Urs started playing guitar at 14 after first giving piano a try. The guitar opened new doors and Urs could finally play all the songs he loved listening to. The first attempt at songwriting followed shortly after. It was not until years later, after finishing college in Toronto, Canada that Urs started thinking that playing the guitar could be more than just playing for himself. By going to Open-Mics at Freetimes Café and playing gigs at the El Mocambo Tavern in Toronto, he learned that sharing his songs with an audience was great fun. Throughout the following years lots of band formations and collaborations followed.
Recently, Matravers decided to make his next move and become a solo artist. While traveling around in his 1974 VW camper he packed up his acoustic guitar a small PA and surfboard and headed out to the UK to put his new songs to the test. “Playing local pubs in the UK was a great experience for me. It gave me confidence and supported my idea of becoming a solo artist. Surfing during the day and playing at night, that’s the life!”
The new album will contain a selection of songs from the past and the present with a new dynamic spin and feel. It’s the work of a singer/songwriter, shaped with the help of friends. An album inspired by life.
In this interview spotlight, we speak with Urs Matravers about music, influences, the new project and more.
Full Q&A, links, and streams can be found below.
https://soundcloud.com/user-155827823/urs-matravers-vintage-radio
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.)
I have Swiss/English parents and grew up in both Switzerland and Canada. I live in Zurich and travel to the UK on a regular basis. My music is driven by the acoustic guitar sound as that is the instrument that I write most of my songs on. Today there are so many crazy styles of music. I think it is very difficult to place myself in a specific genre so I’ll simply quote Billy Joel: “It’s still Rock N’ Roll to me”. 🙂
What led you down this path of music and what motivates you to stay the course?
Just recently I listened to an old demo I made many years ago and it just screamed my style. I’ve always had a hard time identifying my own style of music although it was right there in front of me. It took me a while to realise that I’ve always been on the same path.
Who or what are your biggest influences when it comes to your creativity?
In the song “Vintage Radio” on my album “Shadow Box” I sing: “The Beatles, Billy Joel and JT (James Taylor), they all sound so good to me, on my vintage radio”. These three have influenced me but so have many other great songwriters and performers like McCartney, Petty, Dylan, Costello, Diamond, Jack Johnson, G. Love.
How is your new release different than previous ones? Did you set out to accomplish anything specific?
My goal was to record my songs using outside talents without losing the true sound of my music. Having Philip Harrison arrange/produce the album and many of my friends play on the album helped me to achieve this fine balance. I also wanted the CD cover to be a true representation of me. After a lot of searching, I ended up doing the entire album artwork myself and getting it all out just before the production deadline. I’m very happy with the end result.
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’m a total vintage nut. I love recording on my 2-track Revox B77 deck. I also have this huge and very heavy Tascam 12track recorder that takes tapes that look like VCR cassettes! I always feel like I’m cheating when I’m using digital. It just feels so unmusical. On the other hand, one is so much faster when using digital in every way. Digital can be fun too. The song “Vintage Radio” is about me holding onto the past.
How do you feel about streaming services? Any romantic attachments to the physical formats: vinyl, 8-track, cassettes, CDs?
Streaming is not good for the big music corporations or radio but not so bad for independent artist. It gives them a chance to be heard all over the world. I love vinyl. It has always been my favorite way to listen to music. I’m glad people are buying vinyl again. Cassettes are the next thing to get a revival – so get your classic Tape deck now while they are still cheap.
Where can we follow you online and hear more music?
Follow me on Facebook and check out some of my songs on iTunes, Spotify or MX3.
Anything else before we sign off?
Thank you so much for the interview and I hope to see you soon!
