Exposed Vocals Interviews ‘Squirrels In The Attic’

Exposed Vocals: So tell us your story. Where did you grow up? What made you decide to become an artist?

Squirrels In The Attic: I (David M. Matthews) grew up in Ohio and always dreamed of moving to California and making music.  So I guess being in Los Angeles was kind of inevitable.  I met Marc (Marc Ellis), who grew up on the East Coast and move out here many years ago, on a TV project we were both working on.  We clicked musically, and have been working off and on with each other ever since.

Exposed Vocals: How did you come up with that name? What was your inspiration behind it?

SITA: Where we live, we have a lot of squirrels.  My wife loves to feed them and give them water, which only means now we have a jamboree of every squirrel in the squirrel network that’s heard about the free food and drink served at the Matthews place.  As a result of her fondness for the furry creature, my wife suggested the name, and it stuck.

Exposed Vocals: What do you think about online music sharing? Do you ever give your music away for free? Why?

SITA: Generally we do not give our music away, although we are on most subscription services.  I don’t have a particular problem with sharing, or with people who regularly give their work away.  It’s just that personally, part of being in a band is realizing some income from the endeavor.  You wouldn’t expect your mechanic to work for free.  You wouldn’t expect your airline pilot to work for free.  So why should you expect the people who bring music into your lives to work for free? 

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?

SITA: One of the biggest problems I see with local bands is that they don’t know exactly who they are.  Before you gig, define yourself musically.  That way you can brand yourself and set yourself apart from the herd.

Exposed Vocals: Do you ever make mistakes during performances? How do you handle that?

SITA: Everybody makes mistakes.  I just try to keep a poker face and quickly move on.

Exposed Vocals: Do you tour? Anything interesting happen on tour that you think our readers would enjoy hearing about?

SITA: To date, Squirrels In The Attic hasn’t toured.  But we’re open… if the right situation presents itself.

Exposed Vocals: Where do you usually gather songwriting inspiration? What is your usual songwriting process?

SITA: Truly there is no “usual” when it comes to me and songwriting.  Sometimes I just sit down with the idea of writing a song – and I crank one out.  Sometimes I’m inspired, other times I rely on craftsmanship and technique when inspiration alludes me.  One time I woke up early in the morning with a song in my head that I just had to write down before I forgot it.  And then there are the times when I write lyrics to conform to a pre-existing melody – or conversely, compose a melody for lyrics that have been written by someone else.  I write mostly on guitar, but occasionally have created songs on keyboards – and once on an autoharp!  So, my process could rightly be called erratic and consistently inconsistent. 

Exposed Vocals: Do you have a band website? What online platforms do you use to share your music?

SITA: Our band website is currently under construction.  In the interim, we have a song page: https://squirrelsintheattic.hearnow.com/.  We also have a Facebook presence for our song, “Blow Loud, Blow Hard, Donnie T” https://www.facebook.com/Blow-Hard-Blow-Loud-Donnie-T-260167824352265/?fref=ts&ref=br_tf , along with a video of that song on YouTube: http://bit.ly/BlowHard.  The song is also available for downloading at iTunes, Amazon and CD Baby, as well as other popular online sites, such as Deezer, Tidal, Spotify, Groove, Rumblefish, iHeartRadio, Akazoo, Rhapsody, Google Music, Yandex, Shazam, and Slacker Radio.

Exposed Vocals: What are some really embarrassing songs that we might find on your mp3 player?

SITA: My tastes are very eclectic.  You’ll find Dolly Parton’s, “Here You Come Again,” The Mermaid’s “Popsicles Icicles,” and several Barry Manilow numbers.  Embarrassing?  Yes.  But I still love the songs.

Exposed Vocals: If you were given half a million dollars and a year off, what would you do? How would you spend it?

SITA: I’d take the money, but I wouldn’t take the year off.  I love creating music.  Why would I want a year off from something I love? 

Exposed Vocals: Any planned studio upgrades? What are you working with now?

SITA: We have a pretty state-of-the-art setup (Mac-based), so no planned upgrades at the moment.

Exposed Vocals: How do you find ways to promote your music? What works best for you?

SITA: Most of our promotion and marketing is online through social media.  That has seemed to have the biggest impact so far.

Exposed Vocals: If you could perform anywhere and with any artists (Dead or Alive) where and who would it be with? Why?

SITA: Without hesitation I would say, I’d love to open for The Beatles.  I’m sure the audience would be like, “hurry up and get off the stage.”  But man, to be able to say, “we opened for The Beatles,” would just be the coolest thing ever.

Exposed Vocals: So, what’s next? Any new upcoming projects that you want to talk about?

SITA: We’re working on finishing an upcoming album.  It’s truly a labor of love, and I think it’s going to be a real step forward for us.

Exposed Vocals: If you weren’t making music, what would you be doing?

SITA: Another creative activity.  I absolutely love creating things.  Other than that – sleep.  Sleep is good.

Exposed Vocals: Do you remember buying your first album? Who was it? What was going through your head?

SITA: I can’t remember the first album I bought, but the first album I ever owned was a present from my aunt.  It was a Beatles album.  At the time, I was only vaguely familiar with their music.  But this album just opened my eyes big-time to what they were all about.  It was a revelation!

Exposed Vocals: How do you juggle the rest of your responsibilities while trying to stay ahead in your music life?

SITA: It’s all about prioritizing for me.  Take care of your business then do what makes you happy.  And if you can combine the two – beautiful.

Exposed Vocals: What should fans look forward to in 2016?

SITA: A follow-up single to “Blow Hard, Blow Loud, Donnie T,” to be released sometime in the fall.