I caught up with iconic songwriter Matt Moody – an artist destined to be stuck on your playlist from here on out. We chatted about why music is the right path for him, things he would change about the music industry,
What made you decide that music is the right path for you?
It was ever a completely conscious decision. I was extremely introverted growing up and never really felt like I belonged in any clique’s I had encountered throughout the years. Hockey took over my life until I quit when I was 12 and then guitar took it’s place for better or for worse. Authority in any nature always irked me and music gave me an outlet where no one else was in control of what I was thinking, saying or doing. I guess I fell in love with it at a young age.
If you could change about the music industry, what would it be?
Not sure if I would change anything about the industry. It’s a beast. It’s my bastard; a living organism. The business evolves and grows and morphs with the times; yet there seems to be inherent principles that remain the same. There are angels and demons you meet along the way – it feels like life ought to. It’s given me some of my best friends and worst enemies. You get whatever hand you are dealt and you have to make it work to your advantage. There’s no rhyme or reason to any of the chaos that you encounter navigating the music industry other than; music that connects to people inevitably finds it’s way.
What would be your dream support gig? Bonus points for place/venue.
I had a dream recently where I shared a stage with Sheryl Crow. It was hard to make out in dreamscape where it was but if I could choose anywhere It’d be Red Rocks in Colorado. The American West feels like home to me. I grew up in Ohio but am located in Los Angeles now and would eventually like to reside somewhere where the road and the sky meet wide open spaces with rolling hills or mountains. Red Rocks seems like the epicenter of that feeling and aesthetic, and well… I just love Sheryl Crow. Opening for Neil Young would also be tight.
What’s the best advice you’d give to your younger self?
Literally f*ck what anyone thinks. This journey and the vision are all yours to create. The longer you humor half baked opinions about yourself and your career, the more you delay discovering the artist that’s been within you all along (and we’re all creatives in some way or another). Just when you think you’ve struck a well, dig deeper. There’s always more to discover and more to learn. Also, don’t take everything so personally. Most people are too consumed by their own bullsh*t to think straight – so who are they to tell you what’s right and wrong for you.
Tell MoggBlog viewers about your latest release! What’s the inspiration behind that?
Party In The Valley is about experiencing that deep, melancholic state of depression / numbness / staleness. I decided to name it “Party In The Valley” because I thought it best captured that idea of throwing a pity-party for yourself instead of facing your emotions head on. There are so many distractions these days, it’s hard to find clarity of self. P.I.T.V. was just a way for me to transform that stagnation into creation.
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