Making The Connection With Matt Costa

If you think the idea of the wayward troubadour is long gone then you have not checked out singer/songwriter Matt Costa.  Costa is a waif like songwriter who is not afraid to wear his heart on his sleeve.  His honest songwriting and ear for melody has gotten him in the studio with No Doubt’s Tom Dumont and it has won him opening slots on tours with Oasis, Ryan Adams and Death Cab For Cutie. 

Costa is gearing up to headline his own tour this fall in support of his up coming disc “Mobile Chateau” which will be released this September.  While on a break from recording, Matt was able to share with me what he has been up to since the release of his last disc, how he got together with his new band and his renewed love of skateboarding. 

David Carr: Matt it has been a while since we have heard new music from you.  What have you been up to since the release of your last disc?

Matt Costa: Well, quite a lot!  After the release of “Unfamiliar Faces” I did a lot of touring.  I toured all over the states and around the world.  I got the chance to go to places like Brazil and Europe, Australia and Japan.  Once touring wrapped I got married and then I went to Paris.  I wrote a bunch of new songs while I was there.  I came back to the states, found a new band to play with (The Mothers Sons), found a great new studio and started recording this disc.

David: Talk to me about this new band.  What prompted you to work with a whole new group?

Matt: The Mothers Sons have been around for a bit.  They recorded an EP and played around a lot in Long Beach.  I had sat in with them a few times and when I came back with these new songs I really felt that these songs would be more suited to those guys.  I decided to work with them and from the beginning, things really seemed to click. 

David: Another change for you has to do with production.  What led you to produce “Mobile Chateau” on your own?

Matt: It was pretty organic.  I have always been pretty hands on in the studio.  I learned a lot working side by side with Tom Dumont.  I really learned about how to bring out the best in a song or what the core of a song should truly be.  I love the music of the 60’s and I enjoy being able to recreate that sound in the studio.  I had the chance to experiment in the studio this time around so, I figured why not take advantage of that and try and do it on my own.

David: Would you say your music ends up having a 60’s sound with a modern feel?

Matt: I think the whole “modern feel” thing comes by default.  I mean I am living now, so the modern sound is just going to happen.  There is nothing I can do about that.  I am more focused on getting that 60’s sound to a “T”. 

David: I have seen you perform on stage several times.  You come off on stage as rather shy.  Are you naturally a shy guy?

Matt:  (brief pause) Hmm…well I guess it depends on when you catch me.  I think of it more as, I really believe in the things I am singing about.  I try to let the songs really verbalize who I am and what I am thinking.  I let the songs be the vehicle to let people know who I am and what I am about.  The songs actually make me pretty vulnerable.  I reveal myself quite a bit in the songs I write.

David: You have been able to open for some big names including Death Cab For Cutie and Oasis.  What have you taken away from those experiences?

Matt: I have just tried to take it all in…It’s nice to be there.  It’s nice to be backstage with these artists and get a chance to talk with them and share with them.  I have tried to take those experiences and make them last as long as I can.  I feel lucky to be having these types of experiences, so for me, I am trying to pass it on to the other people I work with.  I know it sounds a little “hippie” but I just think of it as being a link in a chain.  I am part of that chain, so the goal is to make that same type of connection with the other people I get a chance to work with.

David: Matt You began your career after a horrendous skateboard accident correct?

Matt: Yeah, I shattered my leg while skateboarding and I spent a year laid up in bed for a while.  I started writing songs and really listening to songs.  I was always on the go before the accident. It took the accident to get me to process how I was connected to things.

David: So do you still skate or are you done with that?

Matt: No I still skate!  I was at the US Open of Surfing in Huntington Beach in the parking lot skating with some friends of mine!  I still enjoying doing it.

David: How do you think you have progressed as a songwriter?  Has song writing become easier for you?

Matt:  Hmm…I don’t know.  I think it’s just the same, no different.  I think now I just have a few more tricks up my sleeve.  I don’t think you need tons of musical experiences to write a good, simple song.  I think you need a lot of life experience.  You need to have a clear understanding of your own thoughts.  There are never ending experiences all around you. That’s ultimately where good songs come from.  I feel lucky to be a musician and to be able to use my experiences to make music.