10.09.05
Matt Santry made a name for himself with a two-song
sampler that created street buzz—literally. Now
the Philly-based singer-songwriter is expanding with
a new collection of six songs on Rising Son.
Last we talked to you, you had put out a sampler
and were taking Philly by storm. Beside the CD, what
else has happened?
I really beat the streets with my two-song sampler.
I probably gave out 2,500 copies over the course of
two years. I 'd stand outside of concerts like Maroon
5, Mraz and just hand them to people waiting in line.
I'd advertise through message boards (which is how you
and Discovering Artists got wind of me!) and give CD
out at my own live shows.
Through that time I secured a National TV appearance
on ESPN2, a regional TV appearance on NBC10 in Philly,
regular radio play on WXPN, 88.5FM in Philly, built
a national fan base and put together a kick-ass band.
Now with the new release, I'm ready to take it to take
things up a notch or 10.
Tell us about the six-song EP. Who'd you work with?
How is it different from your sampler? How'd you get
the title?
The EP is a collection of songs that I felt displayed
different sides and styles of my music. I chose to work
with producer, Mark Williams, based out of the D.C.
area. Mark is an amazing musician that toured as lead
guitarist with a band called "Jonasay." I
was a fan of their music and a friend of Mark's, so
making the decision to work with him came pretty easily.
Through Mark's connections with Jonasay he brought some
really talented people to the equation, which really
helped this recording shine.
One of which was bassist, Sean Hurley. This guy is
a monster! He's been touring and recording with Vertical
Horizon since 1999 and more recently has been doing
a lot of major label studio work. His groove is undeniable!
Another key player is mixing engineer Jeff Juliano.
Jeff has mixed and engineered for some of my modern
day heroes like Dave Matthews, John Mayer, Jason Mraz.
Forgot the names he's worked with and listen to my disc.
Sonically it'll hold up to any major label project you
stack it against.
Does the songwriting style differ at all? Do you
feel more as if you've evolved since the EP(2 song sampler)
or stayed the same and added to that style?
I feel that my songwriting style varies a bit, but
I think more than songwriting, it's the production that
really varies. A song is a song is a song. What I mean
is that the songs could cross over many different genres,
it's really a matter of how they are produced.
Chord progressions and melodies are fairly universal,
but when you start changing things like the instrumentation,
the tone of the instruments, the tempo, then the song
style or genre will change. They may seem like subtle
differences, but have a huge impact on the delivery
and the potential audience. I recommend that people
listen the EP and come to their own conclusion about
what genre I fall under. I'd like to know too.
Any particular song a favorite? Why?
My favorite song is track 2, "Like You Believed"
for a couple reasons. First off, it has a lot of personal
meaning to me. It's a song about having someone that
is a major support system in your life and then losing
them. The song asks the question what's next? "Can
I believe like you believed in me?".
The other reason is because I had no idea how the song
was going to turn out. When I demoed it, it had a much
different vibe. I was using drum loop samples that had
a bouncy hip-hop type feel. The groove still came through,
but in a more rock style. Some people have compared
it to Seal's sound, which I totally dig.
What's touring for the rest of the year looking
like? You have a strong base in Philly and New York.
Are you looking to expand?
My touring is mostly regional till the end of '05.
I'll be performing in clubs, colleges and coffee shops
in PA, NJ and NY. And yes, I will be expanding and increasing
the number of full band shows.
Yay. New Jersey shows! So you were recently on
NBC. How'd that go and how did you get that gig?
The NBC 10 gig was great! It was so laid back, I was
able to relax and just have fun. When I first did a
national TV spot on ESPN, I was really anxious! Unfortunately,
that came through in my performance. This time around
I was more confident and relaxed and it made for a much
better performance. Playing over 100 live shows a year
has forced me to become a better performer.
Ironically enough, I got approached to do a TV spot
in Philly while playing in New York. That's how the
ESPN thing came about as well, someone saw me performing
live in NYC. This time I was playing at The Bitter End
with my band and an engineer from the NBC 10! Show happened
to be in the audience. He loved the show and the CD
sampler that I gave him. So it was just a matter of
convincing the producers. Fortunately they were flexible
enough to coordinate my appearance with my CD Release
party. You can view the performance online on my homepage
at http://mattsantry.com
Nice plug! So what’s the overall goal with
the new release?
The overall goal of the new release is to create a
national presence. I play all the time, maybe 12 times
a month or more, but its all regional, between PA, NJ
and NY and not always playing my own tunes. I'd like
to gain more radio play, have wider distribution of
my CD, increase my touring radius and reach more potential
fans. If any readers out there want to help, drop me
a line info@mattsantry.com.
Thanks, Matt. We wish you all the best and are eager
to follow your successes!
Interviewed by Kristen Fischer
DiscoveringArtists.com
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