Exposed Vocals Interviews Matt Steady
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.
Exposed Vocals: So tell us your story. Where did you grow up? What made you decide to become an artist?
Matt:
I’ve lived all over the place! I was born in London, but between the ages of 2 and 6 my parents relocated to Rhodesia. This was during the time of the transition to Zimbabwe, and we headed back in 1980. Since then we’ve lived in Essex, Lancashire and Cheshire, including a stint on a small farm with a herd of cows! I went to University in Leicester (a Masters in physics with space science and technology) and met my wife there (obviously she wasn’t my wife at the time but you get me) and have lived here ever since.
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! First album at the age of 39!
Exposed Vocals: How did you come up with that name? What was your inspiration behind it?
Matt:
It’s not a clever band name – it’s my actual name! There’s not many Steadys about – the oldest ancestor we’ve managed to find was a sailor from Maldon.
Exposed Vocals: What do you think about online music sharing? Do you ever give your music away for free? Why?
Matt:
I love online music sharing. I’ve discovered so much amazing music through Spotify, YouTube, Twitter etc. Almost the entire swathe of modern music is available to listen to within seconds. It’s liberating as an artist. Rather than having to sell my soul to a label in the hope that I could make a record and “make it big”, I was able to write songs and immediately have people all over the world listen to it (albeit small numbers at first) and providing feedback and encouragement. Making any money from it is altogether more tricky thing though!
I have my music streaming on my website and Spotify. I encourage people to listen to it – at the end of the day I want as many people as possible to hear and enjoy it. Why on earth would anyone buy an album they haven’t heard? I certainly wouldn’t! However I do sell downloads and CDs. I personally much prefer CDs – there’s something about holding music in your hands that is important to me, although I recognise an increasing number of people don’t even really understand the concept of ‘album’ anymore and have everything mixed up in playlists.
I actually encourage people who have bought my CD to copy it and give it to a friend. Sounds mad? Well in all honesty the chances of their friend buying the CD was miniscule anyway – why not make a friend and potentially a fan for free? If people fall in love with their music, they’ll probably end up buying a CD or a t-shirt, or attend a gig somewhere down the line. Again it’s all about the relationship with people and doing things that are a win for them and a win for me at the same time.
I also have a bunch of free downloads on my website www.mattsteady.com/free-downloads/ for people who subscribe to my newsletter. This is another win-win for me and for listeners. They get an opportunity to hear my music and find out more about what makes me tick, and in return I get the opportunity to talk to them and share my music with them.
Exposed Vocals: Since everyone was a start-up once, can you give any smaller or local bands or artists looking to get gigs and airplay some tips?
Matt:
The main thing here is making relationships. If you just send a blanket email to 50 radio stations or venues full of you and your music, the vast majority will be deleted without them listening to your music. If you have to do it by email, then research who you are sending it to. Perhaps talk about the bands they’ve had on recently that you liked. Break the ice! Don’t tell them you’re God’s gift (even if you are). Try and solve their problems – for instance one tip for getting a gig at a busy venue is to look through their schedule and find a day where they’ve got a gap – offer to fill the gap. Even if that isn’t convenient, they’ll notice you bothered to look at the schedule and take them into account. Same with radio – research them! Form a relationship with the person you’re emailing. Listen to their show or read their reviews – talk about them or their show before moving on to your own music. Remember you aren’t after one gig or one play on their show. You’re after a lasting relationship. A few stations that absolutely love your music and you as a person is far more valuable than lots of stations that play you once and forget about you.
Exposed Vocals: Where do you usually gather songwriting inspiration? What is your usual songwriting process?
Matt:
It’s generally sparked by something I experience, good or bad, which I then feel I need to express musically (it’s far easier than talking about things for me!). Maybe I’ll read a news article and it will inspire something. Other times it will be based on something a friend is going through. The other way I write is to start with a sound – either an instrument, or waves crashing or wind, and then improvise around it until something shows up. That often produces a really organic kind of song which I love.
Exposed Vocals: Do you have a band website? What online platforms do you use to share your music?
Matt:
My main website is www.mattsteady.com.
I do have a facebook page, www.facebook.com/mattsteadymusic , and am very active on Twitter, www.twitter.com/mattstoicsteady .
www.Soundcloud.com/mattsteady not only has the album on but demos of unreleased songs that may make the next album (due September).
Exposed Vocals: If you were given half a million dollars and a year off, what would you do? How would you spend it?
Matt:
Wow! Firstly pay off the mortgage. I’d be looking at several things. Firstly I’d want to use the money and time to set myself up properly as a full-time musician for the years ahead, and obviously the financial risk of moving full-time would be gone! I’d refresh all my knackered, cronky old equipment and treat my home studio to a makeover with sound-proofing etc. I’d continue to record the album I’m working on currently, but would get some external input on the production and mixing to make it even better. I love recording music with me playing as many of the instruments as possible, but I’d take the opportunity to branch out and record a second album with some awesome musicians for the experience. And after that, get a band together and tour – something I just haven’t got the time to do at the moment.
Is this scenario likely? Do you know something I don’t? J
Exposed Vocals: How do you find ways to promote your music? What works best for you?
Matt:
That’s an interesting question. I’m still very much learning. My marketing so far has been home-grown with a lot of learning on the job. You find out very quickly that releasing an album and hoping people will buy it doesn’t work very well! Again it’s a relationship game. I’ve found a couple of mentors (Carlos Castillo and D. Grant Smtih) who have been amazing in helping me not only with the technical aspects of music marketing, but also what my attitude should be! We English are often not natural salesmen…
Exposed Vocals: So, what’s next? Any new upcoming projects that you want to talk about?
Matt:
I’m eight songs into a new album – and I’m aiming to release it in September again roughly a year after ‘Blood is thicker than gold’. It’s another eclectic mix of rootsy/bluesy music. I’m really very happy with the way the songs are coming out – I’m listening back to some of the demo tracks and I’m loving them!
Exposed Vocals: If you weren’t making music, what would you be doing?
Matt:
I’d probably be sat on my bum in front of the telly wondering what on earth to do with myself! I can’t imagine not making music in some way or other – it’s always been a part of my life.
Exposed Vocals: How do you juggle the rest of your responsibilities while trying to stay ahead in your music life?
Matt:
With great difficulty! I work full-time, have a family and friends and train most evenings (martial arts and powerlifting). You have to prioritise the people in your life, and then work, and then the music. The main thing is that you have be efficient and use your time wisely. Having a home studio helps enormously. If I have 30 minutes downtime between picking the kids up from school and training, I can nip upstairs and get some solid work done.
Exposed Vocals: What should fans look forward to in 2016?
Matt:
The new album (as of yet unnamed!). As I said earlier, it’s coming together really nicely and I think it’s going to be a corker. If I’m lucky, other people will like it as well, but in a way that’s of secondary importance! If I’m pouring my heart and soul into music so that I’m proud of it, then I’m sure my listeners will love it and connect with it too, and that makes it so much more worthwhile!