Matthew Silberman a
Brooklyn based artist stands out in the world of jazz music. From the jazz
quintet comprised of Silberman, Ryan Ferreira (guitarist), Greg Ruggiero
(guitarist), Chris Tordini (bassist), and Tommy Crane (drummer). A quintet that
is not typical for the jazz genre but nor is Matthew and his music where it is
very forward thinking of a very progressive jazz sound infused with rock.
Matthew has had a very eclectic musical career joining at separate points a
hip-hop, rock, and country-rock bands where he brings all of those influences
to his own masterpieces of original compositions and live performances. His brand new album which is his also his
debut album is available now entitled; “Questionable
Creatures” (released on DeSoto Sound Factory).
Matthew also manages,
owns, and founded DeSoto with DeSoto Sound Factory and DeSoto Picture Company’s
being divisions. The companies themselves deal in the music industry along with
music videos and photography.
Column Written By: Mason Williams
Matt, let me
first mention it is a true pleasure for you to take time out of your busy
recording sessions and projects to do this interview.
Your first debut
album; “Questionable Creatures” is a great album, what an introduction! Please
tell us the journey it was on deciding the conception of this album, the songs
chosen, cover art etc.?
Thank you Mason! Much appreciated. The album is sort of a culmination of my life
up to that point. I think every album is
in a sense, but especially your first one.
At the same time, I chose songs to record that felt current, and
inspired me. I didn’t want to record
anything that didn’t feel real, didn’t make me excited to play it. So all those songs were the ones of mine that
were really speaking to me.
It was also about telling a story with the album as
a whole. I chose songs that I felt would
connect together in a way that it took the listener on a journey. I want all my albums to lead the listener
into different worlds, different feelings, different experiences. I like that the album does that. You go from this deep groove on “Ghost of the
Praire” to a quirky march inspired by ‘Amelie’ on “Questionable Creatures
(Writing on the Walls)” to a dream world on “Dream Machine,” etc.
The cover art started with conversations between Sandra
Reichl and I. Sandra is the
artist/designer who did all the album art, my personal website and logos, and
the DeSoto website/identity. She asked
me about what kinds of things I was thinking about from the music, what the
songs were about, etc., and what artists I liked. Knowing that I’m a huge Dali fan, she had the
idea of representing me as this Dali-like deconstruction of a nose and a hat.
We met up a couple of other times to expand on it,
and thought up different representations of the pieces on the album in the form
of different characters or icons that you can see in the album artwork (all of
which are on the poster insert that comes with the CD).
I love that you
are a singer/songwriter and all songs are originals which take that much longer
to bring together songs that you truly want to bring to the world and will be a
good musical journey together on one album, what message(s) and musical journey
did you set-out to do with your current album?
I wouldn’t call myself a singer/songwriter. I sing some, but not on this album, and not
lead, and although I’ll reference music I write as ‘songs,’ often for
easiness-sake, they don’t necessarily fit into any kind of song-like
structure.
That said, on the album, I don’t really have a
message per se, as much as I want to inspire listeners and take them on a
trip. I want them to feel something, and
gain maybe some kind of insight or awareness into themselves and/or the
music. To me, the music that always
spoke to me the deepest was music that made me feel something profound and
experience things newly. So I guess I’m
just trying to give people the same feelings and experiences that I’ve had as a
listener.
Walk us through
the process for you when getting into “the writing zone” for songwriting?
I don’t really have a specific process for
writing. Maybe that is my process, I
don’t know. As long as the music that’s
being made feels fresh, personal, and is inspiring me, it doesn’t matter how I
come up with it. Some of the pieces on
the album were written very quickly.
“Mrs. Heimoff” I wrote in maybe an hour, after thinking of this woman I
used to sit next to in synagogue when I was a child, and the opening melody
popped into my head. Then I sat down at
the piano and wrote out that song.
“Questionable Creatures (Writing on the Walls)” happened similarly. “Dream Machine” I wrote after getting home from
seeing a Brion Gysin exhibit at the New Museum on Bowery, and I thought “what
if I take his [and William S. Burroughs] idea of the cut up and apply it to
music?” I wrote 3 or 4 of them, but
“Dream Machine” is still the one I like best.
Or sometimes I just sit down at the piano and start to play around, and
if something hits me then I’ll develop it into something. That’s what I’m doing now more with Pro Tools
and Ableton Live as well.
Do you have one
special song on your debut album that for whatever reason speaks to you and
your core the most?
I don’t have one specific song on the album like best,
no. I like them all, some for different
reasons.
From the vast
background which is very eclectic from joining bands that are rock, hip-hop,
and country-rock, what did you take away from those experiences to bring you
today where you are as an artist?
Playing with bands of different genres and styles I
think really helped open up my mind and artistic palette. Going to jazz school sometimes your musical
world and opinions on music can become very small, very narrow. The only thing that matters sometimes is
“learning how to play,” instead of necessarily making great music. It becomes often more about virtuosity and playing
your instrument well in a way that gains the approval of your peers.
For me, playing in many bands from different styles,
I got to learn a lot about making choices that were purely musical, not about
showing off. I realized much more that
just because a musician doesn’t have a lot of theoretical knowledge or
technique doesn’t mean they’re not a great musician. At the end of the day, we’re all trying to
get to the same place, to make something great.
How would you
describe Matthew Silberman music?
I have no idea hahahaha. Hopefully just ‘good music’ would suffice.
Your debut album
has been well received, it must be that much more gratifying to see people
enjoying your hard work, what do you think of this and why do you think people
are connecting with you and your music right now?
Thank you.
It’s definitely nice to hear some kind words about the music, and see
that it’s been well received amongst the press and my peers. It feels good to know that people like what
you’re doing. I think people may connect
with my music because I’m trying to make music that’s really honest and
personal. I think the more honest/personal music is, the more universal it is
ultimately, because it’s really just expressing something human that other
people can relate to.
When performing
you have a wonderful quintet you perform with, tell us how they four of you
gentlemen came to know one another and decide to collaborate musically
together?
I
met Tommy Crane and Chris Tordini at the New School. Tommy and I started playing together right
away as we started at the same time, and Chris started a year or two
later. Greg Ruggiero I met through
Tommy; they new each other from when Greg was visiting Tommy’s hometown of St.
Louis. I can’t remember exactly how I met Ryan Ferreira. I saw him play for the first time with Ralph Alessi’s
“Modular Theater” at Tonic, and may have talked to him then, but we lived in
the same neighborhood, so I’d see him waiting for the train, and we talked and
eventually started playing together.
We
played together as a band for the first time in 2007 for a gig at Rockwood
Music Hall. I’d been thinking about
trying something new instrumentation-wise, and Greg and Ryan were (and are) two
of my favorite guitar players. I thought
their styles would mesh well, as they’re so different but complimentary. I also wanted a more open sound, and was
listening to a lot of Blonde Redhead at the time, so the two guitars helped get
closer to that sound. The first gig we
played there was a definite synergy. I
didn’t revisit that until 2011 as I was doing a project with violin and cello
for a while, but when we started playing again there was a magic that was
developing, and fortunately we got to play a bunch of shows before we recorded,
so I think by the recording session our chemistry had really grown into
something special.
What are your
thoughts of the current musical landscape? I truly think we need artists like
yourself and more of you getting your music and messages spread throughout the
globe. It is time for more creative music and not simply tuning into a Top 40
list which in my book has you miss out on some of the best artists and music
right now. Enough of me you tell me your thoughts on this.
We’re
in an unprecedented state of music now because of technology. It’s never been easier to make a record or EP
and put it out by yourself or through an indie label. It’s also never been easier to pirate
music. That’s changed the landscape for
better or worse.
On
the one hand, it’s made music more of a meritocracy. If you’re really good, and your stuff is
available, people can and will discover you.
You don’t have to wait around to get signed by a big label, you don’t
have to be the thing they are looking for.
You can just do what you do, get it out to people reasonably cheaply,
and see what happens.
That
has flooded the market though. There are
so many bands now, that I think listeners can get overwhelmed trying to sort
through it all and keep up. And in a
sense, things haven’t changed that much, because if you’re on a big label with
a big budget, you’re still going to get a lot more money behind you, and
generally more press/listeners/opportunities than someone who’s not. But now the indie people have a chance to be
heard too, where in the past you might not.
And you can have someone like, say, ‘Tyler, The Creator’ rise to the top
by putting his stuff out there, playing shows, and the word spread because
people love his music. Now he’s aligning
with big time distributors to get his stuff out there, but it was all because
the technology allowed him to do what he did without waiting for someone to
give him a deal or studio time.
In
part because of the piracy issue though, a lot of the ‘top 40’ music, or music
that is aimed at that market, has become more and more diluted because the
labels that are putting those types of artists out are more concerned with
profit than music. Not that that hasn’t
always been the case to varying levels, but big labels used to take more
chances, and now they’re more focused on having a safer investment. As a result, you have a lot more imitation
and dilution in the pop sphere.
But
there is a TON of great music coming out, and because of the democratization of
the industry, it’s so easy to find out about great bands. I’ve been super inspired lately listening to
everything from St. Vincent and Buke & Gase to Glass Ghost and Half Waif,
from Flying Lotus and James Blake to Tyler, The Creator and Kendrick
Lamar. I think it’s a great time for
music for the curious/motivated listener.
With your musical
career in high gear right now what is the biggest achievement thus far that you
see that you are arriving into the scene in a bigger way?
Well, it was great to finally put out a record of my
own. I never wanted to rush it, but I
feel like I’ve put something out of value.
And as they often say, the first one is the hardest because it’s sort of
a summary of your life up to that point.
Now I feel a big weight has been lifted in a way, and I’m more free to
do what I want.
Being an
accomplished composer, saxophonist, singer, singer/songwriter, and also
founder/owner of DeSoto Sound Factory/Picture Company; is there an area that
you are still dying to expand and venture into?
I’m not really a singer and not a singer/songwriter,
but am a composer and founder of DeSoto (DeSoto Sound Factory and DeSoto
Picture Company being two of its branches).
One thing I’m getting into is becoming a producer, and exploring my
composition in that way. I’ve built a studio
where I can produce and record my own music, and collaborate with and produce
other artists, so look for a lot of music to start coming out under the DeSoto
name. DeSoto Picture Company is also in
the early stages of pre-production for our first short film, hopefully out
sometime in 2014. We’ll also have more
merchandise available as well, so definitely keep an eye out (everything to be
featured on the website, www.desotoinc.com).
What came first
for your musical career, the composing, playing the saxophone, and or singing?
When did you know that you had a gift in the arts and wanted to venture to all
of these areas?
I was always around music because my mother is an
opera singer and voical teacher, so it was just something that was natural I
guess. But I wouldn’t say I had a ton of
natural talent necessarily, just a love of music. I started with the piano, then the clarinet,
and then the saxophone. When I started
playing the saxophone at age 13, that’s when I really became obsessed and music
became life, not just something that was fun and that was around.
How did the
DeSoto Sound Factory & DeSoto Picture Company come to life?
(It’s DeSoto Picture Company, not DeSoto Pictures.) DeSoto started as a part of a moniker that a
great friend of mine, Mac Robinson (of Fisticuffs Productions), bestowed upon
me. A year or two before producing
“Questionable Creatures,” I’d been thinking about names for a publishing
company, because I wanted to publish my own music and own the masters. The name DeSoto Sound Factory kept coming up
in my head, so I went with that, which also became the name of the record
label. So it’s really become a multi-faceted
branch of DeSoto, a studio, music publisher, and record label.
Then when we were producing the “Ghost of the
Prairie” music video, the director, Taichi Erskine, and I, wanted to have an
official title for the production company, so we came up with DeSoto Picture
Company, which is now the visual side of DeSoto.
I worked with Sandra Reichl, who came up with the
corporate identity, website, and initial merchandise designs, and we officially
launched in August, 2012. It’s been quiet
the last few months as I was building the studio and making more merchandise,
but expect a big push and a lot more coming from DeSoto next year.
What is your
mission and vision with both companies?
Well
it’s actually one company with different branches. The overall mission is to create original,
thought-provoking sounds and images that inspire and affect. We want to move people and raise the
bar. We want to make things that people
love, things that give people something more.
I remember how, especially as a kid, when I went to a movie or a concert
that I really loved, I immediately was thinking how I was going to integrate
what I just saw into my life; I want DeSoto to have that same effect.
I cannot wait to
hear about another album on the way from you and other projects, tell us about
current & up-coming projects that you are working on.
I’m currently starting to work on a solo project
under the DeSoto moniker. Not sure if it
will be a full-length album, I may release a 3 or 4 song EP first. It’s definitely different, not like
“Questionable Creatures” at all. As far
as another ‘jazz’ or saxophone-driven album under my ‘government name,’ I have
a few ideas, but probably won’t be recording for at least a few more
months. Right now I’m focusing on the
DeSoto album/EP.
Do you have some
touring under way, please tell us about where we can find you live and what
should we expect for a live performance from you? Will the entire quintet be
present on the touring as well?
We did an east-coast mini-tour in July, playing NYC
and Boston with Press Play (the band on my album), and played recently in
Brooklyn for James Carney’s Konceptions series and in Manhattan at Bowery Electric. Last week I also played with my
‘film-music’ band, “Cinema Varitek.” Right now I’m taking a break doing gigs as
a leader to focus on recording the DeSoto album.
Is there anyone
that you would love to collaborate with musically (perhaps to either write with,
sing with live or for an album) and why?
There are a ton of people I’d love to collaborate
with, for different reasons. Flying
Lotus, Björk, Blonde Redhead, Jason Moran, St. Vincent, Me’shell Ndegeocello,
Tom Waits, etc. The list is huge. Just so many great artists out there. Flying Lotus has been someone who has changed
the direction I’m going in. Jason Moran
has been one of my favorite contemporary jazz artists, and an inspiration with
how he thinks of new ideas, new ways to express the idiom in different ways,
and in tandem with other mediums. He
always sounds fresh, which is how I hope my own music sounds. Bjork has always just made music regardless
of concern with what genre someone wants to call it. She’s not someone who sees the need to put
herself in any type of box. She’s just
creating, without limitation. Tom Waits
is the same way. There will always be an
infinite list of artists I’d love to collaborate with, but right now I’m
primarily concerned with honing my own voice and creating something new, fresh,
and personal. I feel like the
collaborations will come down the road, and be more fruitful, when I have
developed even more as an artist.
Who inspires you
in both your personal and professional life?
I try to draw inspiration from anything I can. Obviously different musicians, but I draw
inspiration from all the artistic mediums.
I love going to museums, as painters have been a constant source of
ideas and different perspectives.
Basquiat, Dali, Picasso, Miro, and Cy Twombly are some favorites. Film is another big influence. Sports, seeing how athletes move and express
themselves, say Messi or Jordan or Floyd Mayweather for example, as well as
being inspired by how hard they work.
Nature as well: the ocean is my temple.
I don’t really see a distinction between personal
and professional life. Life is
life. So for me inspiration can come at
any time in any form, we just have to be open to it.
Music is a
powerful tool, what does it mean to you as an artist?
Music is life.
I am fortunate to have grown up with it.
It’s just how I am I guess. I’m
always hearing melodies and/or rhythms in my head, always improvising/composing
in a manner of speaking.
One of the things I love about music is the
inspiration it can give people, the power it has. I want to create music that takes people to
different places, places they may not have been before but that they love. I hope what I’m doing can inspire people,
uplift people, give them a feeling of timelessness, infinity. That’s what life really is anyways.
What made you get
into the music industry?
I guess just being a musician and choosing to
dedicate your life to it, one is sort of forced into the music industry part
hahaha. I didn’t really think too much
about the industry aspect initially, I just loved to play and was (and still
am) consumed with a desire to keep growing and improve my musicianship and
creativity. Being in the industry is
just a byproduct of that.
What was your
first gig?
I don’t really remember. I think I was 16 or so, a sophmore in high
school. I’m not sure where or what is
was though.
What was your first milestone as a
musical artist?
Playing at the Hollywood Bowl for
the first time as a sophomore in high school was pretty incredible. My high school band performed as part of the
Playboy Jazz Festival. I also got to
perform there the next two years, as well as the ’99 Monterey Jazz Festival. In terms of an actual artistic
accomplishment, I think the first time I composed something for a recording
session my high school composition class did was really rewarding. We recorded a piece I wrote for septet called
“Eleven-Eleven.”
What is it like getting into the music industry?
Uh…I don’t really know to be
honest. I’ve been in it since I was a
teenager, so essentially half my life or more.
It’s just life I guess, I don’t know,
How do you choose cover tracks to sing?
I don’t really sing, or at least
not lead. But as an instrumentalist, I
choose covers that I think will be adaptable to the sound of my band(s), and
covers that inspire me, that make me want to play them, and sound like
something I wish I’d written.
When people listen to music from Matthew Silberman, what do
you want them to remember about your music?
I hope people hear something
honest, passionate, and personal.
How would you want someone to describe a Matthew Silberman
concert when seeing you live to others?
Hopefully people are moved at the
shows and are excited about what they’ve seen/heard. I don’t really care how they describe it as
long as they’re honest; hopefully they loved what they saw and tell they’re
friends about it.
Is there a dream venue for you to perform at, why?
I’ve always wanted to perform at Carnegie Hall and the Village
Vanguard. We’ll see, hopefully one day
that happens, but where I’m
performing isn’t as important to me as what
I’m performing, and with whom.
