Todd Mathis

Marker, Ken Vandermark’s latest project played in Columbia last weekend and it was an amazing show.  When he pulled out that baritone sax I could feel the excitement bubbling up inside me.  The best show I’ve seen in quite a while and you could feel the energy flowing through the stage as Ken lead the quintet.  I bought the CD after the show and have enjoyed it as well.  Keep doing what you love.

I haven’t been feeling really creative lately, and my plans to hook up with other “creative types” have all seemed to go by the wayside, but I’ll just wait it out. No need to force things. In the meantime, while I wait for inspiration, I’ll continue to tinker with a couple of projects that I have in the works and practice the G, C, D, Em chords on the pedal steel.

The first project in the works is called Hank, Tom & Willie, which is a 3 song EP of covers of Hank Williams, Tom T Hall and Willie Nelson. I recored this at High Fidelity with Carl Burnitz over a couple of Monday nights last fall and its pretty much done unless I decide to add some pedal steel. Steel (still) debating that. I think I recorded 7-8 covers total but decided on these 3 for the EP.

The other project has a working title “The Border” and will be released as an Interruptions of the Mind work.  It currently consists of 10 instrumentals and were inspired by the This American Life Podcast episode entitled “OK I’ll Do It” Act One:  Line in the Sand.  This podcast tells the story of a border patrol agent who guarded the Mexico/US border and after listening to it, I picked up the guitar and started playing songs and imagining a young man trying to come to the US.

Last but not least, Todd Mathis & His Only Friends Left will be playing the Art Bar on March 10 for my good friend Bentz Kirby’s CD release show.

 

Gearing up for the last show of 2017 with the full band.  Thanks to the Free Times for the kind words.  Be sure to head over to the bandcamp site to see the new releases.  Happy Fall.

Todd Mathis & His Only Friends Left — Perhaps the most exciting thing about the solo work of former American Gun singer Todd Mathis is that every solo release he’s put out is completely different from the others. The Columbia artist’s most recent release is a tender acoustic cover of Tom Petty’s “The Apartment Song.” Before that he put out two collections of ambient soundscapes and found-sound collages under the name Interruptions Of The Mind. And before that came Love in the City, a collection of ragged, infectiously catchy guitar rock. He’s a delightful musical crapshoot.