I first came across Matt Creer on ReverbNation. I was super impressed with his songwriting, as well as his beautiful voice. When Cuan and I went to England in 2011, we were privileged to play a house concert with Matt. It was such a memorable evening, and I can’t wait to do another one with him on our next UK visit! If you live in England, make sure you catch Matt performing live sometime (better yet, consider hosting a house concert yourself!). His honest songs and pure, gentle voice will capture your heart!
Name: Matt Creer
Albums to date: Lanterns (2011); Wood and Strings (2012)
Release date of next record: Feels Like Home – Summer 2013
Favourite songwriter: Neil Finn
Instruments: Guitar, drums, trumpet, piano
Describe your music in five words or less:
Heartfelt melodic folk.
How old were you when you first started writing songs?
I was 15 when I wrote my first proper song. It was called “I know” and it was a tale of unrequited love, written about a girl in my GCSE English class. It was a ballad in C major. It wasn’t too bad, as far as lovesick teenage angst goes. One of my teachers, Oliver Gray, who was also a part time DJ and music promoter (now a full time music promoter) sent it to the manager of “The Hollies” (“He Ain’t Heavy, He’s my Brother”, etc.) and they expressed an interest in recording it for an album. However, for whatever reason, that album was never made and they went on tour in the USA instead and released a live album, so my little song was forgotten.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gBNX-2grXl8
(Note from Mali: Have you ever seen such an adorable music video in your life?)
How has your songwriting changed and developed over the years?
My writing has changed a lot! Partly because I went through a 10 year period of not writing anything. Having written as a teenager and into my 20s, I also studied trumpet at the Royal College of Music and having played around London for a while, I decided to get a “proper” job and forgot about music for a while and especially about songwriting. When I found my love for music again in 2010, it was almost like starting from scratch. In terms of my music I’m finding as my guitar technique has improved, so has my writing and in fact I’ve found more recently that my writing is really starting to challenge my guitar playing and is pulling it forwards, which is a nice feeling. When I was younger I wanted to write songs that sounded like the bands and songwriters I most admired. Musically and lyrically my stuff has matured, even since my first album. I always write on the guitar, but stylistically I’ve unintentionally developed a more folky sound. My new album really shows this change. I’ve also stopped writing songs that I think other people will like and stopped worrying about how good they are compared to other songwriters. I’m writing purely for me. I think all songwriters should write for themselves, for our own tastes, our own egos! It’s how you then go about making the public excited about your work in the way that you perform and promote your music that the focus then shifts from being about your own satisfaction to being about other peoples.
What’s the one song you wish you’d written?
Yesterday. It’s perfect, especially the version McCartney does on his own with guitar. (search on YouTube* for the first ever performance of it…makes me tingle!) After finishing it, Paul McCartney was in fact convinced that he’d heard it somewhere before and that he hadn’t really written it himself. It drove him mad for ages as he tried to track the song down. In the end he realised that it really was his own work.
(Note from Mali: Click here to watch the video of Yesterday that Matt is talking about. It’s one of my favourites too!)
Approximately how many songs have you written, in total?
I’d say 60 + but I’ve forgotten a number of them from years back that I never recorded. I’ve written around 40 songs since I started writing again a few years ago, some of those will never see the light of day though. There’s probably another 20 from my previous writing. Writing songs for me is usually a fairly fast process. Once I sit down and start to write, a song will usually be finished in a couple of days.
What’s your favourite of all the songs you’ve written, and why?
My favourite is usually whichever song I’ve just finished writing and just started performing, so at the moment it’s “Islands”, I’m really proud of it both musically and lyrically, I think it’s the most mature song I’ve written to date. It’s also a really nice song to perform.
Which five artists/bands have had the biggest influence on your music?
1. Crowded House and the Finn Brothers. Both Neil and Tim Finn are exceptional songwriters and musicians, with decades of amazing music.
2. Paul McCartney. He was a massive influence on the Finn brothers. Need I say more?
3. Glen Phillips. If you haven’t heard of him, look up his band Toad the Wet Sprocket. He is an amazing songwriter.
4. Garrison Starr. She a friend and a force of nature on stage. I’ve learned more about performing by watching her than I could have ever learned through gig experience alone.
5. Chris T-T. My old school band mate and even older friend. Although we are musically and lyrically very different, Chris has been a massive inspiration to me as a songwriter and as a creative soul. He lives creatively, if that makes sense, everything he does is inventive and creative. It was Chris who unwittingly inspired me to become a full time musician again.
Complete this sentence: Music is… what saves me.
What’s been the most memorable or exciting moment of your music career to date?
I guess most exciting recently was being offered an exclusive publishing deal by a boutique Los Angeles Publisher, who licenses songs to all the top US TV shows, (such as CSI, Dexter, Sons of Anarchy etc.) That was pretty cool! Most memorable moment is singing Lanterns with my friend Katherine Crowe in the Gaiety Theatre Douglas in front of 400 people as part of a show with Beverley Craven. We sing together a lot, but that was a special night with a special lady and I’ll never forget it.
Finally, what advice would you give to any aspiring songwriters/musicians reading this?
I have a list of golden rules for all musicians:
1. The most important rule. DON’T BE A DICK! There are hundreds of musicians who are just as talented, (or more) as you. If they’re also nicer people than you, you’ll never get any work.
2. Surround yourself with musicians who scare you…..creatively and musically. If you work and gig with people who are better instrumentalists, more experienced players, more experienced writers, more accomplished singers and performers, you will “up your game” massively and learn an awful lot about your craft – and make no mistake, performing is a craft.
3. Gig as much as you possibly can, but don’t sell your soul and don’t work for free, unless it’s for charity or it’s going to benefit YOU and your career. If you work for free, you devalue yourself and the rest of us.
4. Don’t expect to make any money touring. You might just break even. (But you’ll have a great time doing it!)
5. Write songs for YOU, not songs that you think your mum will like. Chances are she’ll like them anyway. It’s you! Write songs that you love singing.
6. Read Martha Graham’s quote that starts “There is a vitality, a life force…” Print it off and stick it on your wall in your study/studio/bedroom. Seriously, you’ll thank me for it.
7. Don’t do it for the money. There isn’t any!
8. If music stops being fun, you’re doing it wrong.
9. Embrace social media and engage with your supporters. It’s your best tool for spreading the word. Be friendly and approachable!
10. Be the best DIY musician you can be. Do it all yourself. Think creatively about CDs and other Merch and gigs and tours and venues. Be different! Be fun, be creative! ◙
Keep up to date with Matt at the following places:
Official Website
Twitter
Facebook
Youtube
Bandcamp
iTunes