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11.19.03
After a decade as an indie, Matt Nathanson got
signed by Universal Records. We talked to him about
life with a label, choosing musicians and hisfun-filled
stage antics.
 It
isn't everyday at my 9 to 5 job that the intercom beeps
and the receptionist tells me, "Matt Nathanson on Line
4."
Nevertheless, having this accomplished artist cheer
up my dreary workday was a delight, and it gave me the
opportunity to learn more about this rising star –
and keep all of you updated regarding his career.
Perhaps the biggest news in Nathanson's life
is that he's technically not an "independent"
artist anymore. He's now happier than ever about
getting signed with Universal Records. And so, the story
begins.
Ever since Nathanson was approached by Universal, life
hasn't been the same. Nathanson said he caught
the eye of the company because he fit the profile for
the latest pop music trend – male singer songwriters.
But instead of just picking out any guy with a guitar
in hand, Nathanson said Universal was aware of his strong
independent following and string of indie accomplishments.
"I was a fairly high profile unsigned artist," said
Nathanson, describing his decade of indie work as "taking
the stairs."
 Instead
of managing his own career, he now has "people" to do
that. And although he's got more professional support
than he did in his unsigned past, Nathanson said he
still, for the most part, runs the show. He said he
formed his partnership with Universal that way, so he
would still retain artistic individuality. Because he'd
been managing his career for 10 years, Nathanson said
that he wanted his label to allow him to do the majority
of the decision-making; so he wrote his own marketing
plan.
Nathanson said he is pleased that Universal allowed
him to retain his artistic integrity, while using their
connections to advance his career.
"I feel like we're on the same level,"
said Nathanson of his relationship with the label.
When it came time to create Beneath These Fireworks,
Nathanson had his choice of musicians to play on his
album – which was a dream come true for him. Nathanson
never had enough money or time as an indie to request
musicians and get the sound he was going for.
"Instead of doing things over and getting them
right, we'd just record something and be like,
‘Alright, let's just go on.',"
he said of recording his independent albums.
Once signed, Nathanson got his prime choices of musicians
which included guitarist David Garza, drummer Matt Chamberlain,
Lifehouse bassist Serge, Seal keyboard player Jamie
Muhoberac,and cellist, Matt Fish. In addition, he recruited
the vocal assistance of musical buddies Glen Philps
and Emm Gryner to sing on tracks such as "Pretty the
World" and "Sing Me Sweet".
 When
it came to picking songs for the album, Ron Aiello -
who produced the collection - appeared at a few of Nathanson's
shows to listen to his older music. He thought certain
older songs, such as "Little Victories" and "Lucky Boy"
would be the perfect addition to the album, and Nathanson
agreed to "take a crack at it."
Although he seemed happy when I thanked him for keeping
"Little Victories" acoustic (just him and
Fish playing – great, simple song), I warned Nathanson
that there was one burning question I needed answered
– why wasn't Gryner featured on "Bent"
as done on his previous EP, When Everything Meant Everything?
"She's already done it," Nathanson
said, explaining that he wanted to work with Gryner
again, but wanted to feature her on another track. "Sing
Me Sweet" was the perfect opportunity for Canadian
Gryner to contribute, and so the duet came about.
"She's the best," he said, as we
both agreed on her vocal talents.
Stunning, riveting and poignant, Beneath These Fireworks
features some of Nathanson's older works redone, while
blending some new tunes into an awe-inspiring collection
about romance, loss and self-destruction. Many of the
songs possess an energizing background of electric guitars
and quintessential rock and roll drums. This album absolutely
shines, chock full of Nathanson's liveliness and eloquent,
raw songwriting abilities.
With the release of Beneath These Fireworks, Nathanson
has met the success of his songs appearing on numerous
television shows such as "Everwood" and "Smallville."
He's recently toured with Train, OAR and Howie Day,
and said he's never shared the stage with a band he
didn't like.
"This scene has some really good human beings in it,"
he added.
But when it comes to getting some of the songs on the
radio, Nathanson said he's already content with the
success of the album, and radio play isn't top priority.
Of course, I tried to find out what the first radio
single would be, but Nathanson said even he wasn't sure.
When asked if he feels that he has truly emerged as
a musician with Beneath These Fireworks, or if he thinks
he has yet to put out his best album, Nathanson said
without hesitation that he believes the new album is
his best work yet.
"The players were better than any other players that
I ever had," said Nathanson. "This is the record that
got the most time spent on it."
This guy has a cool persona when it comes to his career.
He said that he's glad he's got the chance
to make in the "major leagues" but he'd
be just as happy "playing with the minors."
Instantly, this outlook gripped me because it's
not too often that you find a musician more concerned
with making genuinely awesome music than being on TRL.
In addition, Nathanson affirmed that recent rumors
of a tour with Gavin DeGraw is possible.
"I think that's gonna happen," said
Nathanson. "If we do, it will be co-headlining."
 Throughout
our laid-back discussion, we strayed off topic a bit.
I grew more relaxed, enough to ask him what a "Mongolian
clusterfuck" was. You see, Nathanson isn't just a ‘play
and go home' kind of guy. There's a fun, interactive
vibe that takes place at Nathanson's shows…the
latest includes a list of words he and his fans derive
that cannot be used on the radio. The funky words make
for interesting stage banter, to say the least.
And when it comes to live shows, Nathanson cleared
up another blazing question that many of his fans have:
Why are we getting drenched by your sweat when we are
in the front row?
To that, Nathanson replied, "I don't know,
I just sweat so much," he laughed, explaining
how he knows it's going to be a good performance
when he starts sweating during the first song. Still,
he otherwise insists that he's not a sweaty person.
Mmmm hmm. At this point, it was clear to me that Nathanson
was an all-around cool guy, but that I wouldn't
mind having 3rd row seats when I see him in concert
next time.
It's kind of cool to spend your lunch hour talking
to a rock star; but for me it was a divine experience
to talk to someone as down-to-earth and passionate about
his career as Nathanson is.
Of course when he joked, "I'll call you Monday," I
replied, "Okay, talk to you then."
Interviewed by Kristen
Fischer
DiscoveringArtists.com
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