Formula Indie Sessions _ Interview with Jason Matu

What is your earliest memory connected to music?

I grew up on western New York state, way out on in the country. Consequently, in order visit family and what not, there was lot of driving. I can remember vividly the feeling of falling asleep in the minivan as the radio played and what an incredibly comforting feeling that was as a very young child. It was the safest and most comfortable I can ever remember feeling. 

How did your passion for creating music begin?

It was ordained by Mother Nature at the dawn of time. It always was. It never began. My entire life I was drawn to playing music. I saved up and bought a sick Washburn with Floyd Rose tremolo when I was about 13. I promptly started a band called Scurvy Bastards about a week later. 

What’s the story behind your current music project?

For my entire life up until 2019/2020, I did not think I could sing. Actually, it is a fact that my singing was, objectively speaking, not good. That was fine, because I was lucky enough to find myself collaborating with much better singers. Generally, I would write the songs, which was always my favorite part, and still is. Due to a series of personal and worldwide tragedies and global pandemics, though, that wasn’t possible. During that time, all I did was go on bike rides and sit and play. Somehow, after all that time, I got much much better. I’m still not some powerhouse diva (or maybe I am), but I would humbly posit I can carry a tune. I wasn’t really planning on having any kind of extended solo project, and my first album, Dumb Ecstatic Bliss, was something I thought at the time would be my first and last solo album, but I’m still doing it. 

How would you describe your sound to someone who has never heard your music before?

I call it space folk. ChatGPT uses a lot of words to describe it, but I like mine better. Space folk. There’s a lot of indie, rock n roll, pop, but folk music is what made me really love writing and it underpins everything I do. 

What is one thing you’ve learned that completely changed the way you make music?

The rule of three hooks in the chorus. But I’m not so sure it’s something I learned. I might have invented it. 

What tools, instruments, or software are essential in your creative process?

My acoustic guitar and my voice.

Which indie artist or song are you loving right now?

Noah Baker (aka/pka Noisebody), Jeremy Pinnell, Abby Hamilton, Nervous Verbs, Sammi Lanzetta, Slow Bird. 

How have your personal experiences influenced your music and artistic vision?

My music is a direct reflection of my personal experiences. I try to make it so its not navel gazing nonsense, but it always originates with how I’m feeling. Music what keeps my personal experiences from becoming overwhelming and driving me crazy. When I pick up my guitar each evening, after a little while, all the agitation, ennui, frustration, etc., melts away.

What emotions or messages do you hope listeners take from your work?

Hope springs eternal. This too shall pass. Be nice, to yourself and others.Love over all. 

 What’s the most important lesson music has taught you so far?

Never give up.

What is a dream venue or festival you would love to perform at?

Bowery Ballroom.

If you could collaborate with any artist, past or present, who would it be and why?

Paul McCartney. I think we’d write some killer tunes together. We’d start a band called Beatles Part 2, probably. I’d be the lead singer.

Where can our listeners follow and support your music? (Website,Spotify, IG, links)

Looking toward the future, what’s your dream for the next chapter of your musical journey?

I have the same dream that all my fellow indie cohorts have: being able to make a living from music. 

What do you hope listeners will discover about you along the way?

That they love music I make. 

If you want here you can add a representative Youtube video to insert below the interview 🙂