mattstoicsteady

Published on 7 May 2016 at 20:44

socials:

https://www.facebook.com/MattSteadyMusic/

Introduction:

Singer/songwriter Matt Steady of Leicester, England, chooses to identify his sound with folk, reflected in his intimate live performances, but his recordings draw from a much broader palette of musical genres. Having been classically trained in piano, violin and musical theory, Steady’s growing frustration with the “notes on the page” philosophy eventually led to him picking up a guitar, emulating blues legends by ear instead. After years of performing what he describes as “extra-ordinary covers”, he has clearly experienced enough joy and heartache to allow him to write genuine and honest, non-trivial lyrics. He has an album’s worth of material to get off his chest! Steady’s grizzled appearance aptly matches his musical style and tone. His voice is rugged and raspy, in sharp contrast to the fragile lyrics and delicate instrumental arrangements. Steady’s debut full-length album, “Blood is Thicker than Gold” was written, performed and produced himself, aided by Swedish drummer Niklas J. Blixt and the occasional appearance of other top-notch musicians. He draws on a wide range of musical genres from blistering electric blues to agonising acoustic singer-songwriter tracks, from beautiful and expansive Celtic landscapes, back to traditional folk. Every track is unique, with a different style, yet the album easily flows from one medium to another with a sense of shape and purpose. The end of the album leaves the listener breathless, anticipating only the pressing of the repeat button

I was brought up singing and playing classical music (violin and piano) from a very early age, so music has always been a big part of my life. I eventually discovered the blues and taught myself guitar, copying Clapton, SRV, BB King etc. Later on in my 20s I was so inspired by the incredible acoustic performances of Damien Rice and Martyn Joseph that I started playing small acoustic gigs in pubs and bars – and that’s where my love of performing live came from. Standing in front of a crowd of strangers is a very different thing from playing as part of an orchestra! There’s absolutely nowhere to hide.

Recording-wise I started in my late 30s. One of my musical heroes, Jeff Black, had asked in one of his newsletters for people to record some covers of his music to put on his website for an event. I really fancied trying this, so basically worked most of the way through the night for a couple of weeks after getting home from work to get a couple of tunes done in time. They turned out much better than I had expected, and Jeff was very complimentary. Very inspiring! In fact it was so inspiring that I started writing my own songs and recording them. I fell in love with this process and it’s blossomed into something quite unexpected – I found I was writing and recording material that was good enough that it demanded to be put on an album. So yes – it’s never too late!

Website, videos and more.

http://mattsteady.com/

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