy to explain. Six years is the
period of time that I was without a recording contract or a home for my
music. The title is then to express a feeling of desperation as each of
those years passed me by, all the while being full of music/passion
that was
seeking a way to get out. I was like the Jews wandering the desert
after
being delivered out of Egypt. And taking that analogy to the next
level, I
am now eating manna and loving it.
Musil: In "Cardinal Is More," you make several references to your
former
partnership with Richard Davies, who sided you in Cardinal. Why did you
choose to pay homage to him by using him directly in the lyrics?
Matthews: Yeah, if you look at my story it's with Richard that I got my
start. He brought me in to help make his songs better and in doing so
we
made what most people think is a great/classic record. This record
also
brought me lots of attention and jump started my career as a solo
artist.
We put that record out and soon after my phone started ringing with
record
companies and radio people asking what I was going to do? So, in a
way I
took this time to thank Richard for putting me in the limelight. I am
a
twisted individual so I also took the time to openly express the darker
side
of our dealings and some of the internal damage that occurred as result
of
my going off on my own.
Musil: When we spoke earlier, you mentioned that you plan on always
living
in Oregon. Having toured all over, what makes it most appealing to you?
Matthews: "So Overblown" is the gem of this record. Any song without
drums
gets an automatic vote from me but this song just soars. It's a
series
of very long musical ideas all contained in what I think is a very
special
song. I think that they are all good but I think of parts of
sections of
songs like the long chorus of "You Will Be Happy"-- this is one of my
finest
moments as a writer. It's just a glorious idea. It sounds like self
adoration but I promise it's not. That music is from out of me but I am
more
like you than like me (whoever that is) and very much like an innocent
bystander, especially when I have created something so heavy as the two
songs just mentioned.
Musil: What do you think the general reaction of your fans will be with
the
release of the album?
Matthews: My fans will love the songs. If after all this time they
still
spin my previous records and call themselves "fans" then they will
understand what I have done here. They will have hungered for
something
new so they are the easier sell in a way. If the music was anything
less
than it is then we would have to wonder but I have handed over a pretty
strong set of songs in keeping with the creative qualities exhibited
before.
The greater issue then becomes my finding new people who will be
introduced
to my sound and then react favorably. I get fan mail from the young
and
the old so I hope that this time around that my songs will break
through to
those that might benefit from my particular approach. What I mostly
have
to hope for is some radio play. "Do You Really Want It" is the song
going
to radio and I think it's the right choice for it's upbeat feel laced
with
my long vocal melodies. For those that don't know my music it might
be a
good introduction.
Musil: What is your outlook for this year? Is there anyone you'd like
to
tour with?
Matthews: I have no plans on touring. I am just going to work on my
next
record and continue to do session work on other people's records. I
am
working on three different album projects right now as we speak. I am
starting work on three songs from an Irish band called Pugwash. They
are a
really cool band but the special thrill on this project is that the
producer
on the project is one of my all time heroes: Andy Partridge (XTC). It's
going to be a busy year.
Musil: Your disbandment from Cardinal was 11 years ago. What were some
of
your best memories from it? What did you learn from all of it? And how
is
your relationship with Davies now?
Matthews: Richard and I are friendly again. From Cardinal I learned
that
I could write string arrangements and play lots of instruments in the
studio. I had dabbled in those things but being in the studio, under
contract, managing a tight budget, and with a tighter deadline like we
had:
is a whole other thing than dabbling. And when put in the fire I did
pretty well. Well enough that I had plenty of confidence going into
producing "It's Heavy in Here." My best memory of Cardinal was just
being
in the studio with Richard, Tony Lash, Steven Hanford, and my brother
(for a
day). We just sat around making great music for two long weeks.
Musil: Assuming you've heard his work, what's your opinion on his solo
achievements?
Matthews: I think that most of it is pure gold. "Instinct" was a solo
record and that thing is gem central. "There's Never Been A Crowd
Like
This" is his finest effort so far and I hope someday everybody will
have
this album. Richard makes two kinds of music. 1. Strange and
Beautiful
2. Strange and Frightening.
Musil: How has the musical career experience been for you so far?
You've got
three albums to your name, a loyal fanbase, and you've probably seen
more of
the world in one year than most people ever will. What's been the most
enjoyable part for you thus far?
Matthews: The best part for me is writing the songs. After that it
goes
downhill. Writing is the discovery and the mystery in what I do. Then
comes the playing of all the instruments and the singing and the mixing
and
the mastering and the artwork and the marketing meetings and the photo
sessions and the... all that stuff is actual work beyond what is
special
about what I really do. It's like falling in love and just digging
into
that new person. The rest of love can be great too but nothing like
those
opening days or weeks. I am not complaining but for a guy like me
that
was perfectly happy making crappy 4 track recordings (15 years ago) and
just
playing the songs for friends. It's a real adjustment to go from that
to
being a real recording artist in the real world, for money. I love the
old
days of just being an "artist" eating beans and rice in the big city.
Musil: You mention in the album's liner notes that "No computers were
used
in the production of this album." That's a very praised move by critics
and
impressive to other artists. Had you omitted computer use from your
other
albums before? If not, why did you decide to do so this time?
Matthews: No computers were used on the other two, or the Cardinal
record
for that matter. I come from the old days when there was no such thing
as
computers in recording studios. All my projects were recorded on
two-inch
tape like had been done in the previous four decades of music. I was
lucky
to get in on the end of history. But that day is done now and most
all
music is made on computers using very clever software. Lot's of what
you
hear now is not completely sung, not completely played, and just, in a
way,
dishonest. Now you don't really have to be that good at your
instrument or
good at singing in tune. With the touch of a button a lesser talent
can
sound way better than I do standing in front of a microphone in my
nightshirt. So I decided to call attention to the way in which I
didn't
record this record.
I am not anti-technology, in fact, I just switched my studio over to a
computer based system. I happen to believe that computers and this
software can be used honestly and morally so this is what I am going to
do.
Everything I record will be real, no fixed notes, no looped bass
parts, no
funny business. I did the switch over because I work on so many
outside
projects and I needed to have the flexibility of receiving "song files"
from
other studios and just loading them up on my end, doing my work, and
then
sending them back out. Computers are brilliant for this contribution
to
my life. People like me used to spend lots of time on planes going to
New
York and LA and Paris to live in a studio for a month. Now we just
turn on
our computers and call the FedEx guy. This is nice but I do kind of
miss
the time spent with the guys.
Musil: Your brother Wes is also included on Six Kinds..., with a guitar
solo
on 'Worthy'. How is the chemistry between you two in the studio?
Matthews: Very good. He and I are very close and very similar. On
this
guitar solo I originally had it written for cello but decided on
guitar. I
have a demo of me playing this exact guitar solo myself but when I cut
the
actual recording on the record I sped up the tempo quite a bit. I
could
have done it myself but Wes is a great guitarist so to save time I had
him
down to the studio. What takes him 10 minutes takes me one hour. Time
is
money. Just the other day Wes was telling me that my performance of the
guitar solo is way better, but I like the slick nature of his playing.
Mine sounds more savage but I am into the controlled color of his
chops.
Musil: You last released an album in 1997-- what caused the eight year
gap
and how did you spend your time off?
Matthews: To start, I got dropped by Sub Pop It was 1999 and time for
a
new album but instead I got shown the door. It wasn't just me. Most of
the
established got dropped because Sub Pop was having bad financial
troubles.
They nearly went out of business with all of us high price tag artists
gone
they were able to start over and get back on their feet. From 1999
until
2004 I was approached by many labels with tiny offers that were just
not
what I wanted. I could have put out some really crappy under recorded
records during this time but I wanted to wait for the right offer so I
just
waited. Also in this long time away I just continued to record on my
own
the best I could. I kept writing new songs and on the side I got more
into
my side career of playing on other's records. I worked with Tahiti
80,
Ivy, The Dandy Warhols, Brookville, Volovan, Mark Eitzel, and even did
some
Beach Boys songs for Marina Records on a comp. I started doing
"session
work" back in 1989 but with my new reputation after those solo records
I
began getting a lot of high quality work that paid really well. It
beats
working a real job.
Musil: And, as always, is there anything else that you would like to
add?
Matthews: Only to say thank you to everybody out there who has been
patient
enough to not forget about my music and be here now, ready for my new
album.
I never stopped working and planning for my return and as a result
I
have tons of new songs just waiting to be shared with the world. My
next
record will be my greatest work ever. I remember Martin Gore saying
that
about Violator and I laughed at the time as it seemed a stupid thing to
say,
but this time, in my case I really believe it to be. I am back, and
hopefully this time to stay.
-Arie Musil 03/23/05
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