In an industry where image is often more important to an artist's career than talent, and catch-phrases earn the most spins at radio stations, it's rare to find a band with the courage to step beyond the boundaries set by current trends. Nashville-based band Motivational Speakers are among the few who dare to find their own platform.Formed through a string of “Musician WantedÂEads, Motivational Speakers developed almost by chance. However, it did not take long for the members—Matt Taflan, Matt Andersen, Matt Jaggers, and Kyle Burnham, —to find a kinship that seemed to have been in place for years. Sharing the same purpose for creating music and similar tastes in styles, the band quickly agreed on their overall sound and a plan for the future.Pursuing a perfect balance between rock, funk, R&B and jazz, the band places a large emphasis on finding original and fresh ways to approach their music. Their mission is not to create a new genre, but instead to give the listener a mix of the energy of today's rock with the stylings of old school influences.“I like rock and funky jazz -- old and new,ÂETaflan explains. “I think that a lot of bands do one or the other, but you don't see too many doing a good job of mixing the two styles. It is either too soft or too hard.ÂE
Along with their dedication to their sound, the band is equally concerned with the message of the songs. Avoiding clichés and the typical love song, the band wants to give their audience more than a catchy tune. Pulling from personal experiences as well as political and social issues, Taflan as the primary lyricist for the group, crafts the ideas for the songs around real life.
Andersen says of Taflan, “He comes in with material that you don't hear every day.ÂETaflan explains about his approach to songwriting, “The most important thing for me is for it to have some sort of impact.ÂE
Now with the introduction of their first studio EP, Just Add Water, Motivational Speakers is ready for the world to hear their voice. The five-song album, produced by Elisha Hoffman and engineered by George Tutko (John Mellencamp, Rod Stewart), highlights the best of the band's song list. The EP features the single, “Half a Mind,ÂEin which Taflan sings—With the scars and the words to an old song; Close your eyes relax and sing along. Singing along is what many people will be doing after hearing Motivational Speakers.
