AUDIO: Q&A w/Billy Matheny (@ the Glass 10.19)
The blog title is correct, Gazz readers. Billy Matheny is coming to the Glass this Friday with his rock band the Frustrations (aka: American Sound Syndicate, or A.S.S.) and Jonestown. They’re from Magic Town, just like Matheny.
You might recognize the name. Billy Matheny. Well, it’s probably ’cause you’ve been checking out the blog for a while and you remember us talking about him coming to Taylor Books (liberal cauldron of literature) for an acoustic set. He’s one of our favorite acts, with his roots rock style. The bee’s knees.
We did a thing to catsup w/Matheny for the Glass show, and here it is in all its correctly-formatted glory… (ED. NOTE: Don’t you mean ‘ketchup?’)
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GAZZ: How have things been with you since we last talked? Still haven’t sold yer guitar obviously.
BM: Things are good. Haven’t sold my guitar and have actually had my eye on a few. I’ve been growing some impressive sideburns (according to me) and playing unimpressive basketball on Sundays (according to everyone else). Just this week, I launched my new website, www.billymathenymusic.com. At long last, we have an official web presence, and in addition to all of the goodies that come with a music website like tour dates, photos, and tour diaries, on November 1st we’re beginning a “download of the month” with unreleased live cuts, album out-takes and 4-track demos. When and if my cooking improves, I may even start posting recipes.
GAZZ: You’re coming to the Glass Friday with Jonestown and your rock band, the Frustrations. Looking forward to it?
BM: I’m really excited for our show on Friday. This will be my first electric show in Charleston in over a year and the Glass is always a blast. For those of you who haven’t caught Jonestown yet, you’re in for a treat. They’re a newer Morgantown group consisting of Evan Jones, Dilip Chandran, Adam Jones (Frustrations drummer) and Kim Monday (part time Frustrations bassist/pianist and full time wizened sage of Morgantown music).
GAZZ: You recently came to Charleston for an acoustic gig @ Taylor Books. Like the place? Check out any books there?
BM: Taylor’s is a great laid-back, intimate place to play. At this most recent gig I picked up John Steinbeck’s Travels With Charley. It’s a great celebration of American eccentricity that makes me feel very patriotic in a non-Lee Greenwood sort of way.
GAZZ: Must be cool to be able to slide between rock band form and acoustic incarnation. Is that even a question?
BM: The transition has always felt very natural because I do the majority of my writing on acoustic guitar. That said, I approach the two formats very differently and the arrangements of some songs can vary drastically. This sort of variety keeps me from feeling too locked in to one style and hopefully keeps the listener entertained.
GAZZ: You do a lot of shows with Todd Burge, how do those go? Are you guys gonna form a band?
BM: All of my idols, ranging from Brian Eno to my father are workaholics, so I love doing sideman work with Todd among many other folks I play with. Todd is the patron saint of West Virginia singer-songwriters and our gigs give me chance to play some instruments like banjo, mandolin, and lap steel that I don’t usually play at my own shows. We don’t have any immediate plans to form a band, but we’ve casually discussed the idea of doing shows with an upright bassist.
GAZZ: Have you already been on his Songwriter Night show? I know you’ve got one coming up in Pittsburgh…
BM: Haley Slagle and I have performed on his burgeoning (Burge/burgeoning, get it? Cue rim shot) Songwriter Night show before. It’s currently being broadcast as a pod cast at www.songwriternight.com and on Parkersburg’s Z106.1 classic rock station. The show coming up on October 24th is particularly exciting simply because this will be my first show at Club Café in Pittsburgh. Club Café is without a doubt my favorite place to see live music in Pittsburgh.
GAZZ: You went to Martinsburg last weekend for a fest? Eventful?
BM: The Frustrations did two shows in Martinsburg last weekend, Friday night at Cookie’s and Saturday afternoon at an all day festival in War Memorial Park. It was nice to play on the bill with our friends in Noetic Pull and The Echo Connects and our friend Mike burned me a CD of some Big Star alternate mixes that I hadn’t heard before.
GAZZ: Did you get to go to the 123 anniversary show up there?
BM: I was performing with Joe Prichard of The Recipe at Hookah in the Hills in Guysville, Ohio so I unfortunately missed both the 123 nine year anniversary and the U92 25th anniversary. Both nights were sellout crowds and everyone I’ve talked to said that the house was brought down at least six times with all the mind-blowing rock going on. I’m always psyched when I see that 63 Eyes are playing. They’re still my favorite West Virginia band ever and since they only do about one show a year, it’s always a big event.
GAZZ: A lot of bands bring politics into their music that is not political at all. Have you thought about endorsing any 2008 candidates or causes at a show?
BM: Great music should tackle the full human experience which includes joy, anger, heartbreak, love, spirituality and, among innumerable other subjects, politics. On a more local level, political songwriting plays a huge part in the long history of West Virginia music in the form of protest and work songs. I mean, the union has always had the best jams. Unfortunately, good political songs are the hardest to write simply because musicians are usually very unqualified to argue about political issues. I’m still struggling to write a political song that isn’t heavy handed. While my music at the moment is largely apolitical, I would love to endorse Barack Obama.
GAZZ: The rockin’ opener on “Born of Frustration” is called “Christless Streets” — sounds like you wrote the new anthem for the ACLU (disclaimer: only a joke; they do good work). But seriously have you been attacked by vast right-wing fringe groups or accused of being an atheist by somebody at a show?
BM: No, but someone’s been calling the apartment and hanging up a lot lately.
“I Won’t Be Around (To Say I Told You So)” off “Born of Frustration” <>
