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MATT WALKER KIM'S INTERVIEW WITH MATT WALKER |
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The cure for the blues could well be the blues itself if you're listening to one of the rising stars in the Australian music scene, slide guitarist Matt Walker.
Coming a long way since his first stint playing electric guitar in heavy metal band SATAN. It was just a band in high school when I was 13, Walker laughs. We used to write all out own tunes. Trying to remember those concerts in the Year 9 portable, it's a bit hard. My musical tastes changed after a couple of years. One would say a change for the better.
Although Matt plays the acoustic guitar, harmonica, dobro, writes and sings, he is most sought after for the majestic sounds he creates from his lap steel guitar and it's been 10 years in the making. It was actually found on the tip, says Matt. I was doing this gig and this guy I met basically just gave it to me, because I was playing a bit of slide on my acoustic. I didn't even know what a lap steel was. It's just one of those wierd things, he recalls.
Having teamed up with drummer Ashley Davies, the duo has just re-released its 1997 debut album 'I Listen to the Night' through Virgin. A second studio album, 'Soul Witness', has also been released to rave reviews. Both albums are largely Matt and Ashley improvising around a basic melody, so no song is ever the same. Rolling Stone described the music as 'elegant urban blues' and Broderick Smith (The Dingoes), said Where has this guy been all my life? He's incredible. For Walker, Broderick Smith was one of his earliest influences, spending 2 1/2 years touring with his band.
Smith is just one of the collaborations with Walker on 'Soul Witness' with others featuring words by Dave Graney and The Triffids' David McComb. 'Soul Witness' also features the talent of Ken Gormley (The Cruel Sea) on bass and Chris Thompson (The Necks) on piano. We were going to get Kenny and Chris on a couple of songs but once we were in the studio they were eaten into the whole project. It's a really new thing to be playing in a four-piece line-up live and it's like being in a high school band again, Matt says.
Matt recently recorded (he was in the studio as we spoke) with another notable Australian artist, Mick Thomas (Weddings, Parties, Anything) as well as laying down a track of lap steel and slide for Melbourne band EVEN. I know Ash Naylor (Even). We jammed together a bit, done a few gigs. I don't really do that much sort of session things, just seems to be lately. Matt also had the chance to do some freeform jamming with the Gomez lads on The Joint (Foxtel) while on the publicity trail during the tour. It was really fun doing that tour. They've got lots of samplers on stage and I was really intrigued, so they were showing me at sound checks how it all works. So it got me fired up to want to go out and buy some new toys.
- Kim Honan, Oz Music Project |
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