The
Piano Has Been Drinking, Not Me
Careless Talk Costs Lives
issue 8 - August / September 2002, page 32
M. Ward's music is si intimate, you almost daren't breathe. Ward sounds so
unhurried, personal and sweet you wonder how he manages to rise in the
morning to drag a comb across his dedert-blasted hair. You can hear Tijuana
horns, Berlin cabaret, Howe Gelb, minimalist classical, melancholy
insturmental and mnay other distrait forms of undervalued music within his
songs - but don't think ward is contrived. He's not, in any shape or form.
Careless Talk caught Matt supporrting Conor Oberst of Bright Eyes on a visit
to San Fransicso earlier this year, and - never being one to pass up an
opportunity to do less work - handed the microphone over to Conor.
CO: We're talking to Matt Ward here - what motivates you to make music?
MW: I don't know, I just do it. If I were to come up with an answer, it
would be somewhat half-baked and a little pretentious.
CO: Your record is called "End Of Amnesia"
MW: That is correct. It came out in America in the summer of 2001 and in
Europe in the springtime. I have one record before that called "Duet For
Guitars No. 2" that come out on Howe Gelb's label around '99.
CO: And you've played with different bands, touring and stuff?
MW: In Europe I've toured with Giant Sand, Grandaddy and The Willard Grant
Conspiracy
CO: So, uh, well I think "End Of Amnesia" is really good - that's
the only
one I'm familiar with, unfortunately, but you'll send me the older one?
MW: Of course
CO: What...? Shit, I don't know what I'm doing
ET: Ask what his favourite colour is
CO: No, that's not a good one. Where did you record your record? IT sounds
amazing, the way it's recorded - it's experimental but not for its own sake,
like it's just good.
MW: It was done at the Type Foundry in Portland and I've known this guy Adam
for a long time and every year he gets new toys. And for this particular
record he had a lot of new toys and it was a matter of playing with them and
not falling back too much on the ways of doing the first record. So it was
"Let's see what happens if we play backwards dulcimer". There was
a lot of
weird panning. It took about two years to do.
CO: No shit!
MW: The first one took about five months.
CO: I heard you're going on tour with Bright Eyes next fall.
MW: I know nothing about that. You'll have to talk to my agent. But it is
rumoured.
CO: Does that mean you're maybe working on a new project?
MW: Very, very slowly. I'm always four-tracking. That's my bread and butter,
my meat and potatoes. What's your meat and potatoes?
CO: My meat and potatoes are probably cough drops... OK, let's see. I'm
trying to get a nod from the professional.
MW: Is the majority of your musical time spent making new music or
performing songs that have already been...?
CO: It all depends...
MW: Depends on where you are
CO: It depends on the block of time, but I wish more of it was spent making
music.
MW: Same here. But the labels always want to put you on display, like a zoo.
CO: Tell us about Future Farmers
MW: It's a fine little label from San Francisco that puts out good music,
mainly from California. They like music that has some dust in its teeth.
CO: OK, uh, question number two - what's your concept of beauty?
MW: Concept of beauty? That's a big one. It has something to do with God,
but I'm not quite sure exactly because it's so massive.
CO: Right. God as like...?
MW: As all-encompassing...
CO: Universal kind of thing?
MW: Was it Beauty with a capital B or beauty with a little b?
CO: Oh I'd have to ask Everett on that. Is it a capital B in your beauty
question?
ET: I don't ever use capitals apart from on my own name.
CO: I don't know the third... he supposedly has four questions he asks
everybody.
MW: Can you reveal them to us?
ET: What do you think about on stage?
MW: I usually pretend I'm in my bedroom four-tracking. I take my glasses off
so I can't really see anybody, and I go from there. I think about the thrill
you get when you finish writing a song when it was brand new
ET: That'll do. Thanks.
