Post by George on May 2, 2023 2:26:52 GMT -5
New album is on its way:
Songwriter Mat Kearney celebrates 20 years writing and performing songs
Scott Iwasaki
Mar 3, 2023
Singer-songwriter Mat Kearney looks back at his 20 years of recording music and touring and laughs, because he can’t believe how fast time has flown by.
“I started when I was 8 and now I’m 28 and it’s great,” the 44-year-old said. “No. Really. Every day I get to do this, I feel very lucky. I still pinch myself when I think this has led me on this wild journey.”
Kearney, known for mixing an array of musical styles including folk and hip-hop into his compositions, will share his good fortune with a lucky Park City audience during an acoustic performance on Saturday, March 4, at the O.P. Rockwell Cocktail Lounge & Music Hall, 268 Main St.
Kearney said performing without a full band opens things up for some special moments.
“The common thread of my songs is about stepping into the unknown and taking risks…” Mat Kearney, singer and songwriter
“Sometimes when the set list isn’t as pinned down, I’ll follow the vibe and see what happens,” he said. “One of my favorite things I get to do is play stripped-down sets.”
For this tour, the songwriter is performing with a percussionist, which he says adds balance to the night.
“So, when you want to step on the gas a little more, you have some rhythm to lean on, but you can also come down to some real intimate moments,” he said.
Those moments have a different way of highlighting Kearney’s songwriting craft, which he started as an English major at California State University, Chico, in the 1990s.
“I was this guy who really loved pouring his heart out into songs,” he said.
Kearney released “Revive Us,” his debut extended-play in 2002. And since then, he’s released eight other EPs and seven full-length albums, including his most recent, 2021’s “January Flower.”
“Every record seems to come from a different place and season of life,” he said about the songwriting process. “When I’m doing my job right, the music is a mirror of my life, the people around me and my community. The music hopefully becomes an expression of that.”
Still, Kearney says recurring themes weave their way into his lyrics.
“They go back to ‘Nothing Left to Lose,’ my first big song, which is about jumping in a car, leaving Chico and heading to Nashville to chase a dream,” he said. “The common thread of my songs is about stepping into the unknown and taking risks. There’s a beauty of not knowing what is ahead. It’s about having eyes set on the horizon where anything is possible.”
Kearney is currently deep into writing another record.
“I’m probably like seven months pregnant with a new album,” he said, laughing. “We don’t know the name or the hair color, but it’s getting close.”
Like Kearny’s others, the new record is a snapshot of the culmination of his experiences with collaborations or his own experimentation.
“Both of those things are essential to what I do,” he said. “Sometimes you will do things when you’re alone that you won’t do by committee. Other times when you’re working with another songwriter, you may do something that seems very normal, and they may want something more universal. Sometimes that’s good, but sometimes that waters down a unique perspective.”
Through it all, however, Kearney knows he has to rely on his own instincts.
“The longer you do this, you tend to develop this body of work that you are tempted to compare things with,” he said. “The challenge is emptying yourself, silencing the critic and not comparing things you’re doing now with anything you’ve already done.”
Doing these steps has helped Kearney develop his songwriting skills.
“The craftsmanship of writing has been a real journey that I never saw coming, and I don’t feel as stuck as I used to where I was just waiting for inspiration,” he said. “Somedays I just show up in my studio and all of sudden I stumble upon one of the best songs I’ve ever written.”
Kearney has an idea of when a song is nearing completion.
“When you’re excited to play something for your friends or you’re proud of every moment in a song, that generally is a good sign,” he said. “But there are still times where you go, ‘This is as good as I can get, and I did my best.’ It may not be perfect, but I still like it, and I think the world needs to hear it. One thing I’m learning is that if I don’t love or like it, what’s the point?”
As an artist it is important to evolve and not find yourself complacent, Kearney said.
“Playing with genre and new frontiers is what gets me out of bed in the morning,” he said. “I mean, it’s always great to see my heroes like Paul Simon continue to try on new things and evolve. And that’s what I want to do.”
Not only is Kearney looking forward to playing music in Park City, but he’s also looking forward to hitting the slopes and taking advantage of the newfallen snow.
“I grew up skiing in Oregon, but we didn’t have powder days like you do,” he said. “I’m really excited.”
Scott Iwasaki
Mar 3, 2023
Singer-songwriter Mat Kearney looks back at his 20 years of recording music and touring and laughs, because he can’t believe how fast time has flown by.
“I started when I was 8 and now I’m 28 and it’s great,” the 44-year-old said. “No. Really. Every day I get to do this, I feel very lucky. I still pinch myself when I think this has led me on this wild journey.”
Kearney, known for mixing an array of musical styles including folk and hip-hop into his compositions, will share his good fortune with a lucky Park City audience during an acoustic performance on Saturday, March 4, at the O.P. Rockwell Cocktail Lounge & Music Hall, 268 Main St.
Kearney said performing without a full band opens things up for some special moments.
“The common thread of my songs is about stepping into the unknown and taking risks…” Mat Kearney, singer and songwriter
“Sometimes when the set list isn’t as pinned down, I’ll follow the vibe and see what happens,” he said. “One of my favorite things I get to do is play stripped-down sets.”
For this tour, the songwriter is performing with a percussionist, which he says adds balance to the night.
“So, when you want to step on the gas a little more, you have some rhythm to lean on, but you can also come down to some real intimate moments,” he said.
Those moments have a different way of highlighting Kearney’s songwriting craft, which he started as an English major at California State University, Chico, in the 1990s.
“I was this guy who really loved pouring his heart out into songs,” he said.
Kearney released “Revive Us,” his debut extended-play in 2002. And since then, he’s released eight other EPs and seven full-length albums, including his most recent, 2021’s “January Flower.”
“Every record seems to come from a different place and season of life,” he said about the songwriting process. “When I’m doing my job right, the music is a mirror of my life, the people around me and my community. The music hopefully becomes an expression of that.”
Still, Kearney says recurring themes weave their way into his lyrics.
“They go back to ‘Nothing Left to Lose,’ my first big song, which is about jumping in a car, leaving Chico and heading to Nashville to chase a dream,” he said. “The common thread of my songs is about stepping into the unknown and taking risks. There’s a beauty of not knowing what is ahead. It’s about having eyes set on the horizon where anything is possible.”
Kearney is currently deep into writing another record.
“I’m probably like seven months pregnant with a new album,” he said, laughing. “We don’t know the name or the hair color, but it’s getting close.”
Like Kearny’s others, the new record is a snapshot of the culmination of his experiences with collaborations or his own experimentation.
“Both of those things are essential to what I do,” he said. “Sometimes you will do things when you’re alone that you won’t do by committee. Other times when you’re working with another songwriter, you may do something that seems very normal, and they may want something more universal. Sometimes that’s good, but sometimes that waters down a unique perspective.”
Through it all, however, Kearney knows he has to rely on his own instincts.
“The longer you do this, you tend to develop this body of work that you are tempted to compare things with,” he said. “The challenge is emptying yourself, silencing the critic and not comparing things you’re doing now with anything you’ve already done.”
Doing these steps has helped Kearney develop his songwriting skills.
“The craftsmanship of writing has been a real journey that I never saw coming, and I don’t feel as stuck as I used to where I was just waiting for inspiration,” he said. “Somedays I just show up in my studio and all of sudden I stumble upon one of the best songs I’ve ever written.”
Kearney has an idea of when a song is nearing completion.
“When you’re excited to play something for your friends or you’re proud of every moment in a song, that generally is a good sign,” he said. “But there are still times where you go, ‘This is as good as I can get, and I did my best.’ It may not be perfect, but I still like it, and I think the world needs to hear it. One thing I’m learning is that if I don’t love or like it, what’s the point?”
As an artist it is important to evolve and not find yourself complacent, Kearney said.
“Playing with genre and new frontiers is what gets me out of bed in the morning,” he said. “I mean, it’s always great to see my heroes like Paul Simon continue to try on new things and evolve. And that’s what I want to do.”
Not only is Kearney looking forward to playing music in Park City, but he’s also looking forward to hitting the slopes and taking advantage of the newfallen snow.
“I grew up skiing in Oregon, but we didn’t have powder days like you do,” he said. “I’m really excited.”
