MATTHEW RYAN is a young American singer/songwriter, coming from Pennsylvania but now working and recording down in Nashville. He's been supporting Jeff Klein on his recent UK tour, and was involved in the production of Jeff's latest album - "Everybody Loves A Winner."
Just before the Jeff Klein gig in Leeds, I got chance to catch up with Matthew Ryan and ask him a few questions about his music, life on the road and producing Jeff's latest album.
W&H. Is this your first time in the UK?
MR. I did play one show in London 5 years ago. so this is my first proper run.
W&H. How have you found it?
MR. It's wonderful! Man, I mean.. beautiful architecture, nice people, the audiences have been kind, beautiful weather!
W&H. It's not been quite as nice a day as we've had in the past couple of weeks though!
MR. This is what I was looking forward to! It's hotter than hell here! I feel like we're back in New Orleans!
W&H. It's never like this!
MR. Is that right?
W&H. So you've had a generally good reception?
MR. Yeah, so far! I'm sure tonight, since I've just said that, I'll get my ass kicked though!
W&H. Is this your first gig on the tour?
MR. This is the fourth or fifth. We've been to London, Wolverhampton,Manchester... so this will be the fourth, yeah.
W&H. Have you had any time for yourself to check out any gigs or anything?
MR. Not really, unfortunately it's been show, show, show, show and
travelling.
W&H. While I'm new to your music, I was sent through the "Concussion"album - brilliant! I really liked it. I'd was told to expect a country gig. but I couldn't quite see the country connection.I've heard a lot of comparisons with Mellencamp...
MR. I think that's to do with where I live, I have no problem with good Country music, y'know. But I think a lot of times when I hear the word"country" I think of.. I don't know who would want to be associated with it. But anyway, so yeah.. I guess it's American music but I grew up listening to a lot of stuff and a lot of that's in there. It's all based on a lot of American folk music, ultimately Gaelic folk music. All that stuff is connected. So, yeah, I get that. I listen to the Waterboys and the Clash, Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, Tom Waits, a little bit of Springsteen, and in my mid teenage years I went through I guess an art phase, I thought the Jesus and Mary Chain were great, the Psychedelic Furs.
I particularly liked the Furs - "President Gas" and stuff like that. So
yeah, it's odd to me. Mellencamp.. you can't deny a song like "Paper and Fire." It's a great song, but I never really spent much time listening to him.
W&H. How would you describe your sound?
MR. I don't know. I'd like to think my records are like watching a good movie. There's things like character development, and well, just honest and truthful. Resiliant. American!
W&H. You're originally from Pennsylvania and now you're down in Nashville.How did that come about?
MR. I was in school and no longer really wanting to be in school, so for whatever reason I chose to move south. I guess because I've been in the north my whole life and there's a real difference between the states in the north and the south. Like I'm sure there are here.
W&H. Has living in Nashville influenced your music in anyway?
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MR. Oh, it hasn't. I don't circulate in any sort of Nashville songwriter
circles. There's a whole scene there has nothing to do with the
Nashville.. maybe I've misunderstood your question but it really hasn't. I think the growth I've had would have happened anyway.. in Nebraska.Because really it's about reading books, reading poetry, seeing a good movie. Experiencing things. Falling in and out of relationships. The great thing about Nashville is just with so many people, I became good friends with Lucinda (Williams) because we'd be in a bar and we liked each other. Or so many other people like Nanci Griffith, who'd come to a show. Because she'd heard this or that about me. And the next thing you know, I'm at her house, you know what I mean?
I met Mark Knopfler because of the same thing. Knoplfer was hanging out in Nashville quite a bit and I think he still does. And I met him a bunch of times and he's been really encouraging. So it's really fascinating. That'll be the good thing that came from it. Meeting the people you'd admire. But as far as the Nashville
community of songwriters, I don't really get involved.
Steve Earl! thats another one. He kind of took me under his wing for a while. tried to steer me in the right direction. And its good to have mentors.
W&H. You worked with Jeff on his new album, producing it for him in part.
MR. I just felt that when Jeff was making a new record, he needed someone who'd let me do exactly what he wanted and also not to let him get his own way either. There's a fine line that you walk when you record a record. I think the only way it becomes tolerable is if you can tell the truth or not. I think if I had any asset as far as production goes is I know when I'm hearing the truth and I know when I'm not. That probably sounds really.. you know.
W&H. I suppose in that situation it's better to be upfront than..
MR. You know when you hear a record whether someone's trying to yank your chain. It comes across as false or whether it's postured. Some music is postured and that's what makes it good. Like clearly Iggy Pop or the latest version with The Strokes is postured but it's supposed to be. And then that's telling the truth too. Because then it's about bravado. But there's a lot of different layers to that.
W&H. Has working with Jeff affected your song writing or production in anyway?
MR. Well, yeah. Jeff is an open wound. Where as I tend to be more
protective of my point of view, Jeff really is a little more aggressive
with his point of view. So I would say I always admire anybody who's helpless to their own thing. I don't mean that as in a junkyard or anything like that but as far as art goes you've got to be helpless to it.
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