The Matthew Show - by Marie Helene
intimate songs about burning buses

Matthew from The Matthew Show calls himself "narcissistic and self-righteous," and maybe he's right. He did name his band The Matthew Show and does adorn his CD cover with a picture of himself as a toddler "already primed for a life of disappointment." But, he will also feed a friend's turtle when he goes out of town and recommends a Phil Collins CD to almost strangers, so maybe he's wrong.

There is an intimacy on his debut solo album Texas that wraps around you immediately. Take "Office Suite, Part One," a spoken word rhythm piece in which he makes wild claims about his office. Would he really not "give a rat’s ass if half the quality assurance department didn’t show up because they died in a bus fire on the way back from the “Quality Rocks” seminar in Shreveport fucking Louisiana?" He tells me, "there was a time when I would’ve called a meeting about it, without donuts. I used to be a very good manager, but I got burned one time too many by overlords who couldn’t give a damn about anything past the next quarter’s profits."

Matthew's intelli-rock was nourished in Northern Texas, where he was in The Civilians and The Average Deep. Back then his favorite Fort Worth venue was "The Caravan of Dreams," torn down three years ago. The music scenes in the Lone star State and the Big Apple aren't as different as he would have hoped. "The scenes are every bit as incestuous; there are just more of them up here. One good thing is that there’s a little less cynicism here, because people don’t feel like they’re trapped out in the middle of nowhere with their unrealized talent."

Matthew's talent is realized in many haunting moments on Texas. Toward the end of "Symbiotic Angel," the melody opens up into a raucous violin set over a woman's moaning. "The female voice is one of my obsessions. Truthfully, that whole section is only a minor variation on the ending to “Pray Your Gods” by Toad the Wet Sprocket. They should probably sue me."
While The Sprocket sues Matthew, Phil Collins should pay him for good press. Texas hinges on his version of "The Roof is Leaking" and he says the cockney drummer "gets a raw deal because of his poor production choices. His songs and chops are rock-solid, but he often picks the wrong instrumentation to show them off."

Whatever influences crop up on Texas, the overall flavor is euphoric and smart.