With his long awaited new album NightWalk out on Monday, November 3rd, we caught up with Melbourne’s Matt Walters to talk about the long road to releasing the record, his past year of travelling across North America – including a recent CMJ debut – and much more. Oh and we ask him about pizza, too. Don’t miss Matt when he supports Tori Amos around the country!
When we sat down in Toronto in May, you were in the mixing process for NightWalk and we heard the title track not long after! How does it feel to finally be getting the record out into the world?
It feels really incredible – a massive weight off my shoulders. For over a year I was living and breathing the NightWalk album. I would go to work during the day and then into the studio most nights and it really took its toll! It was such a great time though – as soon as we were done – Dave (my co-producer) and I were really depressed! Post record depression is very common. Making a record, especially when you’re co-producing, is a most exhausting and exhilarating process. My first album Farewell Youth was done mostly live – so before I knew it we were done! Although NightWalk sounds live – it was really pieced together far more gradually. And now I’m excited to get it to fans – they inspired me to make this record, and they helped to fund it, so its for them.
You performed at CMJ recently, no doubt making up your sets with the new material – how did the festival treat you and how are the new songs shaping up live (…you’ve been playing some of them live for a while now though haven’t you?)
CMJ was awesome. We had a really productive and fun time. I wrote the bulk of this record back in 2011! It seems like such a long time ago. I write very slowly. On a good year I might get 10 songs that I like. I honestly don’t know if a song is going to work until I try it out live. So back in December 2011 I played this little dive bar near my house a few times a week and just tried out all the stuff I had written. And it’s a funny process – I remember being really in love with one song – thinking it was really poetic and cool – and just feeling the room disconnect with the show every time I played it. I listen back now and understand why – I was trying to be something I wasn’t…The songs that connect are the ones you really meant – the ones that hurt even – no surprises there. Still, I like to play them live before I pick them to be on an album. It’s that old rule: If they work on just an acoustic guitar – they’ll work any way you choose to present them.
When we spoke about the recording of NightWalk, you talked about how you took your time to experiment more, “going down a lot of rabbit holes”… do you feel that this is reflected in the final release?
That’s a good question. Making records can be a very insular process – I mean, I just listened to my own music for a year while we were making this record. So in my mind – I often thought – “This is quite different to what I’ve done before!” But I’m not reinventing the wheel sonically – that’s very clear. I played it to a friend recently and he said, “It just sounds like you.” That’s a massive compliment more than anything else. Getting it to sound like me – without the production getting in the way – is an enormous challenge. So, you know – it’s all about perspective. One person’s sonic innovation is anothers sonic banality. There are moments on the record that reflect me going out on a limb and trying new stuff – like You Were A Ghost and Angel Hair. We really took the time to see ideas through. There was one song that we produced fully with all sorts of instrumentation, only to realise that the acoustic version was much stronger, potent way to present the song.
When it comes to the experimentation, are there particular moments on the album you can single out and say “I’m glad we spent the time to do that…”
I would say Angel Hair – which is probably my favourite song on the album. We just couldn’t find a way to make this song engaging with production and still stay true to the acoustic version of the song. We knew it needed something extra – it had to push the envelope just a little. The breakthrough came when we put on Beck’s Seachange record and realised that any sonic experimentation had to compliment the vocals. The most important thing is always the vocal – you can tell if there’s something really going on if the vocal has that thing you know? Anyway, we found these weird piano parts that our keys player had put down months before – and decided to reverse them and place them in the song. It actually sounded really bad at the beginning and it took hours and hours to find the right notes for the right moments. Dave (my co-producer) just stuck at it for a long time – I think it took a few days in the end – but we had this vision for it as a sort of call and response for the main vocal. It just sounds so perfect now and I’m so glad we stuck it out.
You also talked about your desire to tour with a band – is this coming together?
I’m ready to tour with a band! It’s just really a financial thing. If I take a band on the road now, I’ll most certainly lose money – and that’s before I pay anyone! So at the moment, it makes a lot of sense to tour solo acoustic or as a duo. The second it’s possible, I will be on the road with a band. We are talking about doing some headline shows next year and hopefully we can bring out a band and play the record in its fullest expression.
Looking back at CMW, and all your touring around that time, I remember you were hoping to get help to release the record in the US and around the world – it seems like this was achieved? How important are those showcase shows, ultimately, in getting your music heard in the right ears?
It’s hard to know how important industry showcases can be. I’ve played all sorts of them, some have been amazing (like last week at CMJ in New York). I’ve also played a few and thought, “What’s the point?” At this stage, my manager (based in the US) and I have decided to release the record independently and engage some good 3rd party PR / Radio people to help us get the record out there. It’s a route that a lot of artists are opting to take these days given the landscape of the industry. I released my debut album on a major label back in 2011 and I was a bit disillusioned after that experience, so it’s a great feeling to put this album out on my own terms. This may sound silly – but being able to pick the cover of your record without meeting a wave of resistance from a team of people working at a record company feels like such a luxury. Every step of the way with NightWalk I’ve been able to say “This is what I want. This is how I want to do it.”
It’s also the opportunities around a festivals like CMJ that sometimes end up being the most beneficial – we were lucky that SiriusXM radio in the U.S. liked the album and invited me in-studio to record some tracks while I was in New York. That wouldn’t have been possible if we hadn’t been promoting the album and showcasing in New York at the same time, and SiriusXM has over 26 million subscribers across the U.S. and Canada, so that’s a huge win, especially as an independent artist. I’m also lucky to have the support of organisations like Sounds Australia, who invited me to perform at their Sound Gallery showcase during CMJ. This year there were a record number of Australian artists at CMJ, so it was a competitive slot, and its great to be a part of that community.
Talk us through what’s coming up next for you after the release of the album… what are tour plans?
I’m going to be doing a few great support shows until the end of the year. In November I’m opening for Tori Amos on her Australian tour. We’re looking at a headline Australian tour in 2015. I’ll return to the US in next year too for my first headline tour.
I notice one of your songs is called “Melbourne Goodbye” – I’m not sure if we should take any hints there aha. Screw you guys, I’m never coming home!
Haha! Well it was that kind of song. I wrote it in 2011 just before I went overseas. At the time, things weren’t really going my way. My relationships were falling apart, so was my career – I was broke and sleeping on my parents couch! I thought – “F*&# this! I’m outta here!” Of course, it wasn’t Melbourne’s fault. I love Melbourne! It’s my favourite city in the world and coming home after visiting other countries is always a beautiful feeling. The trip was really important for getting some perspective on my life and making some positive changes. We’re all homing pigeons. I love the way the final song came up on the record. I was really lucky that Serena Ryder (A very famous Canadian) was able to sing on it with me. We’ve actually never met! She sent me an email a few months ago and said that she was a fan of my first album, Farewell Youth, and wanted to sing together on something. I sent her this song and she was like “Yes! I want to do this one!” And she really nailed it! I hope we can meet in person one day.
Best Pizza in New York?
I don’t know if it’s the best – but Artichoke Basille’s pizza (I went to the one in the West Village) is an experience no one should miss out on.
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NightWalk is out on Monday. Pre-order now and immediately receive the fourth track on the album “Hard Luck (New York City, 1918)”: goo.gl/UMKYdj
Don’t miss Matt Walters when he supports Tori Amos in Australia next month:
Saturday 15 November – Melbourne, Palais Theatre
Sunday 16 November – Adelaide, Her Majesty’s Theatre
Tuesday 18 November – Perth, Riverside Theatre
Thursday 20 November – Sydney, Recital Hall
Friday 21 November – Brisbane, QPAC Concert Hall
