It’s The last day of The Great Escape, am seeing friends from three years ago left right and centre, and Mark has just gone back to London so no more ‘free’ Red Stripe. So what do I do, I head onto Twitter, my long neglected little tweet. I was just emailed a date for Broadcast 2000 when I in the tweet feeds Matt Stevens tweeted something and I thought I’d send him the date for Joe’s show. This being twitter I never expected to hear back from him, but I did.
Matt’s music is as democratic as you could imagine, people pay what they want for it or even free. But once you go onto his website and you listen to the first track from his album you will sit back, jaw ajar, and look puzzled with wonderment at just what he’s created. A guitar is one of the most beautiful and emotive instruments I think there is. It can be butchered by some who can’t really play it or respect the intimacy that it can have. And then there are others who make it sound as though it’s their second skin, a skill that they where born playing, making it sound breathlessly easy, Matt Stevens falls in to the latter category.
It’s almost indescribable how clean, soft, and beautiful Matt’s music is. His skill with his guitar is nothing short of a near perfection with few people I have come across that could have perfected their craft to a crystal clear clarity that fills you with joy. When you get to hear new music it has the ability of doing one of two (or ideal a million) different things; the first is new music can sound generic, too simple, hard to understand, disorganised, with a lack of skill and confidence that take the whole thing no place.
But the second, which is more rare but likely, is you hear the first note and you say to yourself ‘yes’. And with that agreement with yourself you allow the music to take over, your eyes are closed and your taken on this journey. Matt Steven’s music, though the limited editions he’s releasing, is bound to cause people anger and pain. And on one side I don’t care, I want Matt’s music to myself, yet on the less selfish side I then think to myself I know five or six people who’s musical taste is just too bland and empty. By putting on Matt’s tracks am sure a silence will descend and those friends respect for music, musicians, and their passions will (I’d hope) would begin to increase.
Matt’s Steven’s Eleven’s will be shipping around June 1st, HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
