![]() Some turn it on as party music or fun background music, but it’s incredibly religious. The way people listen to gospel music is funny. Do you want to know the best example? (The man’s mind running) Gospel. MEW: …then you start thinking about the words and then you’re like: they’re saying real stuff, about life and death, and culture, and society, and wealth, and poverty. (laughs) Like despite myself, I go with the flow. Actually Outkast is a good example! Like hip hop stuff because it’s so vibrant rhythmically, you sort of just like go with the flow-whatever they’re saying. I’m still trying to think of a record from before…you know there’s a lot of soul records! Let’s say Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On”-that’s a good record to think about. It’s funny that you mention people pay the most attention to them and if you asked me what my strengths were that is not what I would answer. Now, something with lyrics? Maybe uh-that’s interesting-you know I’m sort of a lyricist by accident. Listening to it more I realized it was something sort of transcendental. I didn’t get the complete scope of it the first time. MEW: Unfortunately this album doesn’t have lyrics, but Miles Davis’ Bitches Brew was the record that changed my life. ![]() MR: Albums that like on first listen have grabbed you, with an understanding of the fullness of the lyrics coming thereafter? You mean sort of like records that I’ve sort of have fallen in love with from the get-go? MEW: Umm that’s a good question (laughs). What are some musical experiences that have done that to you? MR: The melodies immediately draw you in and force you to pay attention to the lyrics. It’s the biggest thing that happens, and I think really closes it down nicely. And also an instrumental platform to really ride out the record. It was a way for me to flesh out the narrative and pay tribute to an artist that I respect greatly and a tradition that I respect greatly. Brazos adds a spiritual flavor, clearly, but also just a narrative flavor that made the song three-dimensional to me. Immediately I knew it would be great sort of coda ending for the record. MEW: I’d written the song-up until that point it was kind of complete, or it was getting there-and I heard this lyric in this Brazilian tune called ‘Brother’ off an album in the 70s-sort of obscure -and its that “Jesus Christ is your friend”-and I liked the way the words worked over that particular chord progression in his song. MR: Yeah, he did! So up for a little more grilling? On Brazos there’s a very marked change at the end of the song. There’s just piano, and there’s blues piano, and New Orleans piano, but there’s this very particular sort of piano like Jerry Lee Lewis, Richard Manuel, and the Band- rock ‘n’ roll piano-I wanted that, and he did a good job. My instructions were: be sort of rocky, Jimmy Hendrixy with a Jerry Lee Lewis playing piano on top. I also had a few piano bits I wanted him to play on, and ‘Big Love’ was one of them. Liking his vocal arrangements, I asked him to do some on my album. We’ve worked together previously with the Sounds of the South project. MEW: We happened to be in two bands that were playing the same show one night in Nashville-it’s been a long time, 7 years ago now-and it took us 5 minutes to realize we were connected in a very soulful way. MR: How did you meet? And how much of what he did on that song was intentional? ![]() MR: Is it Phil Cook playing piano on Big Love? ![]() ![]() I think that your narrative form will resonate with our readers, I do, but I want to be deliberate about the instrumentation on Big Inner because it’s incredible! Can we talk about a few instances that struck me? Can I get specific right off the bat? White: Yeah, it’s good to hear your voice. Meaghan Ritchey: This is Meaghan from Curator Magazine. White, the man behind “The Big Inner” and SPACEBOMB in Richmond, VA. A winding phone conversation between Meaghan Ritchey & Matthew E. ![]()
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