Oct
Thanks so much to Matthew Mastin! I wrote about the band Spalding’s Grey not too long ago after discovering their music on Youtube. It was a total mystery to me. It sounded like it was from the 80s. It sounded British. To my very big surprise the band was contemporary, current. And it was based in the U.S. and to top it all, it was just one person behind it. But that was not all. I knew Matthew. We had emailed many times thanks to Cloudberry Records and our love for indiepop music. We had shared songs and ideas. So it was a true pleasure to interview Matthew and discover his music!
++ Hi Matthew! Thanks so much for being up for this interview! How are you? Quite the surprise that you were behind this project. How long have you been making music under this name?
Thanks so much Roque, yes sure thing wow so happy you found the track on Youtube channel. I am well and just can’t believe Spalding’s Grey has been mentioned on your blog and had a link on Twee.net. It looks like I first used this band name on an email in 2021.
++ So we’ve been in touch for many years, and I had no clue you made music. We traded songs and info on bands and so on. Do tell me how did you get into indiepop?
Yes I have been a long time fan of Cloudberry from very beginning and remember trying to get the 3″ cdrs before they sold out – which was fast- there are still a few I missed out on… so much good stuff!! It has been really cool speaking with you through the years and trading files and cdrs. I still have 3 cdrs you made me with 1 being unreleased Cloudberry demos, which to this day have not shared with anyone, honest lol…. I would say the first true indiepop experience I had was in ’92. Before then, I had records on Creation and the Stone Roses album, but was not as enamored as I would be once I heard Sarah records and The Field Mice… that was life changing. I had a tape that I had recorded songs on from the college radio station, and I was going to tape over it. Before I was going to tape over it, I gave it one last listen and heard something that was one of those times when your like oh man what is this … Five Moments.
++ Let’s go further back in time. What are your first music memories? Do you remember what your first instrument was? How did you learn to play it? What sort of music did you listen to at home while growing up?
My Dad was in the navy and bought me a mini Casio keyboard in Japan when I was five. I learned how to play the entertainer, when someone showed me how at one of those old piano stores in the mall. Later I learned trumpet in middle school band and wish more than anything I kept playing it, but quit band to spend more time breakdancing with friends.. For my 16 birthday , my dad bought me an acoustic guitar and later gave me his banjo. When I was young I could hear the mystery in Fleetwood Mac and then the Pretenders were the first group I really heard with jangly guitars , still one of all time favorites.
++ Had you been in other bands before Spalding’s Grey?
Yes, my friend Ben and I had a group call Harbour Landing in early 2000s , recorded on Tascam 4 track. Ben then moved to west coast and kept trying to play my own music under the name Despressing Diary and then changed name again to Eckardt.
++ And what made you play solo, have you considered having a full band?
My buddy Ben has always been part of the group through his feedback. My wife Lisa will occasionally sing on some the tracks also. It would be awesome make proper band and change name to the Hopsacks one day !
++ Where are you from originally? I remember you were in Georgia, but now you are in North Carolina?
I am originally from Riverside, CA, grew up in Northern Virginia , and moved to GA in 91. After living in Atlanta area , we moved to Greenville SC and then finally to Wake Forest , NC. Greenville is an awesome place, but just didn’t belong there.
++ How is your town indiepop-wise? Are there any bands that you liked? Were there any good record stores?
The Connells are based around the Wake Forest area – Boylan heights is a road close to here – they are classic indiepop in my opinion ! It is also close to Merge records who I don’t know but saw Superchunk at 9:30 club in ‘92. I have been to a few good record stores in NC, but not as awesome as Atlanta and Athens GA shops. Wax n facts and Criminal records in Atlanta are where I found my first Sarah records.
++ What instruments do you play in the band?
I have a Fender strat , Akai mini midi, Zoom R-24 interface, and Logic Pro.
++ How is the creative process for you? Where do you usually practice?
I tend to go with New Orders process – jam a bit with some improvisation and then pick out best parts to format a song with… also just try to place same chords as Brighter , Field mice, and Another sunny day as often as possible! It is really the best to just let whatever flow and not try at all. I also like Jen Lekman’s concept of recording 100 songs, and if one is good, it is all worth it… must trust the process. All recordings are bedroom , either onto Zoom R24 or Mac Logic Pro.
++ What about influences?
Sarah Records and Television Personalities
++ What’s the story behind the band’s name?
I always like band name that implied feeling blue … like Ocean blue , Blueboy , Sunny gets Blue , and thought hey what about feeling Grey. I also really love the band Veronica Lake and seemed like a good way to use a person’s name for a band.
++ Are you a fan of the actor Spalding Rockwell Gray? Do you have a favourite movie perhaps?
Yes ! A long time ago a roommate and I rented a Spalding Gray movie and just loved it , and thought it was hilarious. I can’t find the name of it now , but he was moving to a new house and was dealing with all this funny contractor stuff
++From what I understand you have made quite a few songs, bu you upload them to Youtube, and then some time later you delete them. Why is that? Why not keep them online?!
I have a YouTube channel under an old employee ID 1832498 and have posted rare c86 indiepop stuff there from obscure bands like June Evenings , Lollypops, August Spies , etc. but would only keep tracks online for short time. I guess one of my favorite things about music is how fleeting the whole thing can be. Like those sold out Cloudberry releases .. so amazing and now unavailable! Such a beautiful song , but not easy to ever hear it … that longing for sold out releases and how awesome it is to eventually hear it one day. I got into that habit of deleted most of the songs I would post, to not have everything in the world online. I also like checking out bands that don’t already have 10 albums worth of songs … I like to have just a few good songs here and there for that reason.
++ How many songs would you say you have recorded?
Around 1,000
++ Is there a list of songs you have recorded that you could share? And which is the oldest one, when did you start making these songs?
These 1000 songs started around 2021. There was a first digital EP called “Demos that suck and no one will listen to in a million years “ . This EP has a song called Pine Circle , which is still one of my all time favorites. I don’t have a list , but a lot of the deleted videos are still on my phone . I will put some back on YouTube if you can be so kind to please check them out … I will leave them online and not remove them this time lol
++ Have you thought releasing them in any format? If you could choose a format, what would it be?
It would be awesome to do a cdr like those 2000s Swedish cdrs that would only play a few times and then not be readable by cd player a month later.
++ Has there been any interest from labels at any point?
Not really , but that is fine
++ You know I was very confused by the sound of the band, to me it sounded 80s, early 90s. Quite surprised that it is current. Why did you choose to make music with this sound? Was it challenging? Or it came naturally?
I mostly listen to old stuff and use vintage drum machine sounds … the most challenging is EQ and mixing usually sounds terrible. I keep trying to improve that , thus all the songs that get deleted because the sound is very amateurish. The songs I try to play are just a rip off of Brighter… I love their songs so much and just want to hear more. I hope to one day do a song that is close to that. Like Frank Zappa , just have to pick up the guitar and do it myself.
++ My favourite song of yours is “100 Years No One Noticed”, wondering if you could tell me what inspired this song? What’s the story behind it?
Thanks so much for liking this song !!!! You have the best taste in jangly stuff , so I could not be more happy that it is your favorite. I just happened across that song title when looking at Hit Parade In Gunnersberry Park on google. I am always trying to find a song title besides “baby come back” type of things. I recorded that song this past Memorial weekend before going out of town. I read a lot of guitar theory books, and was practicing the tone targeting solo technique. It is not always easy to tell if a song is good when you first record it , most the time not so good when I listen to a track a week later … but could tell I liked that one and so glad you like it too , thanks again seriously could not be more grateful.
++ If you were to choose your favorite Spalding’s Grey song, which one would that be and why?
There is another really old song called Everythings that I put on YouTube and some guy said it was hilariously aweful and to never play it for record executives. I just love the song and will probably always be my favorite for how sincere it is despite actually being aweful.
++ What about gigs? Have you played live at all?
Not yet , would be really cool one day hopefully… would be great to be opening act and play for just a few people that showed up early.
++ And has there been any attention from the press online? Or was my blog post the first one?
You are the very first !!
++ And aside from music, what other hobbies do you have?
Cats , cooking , reading, and am a tv junkie big time … and sleeping!
++ Was once in North Carolina, in Charlotte, but I want to ask someone that lives there. What do you suggest checking out in your town, like what are the sights one shouldn’t miss? Or the traditional food or drinks that you love that I should try?
It is funny but do know know the area I live very well. We lived in Greenville SC for a few years and figured out everything there, it is a really beautiful place. But when we moved to NC was just kind happy to stay home and walk around the lake across the street. Also after working in downtown Atlanta for 20 years, I am content to stay home. If you are ever in Atlanta, Alibaba’s is best falafel ever !!
++ Anything else you’d like to add?
Just a huge thanks to you and Clouldberry records, so much good stuff and don’t even get me started on the Cake Kitchen releases. Thanks so much for all the great releases and files we have shared!!
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