Fresh off his latest release "Sugar on The Side," I had the opportunity to catch up with Nashville artist Matty Ride to learn about his music-making process. Read on to learn more about this amazing singer-songwriter.
Who is your biggest musical inspiration? Why?
That’s hard to say, because though my project is pretty jazz based, I’m influenced by lots of artists and I listen to a little bit of everything. I love Jazz of course, and my inspirations there would be: Nat King Cole, Bing Crosby, Sinatra, Chet Baker, Harry Connick.
My other artist inspirations in other genres would be: The Beach Boys, The Beatles, James Taylor, Stevie Wonder, Steely Dan, A Tribe Called Quest, Nirvana.
What is your favorite part of being a musician?
Being able to feel as though I’m fulfilling my purpose. I love the ability of music to pull back the veil on something other worldly. Music seems to connect us all and yet connect us to something bigger. That seems like something worthwhile to me. I love feeling like I’m part of that process. Plus, music is just flat out fun. More fun than anything else for me! And I love making music with my friends, which I was lucky enough to be able to do on my song “Sugar On the Side”
When it comes to inspiration, do you wait for it to strike or do you treat your creative process like standard 9-5 meaning you show up regardless if inspiration is present?
I used to wait for inspiration, but the older I’ve gotten, the more I realize that the odds of inspiration being present increase the more my discipline and availability to the creative process increase.
What has been your most memorable experience (live performance, collaboration, etc) as a musician thus far? What made it the most memorable for you?
I once helped to put on a concert to benefit the victims of the giant earthquake that devastated Haiti. At one point everyone who played that night got up on stage and was singing together. If my memory is correct, that included (Jonny Lang, Marc Broussard, Melinda Doolittle, Tommy Sims, Shannon Sanders, Drew Ramsey, myself and a few others that I can’t recall.). It was most memorable because of what we were able to raise to help the Red Cross in their relief efforts.
What is your earliest musical memory?
I've always loved music from a young age and I came from a pretty musical family. Both my dad and my grandpa played, as well as lots of singers in the family, so I have lots of early memories of music being played in the house.
What do you want people to know about your latest release?
Like honey and hot chicken, biscuits and jam, coffee and cream, everything goes better with a little sugar. And just like love, it’s up to you to put in the right ingredients, “you make it up as you go, but it always goes better though, with a little sugar on the side.” I’ve always loved how songs back in the day had a way of ‘saying it, without quite saying it’. There was always another way to describe lovin’ in a funny, tongue in cheek kind of way. It’s almost as if they would be telling you with a wink “you know what I’m talking about”. So after listening to my new single “Sugar on the Side” I hope you’ll know what I’m talking about.
What are your plans for the future?
This year I’m aiming to release a single every six to eight weeks!
An ambitious goal, but I’ve got a whole project of music in the vein of the American Songbook which I’m excited to share with the world. And as soon as we are all able, after this strange time of Covid-19 passes, I’ll be back gigging and playing shows at some of my favorite venues here in Nashville and around the country!
Connect with Matty:
https://www.mattyride.com/
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