Matthew O’Neill is a musical artist living in Upstate New York. He was born in Ontario, and raised in Pennsylvania. Matthew spent much of his youth joyously alongside his father in the Eastern Woodlands. His music embodies an innate connection to the Earth and Indigenous Ways. Learning to embrace the inherent contradictions of those ways and contemporary life has been a defining aspect of his work. In bridging the gap between time honored ways and the modern world, he offers up fresh options and feelings that are vivid, wise, sexual, humorous, and celebratory.
In this interview spotlight, we chat with Matthew about his new project (now available), influences, the streaming music world and more.
Full Q&A along with links and a stream of Trophic Cascade below.
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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.)
Hello. I’m from Shandaken, NY, (‘land of the rapid waters’) which is in the Catskill Mountains. I make music from the perspective of someone who lives in strong connection to the Earth but is also engaged in mainstream culture. I call it mountain soul music.
What led you down this path of music and what motivates you to stay the course?
I’m driven to express a mystical awareness that I’ve felt since I was a child. I’ve always had this major thing within me, connecting me to the Earth. The true source materials of creation never dry up or become exhausted. They continue to thrive, sustain, and connect. I’m tapped into this and am here to represent with gratitude and respect.
How is your new release different than previous ones? Did you set out to accomplish anything specific?
This album is a lot different than any I’ve done before. I wanted to make a super proper studio record. It’s more sophisticated. The timing was finally right for me and Diko Shoturma (Atlantic Sound Studios) to work together. I wanted to properly record the arrangements I had in mind for the songs. I also wanted collaborate with the musicians and engineers in a way that brought out the best of their abilities. Diko brought in musicians he knew would be simpatico. I am proud of the results.
Do you face any challenges as an indie musician in a digital age? On the flip side, how has technology helped you (if it has)?
I don’t have any real complaints. Creating monetary income is challenging. Getting your voice heard in the flood of music releases is tricky. The lack of intrinsic sound quality that Mp3’s have is a bummer. Thankfully I have great engineers to make the best of the Mp3 situation. The technology isn’t as much of a game changer for me on the creative side, it’s more influential on the tail end, in the access to the music.
Where can we follow you online and hear more music?
The new album, Trophic Cascade, comes out on May 5th. You can get in touch with me via my website www.matthew-oneill.com or my bandcamp. Also, via my new music / earth protection project. It’s called Underwater Panther Coalition.
Anything else before we sign off?
Love your Mother. Fight the good fight.
