Matt Everett: voice, guitar, cello, viola, fiddle, accordion, keyboards, mandolin, bouzouki, electric bass
People who have joined in for long and short durations, at various times, and ended up on recordings that may someday be properly released:
Olivia Geiger - violin
Caroline Rodriguez - piano, voice
Carolina Maugeri - voice
Margie Wienk - cello, upright bass, voice
Sara Stalnaker - cello
Corwin Butterworth - electric bass, dobro
Stuart Powers - drums
Geoff Adams - baritone sax
Influences
Nick Drake,
XTC,
the Raincoats, Tom Verlaine,
Elvis Costello,
The Fall,
Brian Eno,
Robert Wyatt,
Gabriel Yacoub,
Varttina,
Ottopasuuna,
Troka,
Hedningarna, Fred Frith, Lloyd Cole, Henry Threadgill, Syd Barrett, Timo Alakotila,
Tanita Tikaram, Alec Redfearn, Marisa Monte, John Cale, Richard Thompson, Bill Nelson, Devo, Kraftwerk, Tom Ze, Gilberto Gil, Zsaratnok, Richard Brautigan, Ted Berrigan, Hoven Droven, Vasen, Magazine, Iva Bittova, Throwing Muses
Sounds Like
"Little Epiphany" was described in this way by George Parsons in Dream Magazine 2:
"Really gorgeous musicianship (and a superlative production by Joe Auger), with folks playing dobro, drums, upright bass, baritone sax; and Matt providing the vocals, accordion, fiddle, bouzouki, guitar and mandolin. Haunting spellcasting with ancient folk roots, gypsy charms, and a whole flock of fine songs that range from almost theatrical evocations to simple bare-bones folk...This feels so true, simple and direct as morning sunlight or a glass of water when you're thirsty...he has the audacity and skills to do justice to the words of Yeats and Brautigan on two of the tracks, but there are no singular standouts here, as it's all cut from the same fine cloth".
"The Hangman's Daughter" elicited these reactions from the press:
"Matt Everett lives in a collapsed castle with loud jugglers and little ghosts"
- Szene Hamburg
"Matt Everett loves classic folk melodies and writes timeless songs"
- Frankfurt CityMag
Musician, composer, writer; originally from Providence Rhode Island, currently living in Queens.
Solo musical stuff: Latest album "Blinking" out now (April 2008) and available at CD Baby! http://cdbaby.com/cd/matteverett
Projects: Various bands; music for "Accordion" and "Spider", two dance pieces by Ellen Godena; music for various short nautical films; soundtrack for "Phenomena of Paragon", a dance piece by Nathan Andary; solo cello accompaniment for poet Chris Johnson; radio spots, etc.
Band affiliations past, present, and uncertain (as member or "session" musician): the New Nice, TFO,
Alec K. Redfearn and the Eyesores, Fern Knight, The Amoebic Ensemble, the Iditarod, Mount Everett, the Jills, Plymouth Rock, Lousy with Babes, Bonny Prince Billy, Manbeard, Espers, Currituck County, the Providence Mandolin Orchestra, Makkela's Trash Lounge, Ring, Peter Scion, Drekka, In Gowan Ring, Cynthia Hopkins.....
Here is an essay I wrote for the Agenda, an independent Providence paper:
PSYCHIC GEOGRAPHY
PSYCHIC GEOGRAPHY IS A PSYCHIC ABILITY TO EXAMINE THE INTERACTION BETWEEN SPACES AND PEOPLE, AND ALSO A WAY OF THINKING ABOUT THOSE SPACES AND PEOPLE, IN WHICH IT IS ASSUMED THAT THE SPACE HAS THE UPPER HAND AND A DESIRE TO CONFOUND, BETRAY, OR DESTROY THE PEOPLE WHO INHABIT IT. THUS, THE CULPRIT OF ANY CRIME IS THE SPACE IN WHICH IT TOOK PLACE (AND POSSIBLY, BY ASSOCIATION, THE PEOPLE WHO DESIGNED THAT SPACE).
THE PSYCHIC GEOGRAPHER SPECIALIZES IN SPOTTING THAT PLACE WHERE HUMANS AND THEIR ENVIRONMENT MELD AND WE CAN NO LONGER SPEAK OF INDIVIDUAL WILL AS SUCH, BUT ONLY COMMUNAL OR SOMETIMES CORPORATE IMPERATIVES, THE DESIRES OF THE SPACE AS IT SPEAKS THROUGH THE BODY POLITIC THAT INHABITS IT.
WHEN WE SPEAK OF PRETENTIOUS OR INSUPPORTABLE MOVEMENTS IN THE ARTS AND THE SOCIAL SCIENCES, WE OFTEN MAKE THE MISTAKE OF FOCUSING ON THE ISSUE OF INTENT. IF, FOR EXAMPLE, WE FIND A WINDOWLESS BLOCK OF HOUSING PROJECTS EVERY BIT AS DEPLORABLE, IN ITS OWN WAY, AS THE FASCIST ARCHITECTURE OF ALBERT SPEER, WE MAY BE INCLINED TO MORE VENOMOUSLY CONDEMN THE LATTER, SIMPLY BECAUSE IT WAS COMMISSIONED BY ADOLF HITLER TO SERVE THE INTERESTS OF THE THIRD REICH - LE CORBUSIER AT LEAST IMAGINED THAT HE HAD THE BEST INTERESTS OF HUMANITY AT HEART WHEN HE DESIGNED HIS "MACHINES FOR LIVING." BUT THIS WAY OF THINKING IS WRONG, FOR THE SIMPLE REASON THAT IN NEITHER CASE DID THE HUMAN BEINGS RESPONSIBLE REALLY HAVE CONTROL OVER WHAT THEY WERE DOING.
SHORTLY AFTER PHYSICISTS DISCOVERED THAT SPACE IS NEVER TRULY EMPTY, BUT IS IN FACT TEEMING WITH VIRTUAL PARTICLES WAITING TO BE CALLED INTO EXISTENCE, PSYCHIC GEOGRAPHERS DISCOVERED "VIRTUAL ARCHITECTURAL PARTICLES" WHICH FLIT ABOUT IN SPACE WAITING FOR A HUMAN HOST TO MAKE THEM INTO A GAZEBO, OR A COUNCIL FLAT, OR A PARKING GARAGE. THESE PARTICLES, LIKE THEIR COUSINS FROM THE REALM OF PHYSICS, EXIST INDEPENDENTLY OF THE PASSAGE OF TIME, AND IT IS NOT POSSIBLE TO KNOW BOTH THEIR MOMENTUM AND THEIR LOCATION AT THE SAME TIME. PSYCHIC GEOGRAPHERS, WHO ARE ALSO CALLED ARCHITECTS, HAVE DEVISED SECRET PROBABILISTIC METHODS OF "GUESSING" WHAT THE PARTICLES WILL DO.
ARE PSYCHIC GEOGRAPHERS UNIQUELY QUALIFIED TO BE RULERS OF THE CITY? PROBABLY. WILL THEIR RULE, WHEN THEY EVENTUALLY TAKE OVER, NECESSARILY MAKE EVERYTHING FUNCTION SMOOTHLY? DEFINITELY NOT. SOMETIMES THE SPACE REQUIRES THAT, AS SOME THINGS ARE BUILT, OTHER THINGS ARE BURNED TO THE GROUND. SOMETIMES THE ACHINGLY BEAUTIFUL LIGHT OF THE WINTER MOON ON A STAND OF PINE TREES REQUIRES THAT A HIDEOUS FOUNTAIN BE PLACED NEARBY. HUMAN NOTIONS OF AESTHETICS RARELY ENTER INTO IT. SOMETIMES A BLOOD SACRIFICE IS REQUIRED, AS BROTHER TURNS UPON BROTHER TO SATISFY THE INEFFABLE NEEDS OF THE SPACE.
WILL WE EVER BE FREE OF THE EARTH AND THE SPACES IT CREATES, AND THEIR CAPRICIOUS DESIRES? WILL THERE COME A TIME WHEN WE CAN OUTWIT THEM, NOT MAKE A CONDOMINIUM WHEN ALL WE REALLY WANTED WAS A SHED FOR OUR GARDEN TOOLS, REFRAIN FROM RAZING A SHANTYTOWN TO THE GROUND EVEN THOUGH WE FOUND IT RATHER PICTURESQUE? NO, WE CANNOT HOPE TO OUTSMART SPACE OR PREDICT THE ACTIONS OF THE VIRTUAL ARCHITECTURAL PARTICLES. WE SHOULD NOT IMAGINE THAT WE HAVE A CHOICE; BUT WITH THE HELP OF THE PSYCHIC GEOGRAPHERS, WE CAN AT LEAST INTERPRET WHAT THE SPACE WANTS, AND EXIST IN HARMONY WITH ITS DESTRUCTIVE TENDENCIES.
Umm. I want to make Matt Food but I cant remember what's in it except kale. Can you send me the recipe? Also I just moved to NY. We should hang out sometime.
happy b day. sorry it's a late wish. moving back to prov in less than two weeks, isn't that nuts. hopefully relocating to your neck of woods at some point in the future. wellness to ye and yours! <3 c-rod
Though it was recorded over the course of seven years, this is probably the most coherent output in the impressive back-catalogue of iditarod, with release on ao. Bluesanct, Time lag and Camera obscura. The more direct songs merge perfectly with the psychedelic tape and drone experiments. On this record, Carin and Jeffrey get support from guest musicians Alasdair Galbraith and Matt Everett (Bonnie Prince Billy, Espers) on violin, B’Eirth (In gowan Ring, Birch book) on harp and Margie Wienk (Fern knight) on ‘cello.
Hey Matt, nice to hear from you. I had no idea you moved to Brooklyn...just thought we hadn't been circulating in the same bar scene. I hope things are going well for you!
It's funny that even though we both live in ny now i still have the same commute time to hang out with you that i did when you were in providence and i was in boston...