“This is music for late night drives,†says Matt Butcher. “It sounds best at two in the morning on a winding country road.†Me and My Friends, the debut record from the 25 year old singer-songwriter, is a beautifully stark affair. Backed by piano, pedal steel, and horns, Butcher weaves tails of desperation and loneliness, grace and redemption. The material spans the course of his adult life. The title track was written at the tender age of eighteen, while the gospel-infused song, “Grace on a Greyhound Bus,†was completed during the recording process. “It’s like looking in the rearview mirror,†he says of the record. “Six years of scenic drives, dead ends, joy rides, and near-fatal accidents. I have always written very honestly from my life. There’s a story in there. But it’s not intentional.†Featuring his excellent live band the Revolvers, the album runs the gamut from country tinged americana and bluesy rockers, to soulful ballads and delicate folk. The music brings to mind artists of the late sixties and early seventies. The usual names apply; Dylan, Springsteen, Young, Parsons, Browne. “I wear my influences on my sleeve. Proudly. I’m not trying to re-invent the wheel. Just keep it spinning.†The influences are there, but the voice is entirely his own. Butcher writes with a wisdom and maturity that belie his twenty-five years. On the standout duet “Giving My Sadness a Name,†he tells an ex-lover, “I came into this world crying, and not much has changed. You’re just giving my sadness a name.†Throughout the record, Butcher infuses new insight into age old themes. On “Grey Skies, Green Shoes,†he sings of a widowed man, “Sitting by himself on a sofa that’s intended for two.†Saying, “A love seat aint no good when one person leaves.†The album was coproduced with Justin Beckler, and recorded in various home studios and a church. These rooms become as much a part of the songs as the instrumentation. It gives the music both an ethereal and intimate quality. “We want it to wash over the listener,†he says. “ It has to be subtle.†As for the title, Butcher says it was a natural fit. “It’s what the songs are about, who they were played by, and who they are intended for. And yes, I know its grammatically incorrect...â€
Matt Butcher - ME AND MY FRIENDS from Zach Beckler on Vimeo .
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