We remember being at The International Folk Alliance Conference last year and wandering into a room we saw some friends in. As the singer began to sing, we all looked at each other with a knowing look. We had stumbled upon something really magical! It was Matt the Electrician and after his performance we cornered him in the hallway to invite him to come to Ardent. He told us that he did not tour through Memphis very much but would probably be back at the conference the following year. We told him we would wait.
Now our patience has paid off. Matt dropped by this afternoon to chat with us about who he is looking forward to seeing play this year, his favorite part of the conference and co-writing songs with people from all over the world. Matt also plays a brand new song called “See You Better” – he named it this afternoon. Check out the show and look for him in a town near you…
Once upon a time, there was a youg man named Matt Sever. He lived in Austin, TX, and he worked as a journeyman electrician. Every morning, when it was still dark outside, he would go to work, and wire houses all day long in the blistering Texas heat. When he would come home, again, it was dark outside. And then, sometimes, with no time to shower or change his clothes, he would go straight to the bars and nightclubs of Austin to play his songs for whomever would listen. And he would apologize for his appearance, and explain to the audience that he was an electrician, and he found a certain nobility in this, even if no one wanted to sit too close to the stage. So they called him Matt The Electrician, and he did not mind this, for he was proud of himself, for there is no shame in a hard days work.
But eventually, he quit his job as an electrician, to spend more time writing and playing songs, and the name stuck with him, because everyone needs an electrician sometimes. And there are some who say, that when the moon is full, and Jupiter is aligned with Mars, you can often hear Matt The Electrician in the distance, wiring a house, and whistling softly to himself.
[...] This guy is so good I saw him play three times last week – and I invited him to play The Warm Up. He played a brand new song that he named right before we recorded it. Listen to that performance here. [...]