Renowned indie-folk artist Jason Matu is yearning for better days ahead, just like the rest of us. “Fare Thee Well” – the first single from Jason Matu’s upcoming Same Day EP – is a white hot slab of Americana in which Jason says so long to the bad times (and the even worse vibes) of recent memory and steps boldly out into the light in this impressionistic lyrical portrait of an amorphous feeling of perseverance and triumph. Described as being “a 2021 version of Tom Petty meets Flying Burrito Brothers meets The Byrds!”, “Fare Thee Well” draws on the stylings of classic singer-songwriters of yore. “Fare Thee Well” is due for release across music platforms on September 17th, 2021.
In this interview spotlight, I chat with Jason Matu about the new music, challenges, technology and more.
Full Q&A along with links and music below.
Where are you from and what style of music do you create? (In your own words, not necessarily in marketing terms or by popular genre classifications.)
A corner in the middle of dairy country in western New York State 10 minutes south of the bustling metropolis of Ellicottville, New York called Maples is the first place I remember calling home. Fredonia, New York is where my identity largely formed. And I strongly identify with northern Kentucky and Lexington. But I’ve lived in Brooklyn for 10 years now, and it feels like this is where I really found myself. Although, I guess at the same time, I might posit that I have never not been me. It’s a paradox.
I make singer-songwriter jams that start with an acoustic guitar and some words as the foundation. I like to call it space-folk or neon americana depending on my mood.
What led you down this path of music and what motivates you to keep going?
It chose me. I did not choose it. If I could cure myself of this mania, I would not. It brings me unrivaled pleasure. It is as necessary and natural to me as breathing. I tried to stop once and obviously it didn’t work.
The other major contributing factor is that I am extraordinarily blessed to work with incredibly talented collaborators. Whether in any band I’ve played in or the music I put out as Jason Matu, I have always had great people to work with.
How is this new release different than previous ones? Were you trying to accomplish anything specific?
“Fare Thee Well” is a song from the “Same Day” EP, so called because all three songs were written in the same day. I’ve never written three songs in a day before or since.
I also had my friends in The Moon City Masters play on the EP, which was totally awesome. I love their harmonies and their playing. I’m definitely looking forward to making more tunes with them.
Name one or two challenges you face as an indie musician in this over saturated, digital music age? How has technology helped you (since we know it does help)?
It is quite challenging to find the time to do all the things that an indie artist needs to do to promote their tunes. Technology, however, has made that process so much easier than it used to be. I wish I were more active on social media platforms, and I’m working on it, but thanks to social media, I have fans all over the world, and that is very cool. Technology has also made finding new music and listening to it so, so, so much easier, and I really like that.
What was the last song you listened to?
The last song I listened to was a mix of an unreleased song by a band that a colleague manages.
The last released song I listened to was “Hot & Heavy” by Lucy Dacus.
Which do you prefer? Vinyl? CDs? MP3s?
I like streaming. You have infinity music with virtually no effort. It is amazing.
How about this one…. Do you prefer Spotify? Apple Music? Bandcamp? Or something else? Why?
I like Spotify, but I would imagine I could get down with any of them. Ages ago, my friend put on her Spotify family plan. So, I’ve just been using that ever since. Back when I did A&R for a spell, about five years ago, I would most commonly discover gems via Soundcloud. I have no idea if that is still the case.
Where is the best place to connect with you online and discover more music?
The answer is supposed to be my website, according to all the marketing gurus, so I’m going to pretend that’s the answer. Anybody can shoot me an email on the site. They can also sign up for my mailing list. That way, they can stay sort of up to date to date on all the latest developments. jasonmatu.com
Anything else before we sign off?
Thank you for having me.
