Welcome to yet another stellar edition of Skatronxxx Fresh Music Friday the second last one for 2016, time flies when you’re having fun! This week our FMF featured artist is the incredibly talented and let’s not forget very handsome Matt Steady!
Matt Steady is a name everyone needs to know! Steady a singer-songwriter who hails from Leicester, England, this incredibly talented bloke is classically trained in piano, violin and in music theory however he grew restless and frustrated with the “notes on the page” philosophy which led him to pick up the guitar, emulating the blues legends by ear instead. Steady’s sound has a beautiful blend of rustic, raw, folk and bluesy gritty goodness to it, If you get the chance to hear him play a live show, I am told you will not be disappointed, in his live show’s Steady style draws from his blues and folk tones, however any genre goes when he is in the studio. For years Steady performed what he describes as “extra-ordinary covers“, he has experienced enough joy and heartache in life allowing him to write genuine and honest, non-bullshit lyrics. Steady doesn’t discriminate the genres, drawing from the electric blues to the agonising acoustic singer-songwriter tracks, from beautifully moving Celtic tones and traditional folk. What I love about Steady’s sound, is that every track is uniquely different.
I absolutely love the way he blends the genres and that raspy gritty tone he has, I can guarantee that once you hear his albums, he will have you hook, line and sinker. Currently Steady has two albums the first of which is called ‘Blood Is Thicker Than Gold‘ which was released in September 2015. His second album ‘Feels like coming home‘ was just released this month (Dec 2016) both albums are crackers and would make someone very happy this Christmas. Matt has taken some time out of his busy schedule and answered our Skatronixxx Fresh Music Friday Q&A, check it out below.
Skatronixxx Fresh Music Friday (FMF) Q & A
Presh: When did your love and passion for music start?
Matt Steady: Well I certainly enjoyed music from a very early age – singing and playing violin and piano, choirs and orchestras etc. But love and passion? I don’t think I ever felt that strongly about it until I heard the Beatles when I was about 12 and realised there was a whole world of music out there that I hadn’t experienced. I played the Beatles records over and over again. Then Dire Straits and Clapton. Anything with guitars in! At home, I always had the stereo on, and I had my Walkman with me everywhere else (cassettes of course!). I spent so many hours trying to pick out Clapton licks on my guitar – loved his work in particular.
Presh: If you could only use one word to describe your sound, what would be?
Matt: Roots – Lots of different types of roots mind! Folk, blues, Celtic, gospel, Americana. I love all these different sounds and they all come out when I’m writing and mingle together.
Presh: What has been your most memorable musical moment so far?
Matt: For my fortieth birthday, my wife Abi organised a gig for me. She’d told me she needed me to play a few songs at her school I think, some pretence to make sure I’d practice! Then she drove me to a beautiful venue and it was full to the brim with friends and family, and my daughter and I sang our hearts out for a couple of hours. It was so special seeing the love and enjoyment coming back from everyone. I’ve done many bigger, scarier things, live radio etc., but that has been my favourite so far!
Presh: Being classically trained in both piano and violin and having studied music theory, has that help the songwriting process or has it always come naturally?
Matt: In a way it has. I don’t think about chord progressions, scales, notes, dynamics or any kind of musical theory when I write my songs, but I believe that my background allows me to do all that subconsciously so I can concentrate on the emotional landscape and the lyrics. I also play and record a lot while writing, which I find inspires the songwriting process. Because of my many years playing, I can pretty seamlessly switch between a wide variety of instruments and pick what needs to be played to bring out the themes and the right environment for the song.
Presh: So you released your latest album in Feels Like Coming Home in July of this year, and let me just say, it’s a brilliant album. What is next for you and what can we might we expect in 2017?
Matt: So glad you like it! It’s been the result of an entire year’s worth of evening and weekends working really hard at it. I actually left my full-time job at the end of August, so I did have a couple of months full-time polishing it and getting it absolutely bang on. I was very lucky to be able to do that – I’d saved up enough money to tide me over and people were so very generous in pre-ordering the album and buying other rewards on my PledgeMusic campaign too.
2017 is going to be a massive year. It will determine whether I am a part-time hobbyist or a professional musician. I am pouring all my time and effort into the music and everything else that goes along with it. I believe there are enough people out there who would love my music enough for me to be able to make it pay and let me continue to make this music – the trick is finding them and starting that relationship.
If all goes to plan, I’ll be able to release my music a lot quicker – there’s no reason I should be spending a full year making each album if I’m putting full-time efforts into it! I’ve also very much enjoyed sharing the creative process with all my friends across the world and involving them in it. This is something I’ll be looking to continue. It used to be that the album was the be-all and end-all, but these days sharing every-day events and incidents along the way and being open with your musical life is actually just as important if not more so.
‘Feels like coming home’ is a big step up from the first album ‘Blood is thicker than gold’. My songwriting, production and overall sound are maturing and becoming more cohesive and recognisable. Look out for the next album – it’s going to be another big step forward
A huge shout out to Matt for being a world-class legend and you definitely have a huge fan in me, and I am really looking forward to watching your music evolve and very excited for the next album. Matt Steady is a must have in your playlist, so head over to his website (links below) give him some love and buy his albums and don’t forget to tell him Presh sent you.
LINKS
Presh (@Presh81)
Head Music Writer at Skatronixxx
Indie Music Lover, Aussie, known by my friends as the Human Grumpy Cat (HGC). #Punk4MentalHealth #SaveLiveMusic #Support Indie
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