“Candy Rain” is the new single from the upcoming self-titled debut album by Hello June. Born out of Morgantown, W.Va., Hello June were named in the inaugural class of NPR Slingshot artists earlier this year. The first single and video for “Mars,” released in June, garnered features from NPR Music, Minnesota Public Radio’s “The Current”, and Broadway World.
The radiant-meets-rustic video for “Candy Rain” is an enchanting companion to the track’s kaleidoscopic glow, conjuring the feeling of an unrushed sunset that lingers longer than it’s supposed to.
Both “Mars” and “Candy Rain” are available as singles, ahead of the full-length album-produced by WV music luminary Bud Carroll- due on Friday, September 28.
The band will celebrate the release of their debut album on Saturday, Sept. 29 at the Boulevard Tavern in Charleston and they’ll share the bill with Sarah Shook and the Disarmers in Morgantown on October 2.
Since the show began almost two years ago, A Change of Tune has highlighted some of the best up-and-coming artists out of these West Virginia hills with podcast-y chats ranging from Tyler Childers to Ona, Bud Carroll to Coyotes in Boxes and beyond.
But those interviews have been a bit infrequent, and since West Virginia Day was this month (and with A Change of Tune’s second birthday on the horizon), we thought we’d do something special: 30 days, 30 brand new #WVmusic interviews that range from Morgantown alt-rockers and Parkersburg singer-songwriters to West Virginia music venues and regional artist management and beyond, all of which contribute to this state’s wild and wonderful music scene.
And for our final #WVmusic chat, we are chatting with Kanawha-by-way-of-Logan County multi-instrumentalist Jeff Ellis. After playing in a number of local bands over the years (including Harvest and Guinness Clarke’s Wine) and releasing more than a few solo records, Jeff is ready to show the world his new band and his new sound, but not before giving us an idea of the number of #WVmusic people who have helped him along the way.
Jeff Ellis and 40 Days’ new release is Modern Time Blues. Hear more #WVmusic on A Change of Tune, airing Saturday nights at 10 on West Virginia Public Broadcasting. And for more #WVmusic chats, make sure to go to wvpublic.org/wvmusic.
Credit Melissa Stilwell Photography
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Jeff Ellis and 40 Days perform at The V Club in 2016.
Interview Highlights
On his love for music:
I always wanted to be a musician, since I was probably 11- or 12-years-old. I’ve played music, I’ve written songs, and I’ve always strived to be better. Ultimately, I would love to do that for a living and make enough to support a family on that. But as Ian Thornton and Todd Burge have said in earlier interviews, if music is the only thing you’re doing, you’re going to have a hard life. You’ll have a good time, but it might be short-lived and very stressful.
I made a decision early on, at 17 as a matter of fact, that I was going to have a dual career. It’s actually the only reason why I joined the Army Reserve instead of Active Duty. Army Reserve, I can do my one weekend enough, go do some Active Duty time, make enough money to where I could still make music, and still work a part-time job. And that worked out for a while. Time went by and, 18 years later, here I am.
On balancing his life with the Army and his career in music:
I’ve got to spend a year in Austin, Texas. I’ve got to spend a year in Fayetteville, North Carolina. I’ve spent too many years in Iraq and Kuwait and places like that. But each time I go do this, I’m able to save up a fairly good amount of money so when I come back, all the songs I’ve written during that time period, I’m able to go into a studio, I can fund it myself, and I can hire and pay the musicians. And it gives me a chance to play in those areas that I normally wouldn’t get to. So in that regard, it’s worked well. But there have been a lot of sacrifices.
In 2002, for example, I had a chance to go out and do a demo with Raine Maida from the band Our Lady Peace. I was stationed at Fort Bragg at the time, and I met him in Columbus, Ohio, and slipped him a demo a couple weeks before. The stars aligned, the dude calls me, and he was supportive of the songwriting. Then he shoots me an email and asks if I would want to go to California for a weekend and record a demo. So I go to my command at Fort Bragg and they’re like, “Our Lady who? No, we’re not going to give you a four-day pass to go out and make a demo with a rock star.” That sucked real bad [laughing].
On Active Duty, it was almost impossible to have a dual career. I would book these shows, but then at the last minute, they would tell me I couldn’t go.
Credit Melissa Stilwell Photography
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Bud Carroll and Jeff Ellis have known each other for quite some time.
On Jeff Ellis and 40 Days’ band name:
I didn’t want it to be The Jeff Ellis Band because we had done that before with different people, so I wanted this to be distinct. I told the band to come up with a band, and everyone started putting names in the hat. Someone threw in 40 Days, which is actually a song I had written years before. I was raised in a Baptist Church, and 40 Days is significant for times of trial and temptation throughout the Bible. That was always the one I tried to shoot down just because it had been the song title, and I didn’t want it to be the band name. I was thinking about The Heartbreakers, but that was already taken [laughing]. But everyone voted on their favorite band name, and I was outvoted.
Credit Jimbo Valentine
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Huntington-based artist Jimbo Valentine designed Jeff Ellis and 40 Days’ new album artwork.
On his new release Modern Time Blues:
A lot of the songs were written in a police cruiser, I’ll start with that [laughing]. I try to write songs that I think are interesting, and usually those come from real people who I’ve met that get turned into characters and real events that get somewhat fictionalized. A lot of the stuff on this record are real events, real people that I’ve come into contact through police work or military work that I just had to write about. Writing time is hard to find, by the way, when you have two kids, which is why I do most of it in a police cruiser [laughing]. I had a bunch of songs and took them to Bud Carroll. Thematically and sonically, this is probably the strongest record we have done.
On his music career goals:
Two of my goals in life were to play Mountain Stage and to meet Bruce Springsteen, and I’ve knocked those two out. He has no idea that he met me, but he shook my hand at a concert, and I was like, “I’m not washing this hand for a week.” But I was fortunate enough to do Mountain Stage, and then I got to do it again, which was phenomenal. If I got to meet Tom Petty now, the trifecta would be complete.
Music featured in this #WVmusic chat:
Jeff Ellis and 40 Days- “On the Right Road Now”
Jeff Ellis and 40 Days- “Poor Penny”
Jeff Ellis and 40 Days- “Never Enough”
Jeff Ellis and 40 Days- “So. Charleston City Beat Blues”
Since the show began almost two years ago, A Change of Tune has highlighted some of the best up-and-coming artists out of these West Virginia hills with podcast-y chats ranging from Tyler Childers to Ona, Bud Carroll to Coyotes in Boxes and beyond.
But those interviews have been a bit infrequent, and since West Virginia Day was this month (and with A Change of Tune’s second birthday on the horizon), we thought we’d do something special: 30 days, 30 brand new #WVmusic interviews that range from Morgantown alt-rockers and Parkersburg singer-songwriters to West Virginia music venues and regional artist management and beyond, all of which contribute to this state’s wild and wonderful music scene.
And today, we are chatting with Tim Browning, a Logan County singer-songwriter who’s been playing music 20 years and a has a number of stories to tell.
Tim Browning is a resilient singer-songwriter out of Logan County, West Virginia.
Interview Highlights
On getting into music at a young age:
When I was a kid, my parents both played Southern gospel music in church. That’s how they met. So music has always had a strong influence in life. When I was about 8, I got my first bass guitar, and I sat on a stool behind them and plucked away at the bass while they were singing. It’s kind of funny to call it touring, but we went all over the region playing music. So that’s where I got my start.
And then my cousin gave me an old electric Harmony guitar. And I had no amplifier. So I had to wait until it was late at night when everyone was asleep to start learning how to play guitar.
You know, you watch a lot of acts and a lot of bands and a lot of places do cover tunes. But I was just never good at that. I was uncomfortable, maybe a little intimidated, playing other people’s song. So I thought, “Maybe I should write my own.” And that was that.
On his relationship with country music:
[Despite moving to Nashville,] I don’t really sing country music. But it has a lot of the same ingredients [as what I play]: a lot of rough-neck, back alley thoughts and ideas, being in those hills and hollers, taking life as it comes, and trying to get up out of that hole you feel like you were born in.
With the current string of tunes that I’ve been doing with The Widowmakers, I always describe our music as “crimes of passion.”
Credit Most Exalted
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Catch Tim Browning & the Widowmakers on tour throughout West Virginia.
On moving to Nashville at a young age to make music:
With Nashville, it seemed just as mystical and just as far away as Hollywood. So at 18, I loaded up my little piece of crap car, and I drove to Nashville. At that point [in your life], you have these grandiose ideas of what you can be. And I think that’s where my love and local and independent music comes from: you walk in [to a local bar], and you may open up for a local group, and they’re amazing. And everything they do is just as quality and felt just as important as what you heard on the radio. And a lot of times, the acts that you saw were bits and pieces of what you heard on the radio, but were still doing local acts and shows because that’s where their hearts were. The guy that’s parking your car or the girl getting your coffee is the most amazing songwriter or most brilliant singer that you may never ever hear. I was captured by that. I don’t think I ever fell out of love with it.
On gaining musical inspiration from enlisting in the Army:
It was hard finding a chance to perform, but it was not hard to write. That experience provided me with the most time for reflection. The further I got away from home, the more I fell in love with home. That’s when I came to terms as a young man about where I was from and to be ok about where I was from. That’s been my hardest lot in life: accepting things as they come.
I got away from the grunge-y abstract ideas that were happening in a lot of the music that you would have listened to as a teenager. I really became comfortable with being very blunt, matter-of-fact, and honest with who I was and what I was writing about. I got away from writing what I thought people wanted to hear.
Credit Most Exalted
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Tim Browning describes his band’s music as “a completely different brand of rock’n’roll.”
Since the show began almost two years ago, A Change of Tune has highlighted some of the best up-and-coming artists out of these West Virginia hills with podcast-y chats ranging from Bud Carroll to Goodwolf, Rozwell Kid to Coyotes in Boxes and beyond.
But those interviews have been a bit infrequent, and since West Virginia Day was this month (and with A Change of Tune’s second birthday on the horizon), we thought we’d do something special: 30 days, 30 brand new #WVmusic interviews that range from Morgantown alt-rockers and Parkersburg singer-songwriters to West Virginia music venues and regional artist management and beyond, all of which contribute to this state’s wild and wonderful music scene.
And today, we are chatting with Morgantown singer-songwriter-rocker William Matheny, who joined a band and began touring when he was but a wee lad. Flash-forward to today, and he has a great new release to his name, and he’s primed to make his NPR Music debut on Mountain Stage. We chatted with William about his experience playing music up in Mountaineer Country, the friends he’s made over the years in West Virginia, and what we can expect at his June 26 Mountain Stage…
William Matheny’s newest release is the Blood Moon Singer EP, which is a preview of his upcoming full-length Strange Constellations. You can hear his music on his website. Catch him on Mountain Stage on June 26 with his band friends Bud Carroll, Ian Thornton, Rod Elkins, and Adam Meisterhans. Hear more #WVmusic on A Change of Tune, airing Saturday nights at 10 on West Virginia Public Broadcasting. And for more #WVmusic chats, make sure to go to wvpublic.org/wvmusic and subscribe to our RSS / podcast feeds!
Credit Josh Saul
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William Matheny, performing at The Empty Glass in 2016.
Interview Highlights
On his family’s roots in music:
My great-grandfather was a regionally known gospel singer, and then his son (my grandfather) was a regionally known country singer named Mansfield Matheny. He had a band with some of his friends called The Rhythm Rascals, this would’ve been in the late ‘40s/early ‘50s. My grandfather was the lead singer of the group and played rhythm guitar.
My dad also plays music. He was in a really good bluegrass band in the late ‘70s/early ‘80s. They traveled around, did some stuff, and recorded an album, and then they all got married and had kids. Basically, I broke up the band. He still plays guitar in the church choir. He taught me how to play music, and we actually played in bands together when I was a kid. We played in cover bands when I was an adolescent and in early high school.
It was a long series of different bands, and I really have to give my father a ton of credit on this. I always stress this with people: my parents weren’t stage parents at all. This all was my idea. Basically I’d been playing guitar, and I told my parents I wanted to play in a band. And when you’re a small kid in a really small town, maybe you know people who play music, maybe you don’t. My dad got on the phone and said, “Hey, my son plays music. He wants to start doing stuff. Would you be interested in joining a band?” I didn’t think anything of it at the time, but I’m incredibly grateful for it now just because I’m imagining being an adult and getting that call from one of your acquaintances like, “Hey, would you want to join a band with my 9-year-old son?” [Laughing] I would be obviously be incredibly skeptical of that.
On beginning his music career in Morgantown:
I grew up about an hour south of Morgantown. By that time I’d become acquainted with the scene up here and all the bands, [not to mention] making music and doing albums and touring and stuff, I really wanted to get involved with [the scene]. At that point, I started playing with this guy named Brian Porterfield who had this band in the ’90s called Cheap Truckers’ Speed. Brian doesn’t really play anymore, but I say this to anyone who listens: he’s probably the best songwriter I know personally. In terms of people I can call on the phone and say “hello,” he’s just really, really great. Like one of those unknown treasure people.
I wanted to join his band. I looked him up in the phonebook, we knew some mutual people so it wasn’t totally like a cold-call, and I tried to pitch myself. It took a few phone calls, but eventually I joined as his drummer. That was my first proper band that was doing original material. I did that for like two years, like the second half of high school.
That band stopped playing like three or four months after I graduated from high school and turned 18. That was sort of when I [began playing front-and-center]. I was writing songs the whole time and played them a little bit, but it wasn’t my main focus. By that point, I was itching to get back to playing guitar, and I wanted to have a band that was playing my own material. I didn’t go to college; instead, I just moved to a college town and joined like five bands. I didn’t say no to any gig for a really long time. I was playing with a bunch of different groups, and it was a wonderful learning experience. I’m super happy about doing it. It meant I could learn how to play a lot of different genres and have a really good time doing it. There’s no shortcut into doing that. I wouldn’t recommend the same thing if you want to be a brain surgeon, but for music? Do it.
Credit Courtesy of William Matheny
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William Matheny performed at U92 FM’s inaugural Moose Fest at 123 Pleasant Street.
On playing in Morgantown:
123 Pleasant Street is obviously the biggest venue here in terms of ones that do things consistently. I’ve played at 123 for 16 or 17 years at this point. It’s been a really long time, and I’ve always really enjoyed it. It’s still my favorite club. Whatever place you latch onto when you’re young and impressionable, it will always be that gold standard for you. Every time I go out of town, I’m always comparing it to 123.
Gene’s [in Morgantown] is great. It’s this really nice neighborhood bar that’s a block away from my house. The owner Al [Bonner] is one of the best people in the world, just a great human being. It’s a very small place with a little PA, and it almost feels like you’re playing a house party more than anything. But it’s really great. He’s been very cool about getting in touring people. Sharon Van Etten played their once, and so did Lydia Loveless, John Paul Keith, and Webb Wilder. Gene’s is wonderful.
On recording his new record and forming a band of friends for it:
When we started recording, there wasn’t a concrete band line-up. Southeast Engine had stopped, and I knew I wanted to make a record. I wanted to get back to doing what I do. At the time, Rozwell Kid’s Adam Meisterhans was hanging out with Bud Carroll trying to make a record of his own (titled Best Vibrations, which I have to point that out because the title’s great), and I guess Adam sent me a text while he was down there saying it’d be fun for the three of us to work on a record. That seemed as good as an idea of any, so we went down, and we didn’t know what any of us would be playing on it. While we made it, Adam plays most of the bass, Bud plays most of the drums. I used to joke and tell people that if you’re going to make an album, you need to find the best two guitar players you know and have them play something else.
William Matheny’s upcoming full-length is ‘Strange Constellations.’ In the meantime, check out his 3-song EP ‘Blood Moon Singer’ at this week’s Mountain Stage.
On the new album and the band sharing the name of Strange Constellations:
Initially, I decided it was going to be the name of the record, and I wanted some continuity sort-of between the album and then name of the band. It comes from this thing in Moby Dick where Ishmael is talking about being in the Southern Hemisphere under different stars. What I took that to mean was if you’re astrologically inclined at all, you’re not really sure about the star signs that are guiding you, which is one of the main themes of the record. We wanted to tie the name of the band into that.
This is my fourth time. I did it twice with Todd Burge and once with Southeast Engine. It’s the first time under the guise of doing my own material. We’re obviously really excited. We’re doing the rarest of things in our band where we’re practicing. We’ve decided what we’re going to play, sharpening our knives and getting ready for the street fight.
Credit Josh Saul
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A FestivALL favorite, William Matheny has been performing in Charleston for years.
On advice to anyone getting into music:
The big thing is to don’t quit; that will get you further than anything you can do. After that, you just have to get out of town and play as many places as you can. That can be really discouraging at first, especially when you don’t know what that’s supposed to be like. If you’re playing popular shows in your hometown, you kind of immediately think everything should be like this. You’re going to do this, and it won’t be fun as playing in your hometown is initially, but if you keep coming back, it will. While it may not seem like you’re having an impression, you really are. So the best thing you can do is stay with it.
I’d hardly call myself qualified to give advice, but keep working and don’t get discouraged. That’s the important thing. Keep working, everything will improve. Don’t let it get you down.
Music featured in this #WVmusic chat:
William Matheny- “29 Candles”
William Matheny- “My Grandfather Knew Stoney Cooper”
Since the show began almost two years ago, A Change of Tune has highlighted some of the best up-and-coming artists out of these West Virginia hills with podcast-y chats ranging from Tyler Childers to Bud Carroll, Ona to Bishops and beyond.
But those interviews have been a bit infrequent, and since West Virginia Day was this month (and with A Change of Tune’s second birthday on the horizon), we thought we’d do something special: 30 days, 30 brand new #WVmusic interviews that range from Morgantown alt-rockers and Parkersburg singer-songwriters to West Virginia music venues and regional artist management and beyond, all of which contribute to this state’s wild and wonderful music scene.
And today, we are chatting with a West Virginia native who’s been able to capture the look and sound of #WVmusic with just a click of his camera. As Charleston-based photographer (and Mountain Stage web producer) Josh Saul tells us, band photography might not be as important as the band’s music itself, but it does play a crucial role in getting the band’s music in front of as many eyes and ears as possible. So let’s dive in, shall we?
Credit David Grinstead
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Josh Saul stands in front of Lake Superior in Grand Marais, Minnesota.
Where are you from originally?
I’m from Lincoln County. It’s a great place to be from if you’re really into high school sports, ATV riding, and hunting, in that order. Those are all wonderful and rewarding activities (I really mean that!), but they weren’t for me at that time, so I was a bit of an artsy outsider. Thanks to my high school art teacher Terry Wiley, I was accepted into the very first Governor’s School for the Arts class in 1994, which was a defining experience for me. It’s also where I first met Larry Groce and learned about Mountain Stage. I had other teachers too: Rebecca Wiley, Sandy Lawson, and Julian Martin. They went to great lengths to show me that there was a different world out there waiting for me.
Did you listen to #WVmusic growing up? If so, what?
All of my earliest musical memories are of my dad playing and practicing songs around the house. Like, really practicing, and in a way that a person is practicing if they’re trying to improve, and not just doing it for fun. He played in bands of all different types, from country to rock to bluegrass. Later when I was old enough to drive, I started going to Mountain Stage shows regularly. I think it was the first thing in Charleston I ever drove to by myself. I saw Todd Snider play the show for the first time, and I saw Townes Van Zandt’s last appearance before his death. In college, when I was old enough to get into 123 Pleasant Street, I went to shows at least every weekend. I think there was a period of years where I never missed a Cheap Truckers’ Speed gig, and I tried to see everything that Todd Burge and Mark Pool were doing.
How about you? Did you play music growing up?
I played (and still play) guitar. I’m not great, but it does give me some insight into how musicians (and guitarists in particular) think, and it continues to be a great way to break the ice with someone if I’m trying to rapidly build a rapport. One of the great music photographers of our time, Danny Clinch, is an accomplished musician himself, and has said that he’s been able to use that to earn trust with his subjects quickly. It really helps if you speak their language.
Credit Josh Saul
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An original portrait by Josh Saul.
How did you get into photography, specifically music/show photography?
OK, bear with me. My background is in painting. That was my studio concentration in college, but nearly all of my paintings relied heavily on photographs. I saw Chuck Close’s work in 1994, and it made an impression that’s with me still. All of my opinions on portraiture start with the way his paintings made me feel. But I was taking a lot of pictures, too, even if they were just source material for paintings.
In college, I finally took a photography class… and kind of hated it. I was the only person in the class who wasn’t a graphic designer, and I felt like there was a lot of fundamental type stuff that wasn’t being covered (years later, I discovered how right I was about that). I walked away with a “C” in the class, and I didn’t do anything serious with a camera for a long time. Fast forward many years, and I’m working for Mountain Stage. I finally get an iPhone, and suddenly I have a halfway decent camera with me at all times.
Credit Josh Saul
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Marty Stuart’s historic Telecaster, as seen backstage during this 2012 Mountain Stage.
I was really into taking picture of the gear that artists bring with them, and there was one moment in particular where I was taking photos of this legendary guitar that belongs to Marty Stuart. I decided that with this kind of access and opportunity, I needed to invest in a better camera to document things. So I started shooting the live show too, alongside the show’s real photographer Brian Blauser, who is the closest thing I’ve ever had to a professional mentor. I’ve learned so much from him. And after that, I started drifting back in to portraits more and more, which, funny thing, is exactly where I started. But this time, instead of trying to get a photo that I could use as the basis of a painting, I put all of my effort into nailing really awesome photographs. I won’t lie: part of me wonders if that’s where I should have been all along.
When I moved a couple years ago, I found a box of photos that I had taken as a teenager. So many of them were just simple head and shoulders shots of my friends, similar to what I do now. I realized in that moment that I’d never really given this thing up.
Credit Josh Saul
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Josh Saul designed the packaging for Mountain Stage host Larry Groce’s newest record Live Forever.
Where have you taken photographs in West Virginia?
I stick to Mountain Stage mostly, because of my schedule. I’ve joked about how taking pro DSLR and a 70-200mm 2.8 to a summer festival sounds like a great way to ruin a perfectly good time. But I do like to take my camera to bars and club shows every once in a while, especially for friends. There are so many musicians around here who have meant so much to me over the years, and it’s nice to be able to use my creativity to finally give something back to them.
Credit Josh Saul
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Legendary jazz pianist and Mountain Stage band member Bob Thompson.
Back to Mountain Stage though – it is a challenge to keep my photos fresh and interesting show after show. I always fall back on the quote by the great war photographer Robert Capa, who said, “If your photos aren’t good enough, you’re not close enough.”
So I try to move around the stage and use the access I have to capture something that you might not be able to see even if you were sitting in the front row. More and more though, I’ve been trying to get closer in other ways, by photographing certain artists backstage under simple studio lighting. I don’t always do it though. So much of it hinges on that thing I mentioned at earlier, being able to quickly build a rapport with the subject, who probably isn’t in the mood to have a camera pointed at them no matter what they say. I’m also leveraging the trust that artists have in the show, which is something I do not take for granted. And finally, it’s on me to use whatever talent I have and skills I have developed up to this point to capture a piece of the artist in a very short period of time. There’s some chatting, and about 10 clicks of the shutter, and that is it. It’s very intense for me.
Credit Josh Saul
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Grammy award-winning blues musician Keb Mo’, as seen on Mountain Stage.
What’s been the highlight of your #WVmusic journey (in terms of seeing/working shows or taking photos)?
There’s a picture of Keb’ Mo’ I shot from the side of the stage that blew up on Tumblr without me even realizing it. I think that’s when I first realized that I can use the access I have to make something that can’t be seen from the audience.
I shot James McMurtry backstage the last time he was here. He’s a musical giant to the show, and to me personally. It’s not the best photo I’ve ever taken, but it’s pretty good, and whenever I look at it I think of the trust he has in the show, and me personally. It means a lot.
Credit Josh Saul
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Malcolm Holcombe backstage at a 2015 Mountain Stage.
And there’s a portrait I shot of Malcolm Holcombe where, for just a split second, he was giving me a part of himself. And I got it. It’s my favorite thing about portraiture, that when it’s really working, it’s like part of the subject is forever trapped on my camera’s sensor.
And finally, I’ve done some promo shoots for people like Todd Burge and Bob Thompson, and I designed all the packaging for Larry’s albumLive Forever. If you could go back in time and tell 16-year-old me that one day I’d get to do any of that, there is no way he would believe you.
Why is a good band photo important? I mean, shouldn’t the music matter more?
The music absolutely matters more! Obviously. But think about it: it is impossible to imagine a single note from Born to Run without thinking about that cover photo of Bruce and Clarence. I can’t do it.
You’re not always going to be able to represent yourself through your music alone. A lot of people are going to see your photos before they ever hear you. How you choose to present yourself matters. It’s part of your art. And finally, almost no newspaper will do a story about you unless you have a photo. A good photo. And “good” to the newspaper means high resolution, so they can print it, and almost always color. They love color. So if you want press, you need photos.
Credit Josh Saul
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Parkersburg singer-songwriter Todd Burge on Mountain Stage.
What are the basics of a solid band photo?
Because my work for Mountain Stage, I have to use photos that artists send us for promotion on a regular basis. So I’m in a unique position, having knowledge on both the creator and end user side. In many ways the difficulties with band photo are the same as with any group portrait. It’s hard enough to take a good picture of 1 person, much less 5 people at the same time. The problem I run into over and over again is that the photographer isn’t thinking about how the photos are going to be used. An artist’s promo pictures will be all portrait orientation when, I need at least one landscape shot for web use, one where there’s room to put copy, etc. There’s a reason why shots against grey, black, and especially white have never gone out of style. See again: Born to Run.
What tips would you give to bands who are looking for professional photos or album covers?
Don’t let your photographer take a picture of your band against a brick wall. There used to be a website called “Hall of Douchebags” that was nothing but a collection photos of bands against brick walls. You deserve more from your photographer. Also, make sure you have photos sized for both web and print use, and make sure someone on your team knows which ones to send to people, depending on the end use.
Credit Josh Saul
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Music in motion: William Matheny and Bud Carroll rock out at The Empty Glass at a March 2016 gig.
Do you feel held back by being in West Virginia, or does it feel like a musically-inclusive place?
I do not feel held back by living here at all. There are challenges. Magical opportunities do not fall out of the sky here like they seem to in big cities. But this is a land of short ladders, and if you decide you want to do something, you can just go out and do it, and people will take you seriously, at least in the beginning. The only problem here is one common to all small towns, and it’s that first tier work is not always recognized as such. But this is a very inclusive place. I was invited to Bud Carroll’s house once to help his friends shoot some video of a band he was working with. I knew him, but not as well as I do now. And when I had to leave, he walked out to my car and gave me a big bear hug and said something like, “I’m really glad you came, man.” You don’t get any more musically inclusive than that.
Credit Josh Saul
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The late, great Allen Toussaint played a special set during this spring 2015 Mountain Stage in Huntington, West Virginia.
Josh Saul is the web producer of Mountain Stage, the home of music discovery on public radio, which you can find and follow online @mountainstage. You can also find Josh’s photography business and book a session with him through his website. To hear more #WVmusic (some of which he’s taken photos for), tune in to A Change of Tune, airing Saturday nights at 10 on West Virginia Public Broadcasting. And for more #WVmusic chats, make sure to go to wvpublic.org/wvmusic.
Since the show began almost two years ago, A Change of Tune has highlighted some of the best up-and-coming artists out of these West Virginia hills with podcast-y chats ranging from Bishops to Rozwell Kid, The Sea The Sea to Bud Carroll and beyond.
But those interviews have been a bit infrequent, and since West Virginia Day is coming up (not to mention A Change of Tune’s second birthday), we thought we’d do something special: 30 days, 30 brand new #WVmusic interviews that range from Morgantown alt-rockers and Parkersburg singer-songwriters to West Virginia music venues and regional artist management and beyond, all of which contribute to this state’s wild and wonderful music scene.
And today, we are chatting with The 29ers, a country-tinged rock band based in Shepherdstown, West Virginia. The band’s five members have only been performing in this configuration for a short period of time, yet they’ve released a rock’n good EP and are already planning a forthcoming follow-up release. With that said, let’s get to know the men behind The 29ers (namely Matt Metz, Martin Metz, Matt Kline, Chris Chilcoat, and Eric Watland).
Credit Courtesy of The 29ers
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The 29ers gave the crowd some countrified rock feels at this 2015 Shepherdstown Opera House show.
How did The 29ers start playing music together (when, where, why, etc.)?
The band started a year ago after Matt Kline and Matt Metz played an acoustic set together. After that, they decided to flesh out their songs with more (and louder) instruments. They now share lead singing and songwriting duties for The 29ers.
Kline and Metz have actually played in multiple bands and genres together for over 10 years. They made up half of the folk string band The Fox Hunt, which spent 8 years touring around much of the United States, as well as parts of Ireland, Scotland, and Japan. Prior to that, they played with Chilcoat in the instrumental post-punk/metal band The Red Oranges, which garnered a reputation for complex song structures and frenetic live shows.
Their harmonizing vocals and guitars are now complemented by Chris Chilcoat on drums, Martin Metz on bass, and Eric Watland on keyboards.
Where does The 29ers’ name come from?
The number 29 holds several different meanings of varying importance to the band members. Most importantly is the fact that a score of 29 in Cribbage is the perfect hand!
How has the band’s sound changed over time (if at all)?
Our music started off quiet and acoustic. Then we switched to electric guitars and it got really loud. Now we realize you can play electric guitars at a lower volume.
Where does the band play in and around West Virginia (venues, festivals, etc.)?
We primarily play around the Shepherdstown area, but we have also played 123 Pleasant Street in Morgantown and The V Club in Huntington a few times.
Credit Courtesy of The 29ers
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Matt Kline (left) and Bud Carroll (right) work through The 29ers’ debut EP.
What’s been the highlight of the band’s musical journey?
Recording our debut EP with Bud Carroll was priceless. Getting to hang out with someone that talented and who we’ve admired for a long time was incredible. We recorded that 4-song EP over a long weekend of 10-hour days.
What’s it like making music in West Virginia?
It’s special. There are (and have been) such great music communities, specifically in Shepherdstown, Morgantown, and Huntington. There’s a large number of insanely talented folks in this state and a kind of instant camaraderie between West Virginia bands.
Do you feel held back by being in West Virginia? Or does it feel like a musically-supportive place?
West Virginia has always been supportive of our music, 100%. Different places in West Virginia are close to other good music towns, so it’s never felt isolated or limiting in that way. Because of the support of those music communities, it’s now a great time to be a band in West Virginia.
What, in your opinion, needs to happen in the West Virginia music scene for it to move forward?
More of the same. Great folks like Bud Carroll will keep making great records, Ian Thornton will keep finding and promoting great bands/artists, and the bands in West Virginia will keep playing and supporting each other, swapping shows, and encouraging a wide array of music. The Huntington Music and Arts Festival is a perfect example of a community coming together to support local West Virginia musicians.
What’s the band’s advice to anyone starting to make music?
Make sure to practice as much as you can and write songs every day. And be nice to everyone you meet! Other bands, venue owners, sound guys, bartenders, concert goers, everyone. You’ll get back what you give, so showing appreciation to the folks you meet will come back to you big time.
The 29ers’ latest release is the 4-song Inherent Buzz EP. The band will return to the studio soon to record a follow-up record, which is tentatively titled Spanish Panther. Keep an eye on their social media and website for more music and summer tour dates. To hear more #WVmusic, tune in to A Change of Tune, airing Saturday nights at 10 on West Virginia Public Broadcasting. And for more #WVmusic chats, make sure to go to wvpublic.org/wvmusic.
