My Denton Music interview: Singer Matthew Gray

by Andy Odom of My Denton Music

I caught up to Matthew Gray in-between his set at a loft show in Dallas and his headlining set at Rubber Gloves Rehearsal Studio.

Matthew Gray

Over the past few years, Matthew Gray has become quite a presence in the Denton arts scene. He fronts two bands, books for venues around town, and has founded an arts collective. Last Friday, I caught up to Matthew Gray in-between his set at a loft show in Dallas and his headlining set at Rubber Gloves Rehearsal Studio. He made time to chat and discuss his many projects.

My Denton Music: What have you been working on lately, Matthew?

Gray: Um, my main goal has been finishing the Arrogant Sea's new record, which we're kind of on the last leg of. Our deadline is to have the record to the label by December 15.

My Denton Music: On Nova Posta [Vinyl]*?

Gray: Yes, it's on Nova Posta. We're looking for a release date of the week of SXSW. That's what we're working on. I've been literally sleeping at the studio, while working on 15 other jobs (laughs), It's been fun ... interesting. Lots of funny stories.

My Denton Music: Such as?

Gray: Well, we tracked the last song of the record a couple of days ago, like the closer, and the band left, and I was in there with the engineer. And he said, "Man, Matthew, we really need a vulnerability with your vocals." So, we went to Andy's [Bar], and we got really shit-faced (laughs), and then came back and I got completely naked in the isolation booth. And he decided, since he was drunk, to get completely naked in the control room, and we couldn't see each other, so there was nothing too ridiculous happening, but got really naked to track the last song and it turned out even better than I had hoped.

My Denton Music: Tonight, you're performing with Matthew Gray Delves Into Humanity Pools...

Gray: Yeah, we actually changed the band name a couple of days ago.

My Denton Music: Is there an addition to the end of it?

Gray: No, no, we're just going by Writer now.

My Denton Music: Oh, ok, so are there any plans for recording?

Gray: Actually, as soon as I finish the Arrogant Sea record, before we go out on tour and start promoting that new record, we're going to be tracking...

My Denton Music: Oh, ok...

Gray: Yeah, we're going to be tracking at a friends house for that record. It's completely different ... we only have two songs that we've written as a band, that we're playing now. The other songs I've brought to the band, and we've been doing a lot of writing that way. It's much darker, it's very Norwegian, like electronic-infused folk. It's still very pop, but with Jesse (Chandler) in the band now, it's brought out a whole other side. We've jumped into, or delved into, a new sound with this band, so it's been fun.

My Denton Music: Being the main songwriter for both acts, how is your approach towards Writer different than towards Arrogant Sea?

Gray: Everything with Arrogant Sea I wrote in code. I got really obsessed with coding about five years ago. I started out writing songs and I thought they were shit. So, I decided to get creative, and sort of infuse hidden messages in the songs, similar to what they did back in the '60s and '70s, but you're not reversing the record to hear "I love the Devil," you have to understand the code; you have to decode it. Which, most people don't realize because I've never talked about it it openly. But, there's a little story on the back of "The Magic Christian." And, it's maybe four or five paragraphs long, but if you really put the effort into it, you realize what the meaning of the record is. I've had so many people ask me, "What the hell is this record about?" and I won't tell anyone; you just have to figure it out. But with this [Writer] record, I'm writing songs for the first time. It's different. They're story-form, but different.

My Denton Music: You were at the Drink and Think** a week or two back.

Gray: I was.

My Denton Music: The topic was "What does it mean to 'be Denton?'" What does "being Denton" mean to you?

Gray: I don't know, probably having a beard and being really pretentious. (laughs) No, that's not true. I don't know, I don't really subscribe to the "What is Denton?" theory. I went to that because I was really curious. I'm a big fan of people watching, and it inspires me in lots of ways, just observing how people view the world around them. And I view Denton as a cess-pool of talent ... of all mediums. That's why I've gotten so involved with the scene. And it's not that I want to further myself or career, I really want to help everyone because I've learned so much being in the town for as long as I have.

My Denton Music: How long have you been in town?

Gray: 7 or 8 years now. Not quite as long as some of the old-timers, but I plan on staying here. Maybe one day I'll run for mayor.

My Denton Music: Maybe start serving with Robert Gomez...

Gray: Exactly.

My Denton Music: Tell me about Bee's Fifth Collective.

Gray: My whole goal in opening that was to inspire people. You know, it takes one person to start a fire. But, if you get other people encouraged, that's when you can really do something. We were able to rally people in Dallas, and Fort Worth, and especially in [Denton] to really look for something different; to do something different. The goal is to open a performance arts space in Denton. That's something that's happening, but we've run into some problems finding some grants since we are a non-profit organization.

My Denton Music: Have you been working with the city?

Gray: No, we haven't been working with the city yet. That's something I've put a lot of thought into. We've been looking into [federal] funding, because there's a lot of money that goes into the arts every year. And corporate funding. That worked for Art Prostitute. And my goal is to find a building that will last.

My Denton Music: Ok, last question: If you could ask for only one Christmas gift, what would it be and why?

Gray: Oh, I don't know. I haven't asked for a Christmas gift in a long time. It would either be totally selfish, or totally self-less. I'm going to go down the unselfish road, which would be funding from the government so we can open up a fine arts space.

* Nova Posta Vinyl is a Denton-based label run by Robert Gomez and Midlake's Eric Pulido. Their first release was the debut album of Matthew and the Arrogant Sea.

**Drink and Think is a home-based discussion group. The Think comes from the discussion, usually centered around philosophy, politics, or religion. The Drink comes from the keg that's always provided by host Kevin Roden. The most recent topic was "What does it mean to ‘be Denton?'" Click here for more info on Drink and Think.