Playing tunes, recording bands, my dog Pookie, buffoonery, rock shows, photography, woodcuts, skiing, bicycling, Vans (1989 Club Wagon), canoeing, watercolors, hollering, designing stuff, building stuff, tinkering, stargazing, writing, doodling, wood, grass, freaks, nerds, walking in the woods, whittling, bonfires, festivals, staying up til 5 am doing stuff, sleeping outside, sleeping 'til noon.
Music
Neil Young (especially in the '70's), The Byrds, MC5, old Bob Dylan, Link Wray, Waylon Jennings, The Kinks, The Who, CCR, Rolling Stones, Faces, Tom Petty, Gene Clark, Buffalo Springfield, The Replacements, Harry Nilsson, Grand Champeen, Neko Case, Doug Sahm, The Clash, Charlie Parr, Gillian Welch, Lucinda Williams, Buddy Holly, Detroit Cobras, Iggy Pop/Stooges, Syd Barrett, Willie Nelson, 13th Floor Elevators/Roky Erickson, Chuck Berry, John Lennon/Beatles, Black Sabbath, Bo Diddley, U2, old REM, The Jam, Flamin' Oh's, James Gang, roots rock reggae, Led Zeppelin, Mike Nicolai, John Ewing, Baby Grant Johnson, Johnny Cash, Run Westy Run, Mammy Nuns, Nirvana, Sun Ra, really bad rock and roll, new stuff, old stuff, off the cuff, put it on and turn it up, WEVE, Indie Rocks on SOMA FM, jazz improv with squealing saxophones..and anyone I'm recording or have recorded..I love and cherish them all.
Movies
Animal House, Slap Shot, The Big Lebowski, Hollywood Knights, The Deer Hunter, Made In Heaven, Ghost World, Stripes, The Jerk, Don't Look Back, Almost Famous, MC5: A True Testimonial, Easy Money, Spinal Tap, Easy Rider, Rust Never Sleeps, Office Space, Mean Streets, Running Down A Dream (the Tom Petty Documentary), Taxi Driver, Super Troopers, Fight Club, Blue Velvet, Orgasmo..
Television
PBS, Kimmel.
Books
Bound For Glory, by Woody Guthrie, A People's History of the United States, by Howard Zinn,
Bukowski, Fante,
A Confederacy of Dunces, by John Kennedy Toole..
God's Man, by Lynd Ward,
The Dirt, by Motley Crue, All the Rage by Ian MacLagan, A Sand County Almanac by Aldo Leopold, Black Elk Speaks by John G. Neihardt, The Man In Black, by Johnny Cash, Waylon by Waylon Jennings, anything by Ray Reigstad aka Travco Sunshine..
Heroes
Neil Young, Glyn Johns, David Briggs, Jimmy Miller, Crazy Horse, bald eagles, Sitting Bull, my cat - Lil' Superjoe..
About me: The things that I live for and from are playing and recording music. I have been writing songs and lyrics for as long as I can remember. You may or may not have heard of my band Ol' Yeller. Since the dissolution of that band I have gotten together with some fine musicians from northern Minnesota to write and play with called The Tisdales. I also perform in a folk duo with my buddy Baby Grant Johnson called the Bitter Spills. Now and then I play covers in a band called the Prodigal Sons (of the Iron Range) with my cousin Mark Saari and brother Glen Mattson. We are exclusive to Minnesota's Iron Range. An extensive musical bio is HERE. Aside from all the singing and playing, I own and operate a recording studio. Right now I am working out of my 4th studio in what used to be a church. It is a retreat-like facility, room for everybody to sleep and a nice big kitchen, 200 miles north of the twin cities. I exclusively use 1" tape with a Tascam MS-16 w/optional dbx. My board is a Soundtracs Solo Midi 24 x 8. This was an analog studio up until October 2009! Now I have the option of digital recording (Nuendo/Cubase). I can transfer your 1" tapes. Monitors: NS-10's and Tannoy PBM6.5II. Mics: Neumann TLM 103, Beyer M260, (2) Beyer M160 (ribbon), Shure VP88 stereo mic, AKG C3000, Octava MK219 & NC012-01 (2), SM-81, AT-30, EV N/D868, bunch of SM 57's, and a bunch of weird cheap mics, like PZM's, lavaliers, crystals, and an old RCA dynamic mic. Far as outboard gear, it is your standard bargain bin variety of preamps (MP), compressors (3630's/Symetrix 501's), and signal processors (Digitech) used sparingly. Altec 1567 5-channel tube preamp, also the preamps on my board sound great! If you can't make the trip, I will produce your project in the studio of your choice. I can also do mastering work. Here is a pretty good list of who I have worked with in my studios since I started in 1992 (note: these are all real bands, and real people, who recorded real music):
Flowerpot I, South Minneapolis, June 1992-May 1996
DROWN, THE NIFTY CHICKENS, THE GLENRUSTLES, JACK CHASE, DOGSHINE, DOG 994, PEASANTS ,THE GROVERS, TONY ROOS, BRENDA, BLACK WATER FEVER, STEINHOUSE, THE REGULARS, DANA THOMPSON, SORRY I CAME, BEANGIRL, MONTE SOUL, MARK SAARI, SAUCER, BILL RACINE, SQUIDBALLS, BELLYFLOP, VINEGAR MADONNA, THE RENFIELDS, STEVE MANN, LITTLE TIN GODS, DAN WALL, JOHN OLSON, CHRISTMAS ANXIETY (COMPILATION), GREG BEECH, THE ELDERLY, LADYFINGER, HOT DATE, THE SOURNOTES, MIND TO GAIN, BOB AHERN, ANIMAL MAMMAL, BABABOOEY, LEO KUELBS, BLANKET, JASON LOGAN, OXIDIZER, DAN HAEG (SPIT COOL), TAILSPIN EDDIE, DILLENGER 4, LEFTY LUCY, MILK, KARP, VASELINE TRAMPOLINE, SMUT, DIKFISH, ADJUSTABLE BOY, STRAWDOGS, DAN MONICK & HOWARD, ZAPRUDERS SLUNGSHOT, F-150, THIRD WHEEL, JOHN EWING BAND, NOBODYS BREAKFAST, ERIK MILLER, LANCE NEVIN, VINNIE AND THE STARDUSTERS, TUMMY VESSEL, BETTER OFF AIRPORT, THE WOBBLIES, ALL GO NO SLOW (COMPILATION), 60 CYCLE HUM, DEFORMO, SCOOBY DONT, KURT ALLIS, SUPERMODEL, SUBVERSIVES, WATERBABIES/DRAG, STEVE THOMPSON, PIGEONHOLE, SALTEENS, TOTALLIES, BLEEDING HEARTS, PHIL MANN/RICK NESS, PREMIUM, AMANDA FERGUSON, MALAKA, SLIPSHOD, DAN GREENWOOD, WATER/PUDDLE, BRONTO/THE EARL CHRONICLES, JOHNS BLACK DIRT,
MIKE MEADOWS/KAT BJELLAND, BOX OF STEAKS, BACKWATER, BABES IN TOYLAND, AMY FISHER, AMERICAN PAINT, CATATONICS, NANCY OLSON, BERNIE THE TRAILER PARK QUEEN
Flowerpot II, Northeast Minneapolis basement, May 1996-November 1998:
TICKERBOX, FRANCIS GUMM, OM, BOCA RATONS, SALMON BLADDER 2000, BELLYFLOP, TOM SILER, HANDJOBS, MUDSKIPPER, STEPCHILD, DAN ISRAEL, *MIND TO GAIN, JOHN IRWIN/20 QUESTIONS, MORE RAM, GILJUNKO, FREEZER BURN, *JOHN EWING, RAY REIGSTAD, PEACHFUZZ, GUARDIANS OF LIBERTY, TRAILER TRASH, THE SENSATIONAL JOINT CHIEFS, SLUG, NERVE NAKED, PLAIN JANE, VIDEO NASTYS, COLE YOUNGER BAND, TYPHOID, THE SURFACES, FRUIT JAR STACKERS, FLATSTOR, BUSIEST BANKRUPTCY LAWYERS IN MINNESOTA, SALTEENS, MALICE IN WONDERLAND, MANITOBA/FLORIDA, THE ODD, THE FABIOLAS, FLIPSIDE, JOHN ERIC THEIDE, THE END, DAN MCNEIL, DAN KALAL, JARON CHILDS, RAVEN, OUIJA RADIO, HANGAR 18, DIETRICH WEISS, THEE VICEROYS, WHISKEY SOURNOTES, BOB AHERN, JAMES AND MARY EVEREST, VIEWMASTER, KURT ALLIS, REAL ESTATE FRAUD, KATASTROPHY WIFE, BABES IN TOYLAND, LYNN VARCO, JON WIDEN, CRANKY, DARYL & THE DERELICTS
Flowerpot III, Northeast Minneapolis (garage), April 1999-November 2005
TOUCHY FEELY BOY, DIRTY ROBBERS, LTD, BRENDA, MEAN LARRY, EL KABONG, SUPERLOSER, SEROTONIA, BETTY DRAKE, ETHER MONKEYS, OL' YELLER, CROPDUSTER/LATEDUSTER, THE DANK SKANK, FLIP TOP BOX, POOSA, PEAL, DANNY COMMANDO Y LOS GUAPOS, MATT MARKA, LACKLUSTER DODGE, MARK MALLMAN, HOTHEAD SWING BAND, SPIKEDRIVER, THE RUSTY STRING QUARTET, HOOVERS WHEEL, THE EXCEPTIONALS, THE MAMMY NUNS, UBERSCENESTER, MIKE MOORE, JIM CREGO, SHIT-FI, THE BIRDY 4, 2i, MURDERAPOLIS, RICH RUE & NIKKI MATTESON, POPCYCLE, SYD, GREG CARDINAL BAND, DIODES, THE DOGHOUSE ROSES, CHRIS OBRIEN & COHORTS, DIETRICH WIESS, BEE FAMILY, CAMPFIGHTER, BLAME, MAX EDWARDS, CHRIS MARS, JOE BAUMGART, LOTUS, THE ROOM, BEN REISEMAN/BING & THE SAVAGE BARBERS, ALL AMERICAN CHEAPSHOTS, MOCK DUCK, SIRCUSS, FAIRY TALE FLUNKIES, THE DOXIES, LOS STRAIGHTJACKETS, LIFESTYLE OF WIGS, SAM PLANET/THE OVERCOMERS, ANCHORHEAD, THE INFESTATIONS, REBECCA SPARTZ, LITTLE MAN, CURTIS MATTSON, KINGDOM OF GHOSTS, BARBARA MEYER, NATIONAL HIGH HORSE, MEZZOFIST, SAINT BLAZE, CINDY STEVENS, DAMAGE DEPOSIT, THATS WHAT YOU GET, THE GLEAM, BLACK HONKEYS, COPTER BOY, BAND OF NORTHERN AGGRESSION, GRAND CHAMPEEN, MEEZER, BABY GRANT JOHNSON, LUNAR CREST, HILLBILLY VOODOO DOLLS, JEHOVAHS SHITLIST, SAWBOSS, CAPITOL SONS, CHESTER BAY, WHITE IRON BAND, TINNITIS, CRIME NOVELS, OUIJA RADIO, MIKE NICOLAI, THE NEW VINTAGE, CROWN VICS, FLAMIN OHS
Sparta Sound, Sparta MN, November 2005-present
GRAHAM GREGORICH, OUIJA RADIO, THE GLEAM, OL' YELLER, RAY REIGSTAD, ROY HUBBS, SHATTERED GRAVE, TRAMPLED BY TURTLES, SHOE SHINERS, BITTER SPILLS, MARK LINDQUIST/LITTLE BLACK BOOKS, YOU CAN'T HUG YOUR CHILDREN WITH NUCLEAR ARMS, BIG JESUS AND THE HEARTLESS BASTARDS, HOTEL CORAL ESSEX, THE EASYHEARTS, THE NIGHTINGHALES, SAM PLANET GROUP, SUPERHOPPER, DE FOOTNOTES, MANIFOLD DESTINY, DAVE TORRELL, MOJOSAURUS, NIXON, SHAWN LAPPI/THE SIX 9'S, NICK ROBIN, HOWLIN' ANDY HOUND, THE MAGPIES, D' LEADER, TWO MANY BANJOS, TERRY WALSH, FOUR HORSE JOHNSON, DARN LOSERS, CHARLIE PARR, TONY DERRICK, PATCHES AND GRETCHEN, ONE MAN DAN, THE TISDALES, BEN DURBIN'S MODERN ANTIQUES, GYPSY PROPHETS, SWINGDOGS, SPORTS!, CONGO EELS, CARS AND TRUCKS, JAMIE NESS, MATT RAY, WALTER PPK, THE GOOD COLONELS, BOB RUE AND THE DISTRACTIONS, PACIFIC PHONOGRAPH CO, HIGH DRAMA BLUES, UNGUIDED, RYAN VAN SLOOTEN, HOT DOG SKELETONS, PORTRAIT OF A DROWNED MAN, BUZZ SCHNEIDER, COLMEKILL, COYOTE...
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Who I'd like to meet: People who want to record some tunes. People who like music. Somebody to teach me computers.
Great show Friday! You packed the House even in that crazy blizzard! Stellar sounds from the Magpies,4Horse Johnson and the Soul Rock of the Tisdales...I'm looking forward to the good things that will come of this new endeavor! Let's see you work this out Mr. Mattson-Can't wait for the next show!
