MATT MARTINDALE

THE INTERVIEW

First off when did you discover your love for music? And your love to play it?
I think I first discovered my love for music early, listening to music in the back of my parents car, while on vacations. I tried to learn to play guitar in the third grade, but it didn’t really stick till the sixth, where we had a music class in school, and everyone in the class learned to play guitar. I would learn three chords and go home and show my dad, and he would say, oh, then let’s play this Elvis song.

Where were you raised?
I was born and raised in Pampa, Texas, home of the Hustling Harvesters.

Who influenced you? And your music?
My parents were my biggest influence, cranking up Willie and Waylon, Don Williams, Creedence Clearwater Revival, a whole ton of Elvis. I loved it all too, especially Willie, and then I kind of freaked for a while, going neck deep into every Led Zepellin track I could find on cassette, Pink Floyd, Black Sabbath, and all the rock my ears could take. That was of course during the eighties when music died and the internet had not come along to save us from everyone else’s idea of music, so I found the blues and stayed there till Guy Clark saved my life. Truly, I had lost my way, I had nothing to sink my teeth into, and then I found songwriters. Guys like Guy Clark (who I discovered after I unearthed an old Kerrville Folk Festival tape in my folks garage while repairing a guitar), Steve Earle, Townes Van Zandt, Billy Joe Shaver. These guys sounded like real people, real songs, real music. I had found a starting place of sorts.

I hear you had a room mate at UT who wound up making quite a name for himself? Did you have any idea at that time that both of you would wind up in the spotlight?
Me and Matthew McConaughey were not actually roommates, but we were friends, part of the same fraternity, and we played spades about 3 or 4 nights a week for several years. We had a lot of late night jam sessions, playing and making up songsÉ..and studying.

How and when did Cooder Graw come together?
Cooder came together in 1998 I believe, as a result of some mutual friends, and a weekly gig I had at the Golden Light.

Did that change your life? How?
At the time I was practicing law and had just gotten married, and never expected to play music professionally, or write songs for a living. My wife definitely didn’t expect itÉ.we had one little girl and another on the way when I told I was quiting my assistant DA job and going on the road to be a musician. She was awesome and always has been, and basically said, “well, make sure we have medical insurance and food and can pay the bills.”

What are some of your best memories of playing with Cooder?
The things I truly cherish are the friends I’ve made. The artists are great people, true characters, and the fans are my reason for doing it. I’ve gotten to record a song with Willie and Johnny Bush, that ranks right up there, I’ve shared the stage with folks like Steve Cropper, Kelly Willis, Jason Boland, Jack Ingram, and I don’t want to go on because it would seem like overkill. Those are some of the things I look back on and feel good about.

You left a pretty prosperous career in law to pursue music... I gotta ask why?
Law and music are seemingly so different, but they have their similarities. Each has it’s own stage and requires some thinking on your feet.
And of course, music is a whole hell of a lot more fun. Law is very stressful, yet there are very few times in a musicians life, other than the constant, “where is the money going to come from,” worry, plaguing the musician’s mind.

In your time with Cooder you have made quite a name for yourself as a songwriter. When did You begin writing?
I began writing poetry, I think in the third grade, and received some kind of runner-up prize for the panhandle or some kind of regional something or other, for a poem around then.
Once I learned how to play guitar in the sixth grade, I naturally put the two together, and have been writing since then.

Cooder Graw had their last show on what date? How was that parting ways?
Our last show was on New Year’s Eve of 2006, in Fort Worth, Texas. We have great radio support in the Dallas, Fort Worth area, and that last show will always stick out in my mind as incredible. The crowd was fantastic, so many old, dear, hardcore Cooder fans were there to show there support and love. It was amazing.
The parting didn’t come because of any kind of coup de grace, we just realized it was probably time to call it quits. It was bittersweet really. For me personally, I was very excited to see the end come, and begin anew. I love those guys, we had a great time and put out great music and played great shows, but, my heart is with my family. That is why I wanted to move on, my family. I needed to be able to take off two or even three weekends a month if need be and spend time with my wife and girls. I believe if you’re a parent, then be a parent by God, and be the best one you can be. There is really nothing more important in the world than that. After that, if I have time to do some other stuff, great, but first and foremost, be a husband and a dad.

You are back out on the road on your own bill how has the reception been?
Honestly, I thought I would have to start from the ground floor again, and I fully prepared my self mentally for that challenge. So far however, the reception has been very positive, with good crowds, and good times.

You’ve had a great response on your MySpace page in just a few months has that helped to get the word out on the shows?
MySpace is the wave man, the greatest tool out there for artists these days I know of. Yea, it’s helped a ton.

Who is your backing band now?
Right now, I’m the luckiest dude I know. I have the Charlie Shafter Band playing with me. You may know, Charlie is my brother-in-law, his drummer, Joel Dreistadt is another brother-in-law, and Drew McClure might as well be, because I’ve known him for that long. These guys are flat out the baddest musicians I’ve been around. I’m also lucky enough to have Jake Pyeatt playing lead guitar on most shows. You may recognize the name, Pyeatt, his dad plays lead for Stoney Larue. Jake is incredible. No s**t.

I heard ya at Midnight Rodeo this last weekend, seems like you’ve gotten a bit more of a roots edge, or has it been roots all along?
I hope it has been roots all along, but I think with these guys, the feel I’ve been looking for comes out a lot more naturally.

You include some of the old Cooder songs, what else are you playing in a set now?
Right now we are playing about 4 new songs I’ve written and are working on other new ones to put into the set. We also play some of Charlie’s songs, because he’s great writer.

How many shows have ya’ll done as the Matt Martindale Band?
I think we may be around the great 8 mark now.

Have you noticed a difference in the crowd, or is it the same Cooder crowd?
The crowd seems about the same, we always had some repeat offenders and a few brand new wondering wanderers. Now, they seem to stay longer.

What has been the most noticeable difference going it on your own?
It seems easier now. I heard someone say, business shouldn’t be a democracy. Yup, it’s too hard to have three or four people try to decide what is best for everybody.

How long did you do the Tuesday night at the Golden Light?
I don’t know about Tuesday night specifically, but I played weekly at the Golden Light for about 10 years. At first it was Thursday’s, then Wednesday’s, then eventually the Tuesday night spot which I think I played for about 6 or 7 years. Andy Chase had that spot before I did. He made it a cool night to play. I think I just destroyed it, built it up, tore it down, the whole thing several times over.

Who are some of the musicians you have played with in the past and present?
I mentioned some of them earlier. I’ve played with Willie, Clint Black, Alabama, Todd Snider, Cody Canada and Cross Canadian Ragweed, Jason Boland, Jack Ingram, Robert Earl Keen, Rodney Crowell, Radney Foster, Bruce and Charlie Robison, Jimmy Vaughn, Joe Ely, Ray Wylie Hubbard, Gary P. Nunn, Bo Salling, Casey Berry, Larry Joe Taylor, Mike McClure, Stoney Larue, Macon Greyson, Reckless Kelly, Micky and the Motorcars, Deryll Dodd, Roger Creager, and a bunch more I can’t remember right now off the top of my head.

Will you be putting out your own project anytime soon?
I sure as hell hope so. I have quite a few songs, and am working on some more and have producer lined up, and I’m just looking into the ways and means of putting it all together.

How many weekends a month will you be playing?
Ideally, I will play a couple weekends a month and have a couple off.

I hear you are practicing law again, how hard is it to do both law and perform as a touring musician?
Right now it is working out pretty well. I have great people around me in both professions who help out. I’m happier now than I’ve been in a long time and really excited for the future.

What web links do you want listed?
My myspace, whatever that is, and my new website, is www.mattmartindale music.com and I have an old website at www. mattmartindale.net. Of course there is always the cooder myspace.