Grab some snacks and a party hat! You’re invited to the 33rd anniversary celebration of NPR Music and West Virginia Public Broadcasting’s Mountain Stage.
Sunday’s sold out show at Charleston’s Culture Center Theater marks Mountain Stage’s 885th episode and features performances by Iron & Wine, Tift Merritt, Todd Burge, Andy Shauf, and Paper Bird. Our radio listeners will hear this episode on over 180 NPR stations via NPR Music starting January.
For those of you watching along online, make sure to share your listening/watching experience with us! Use #MountainStage and #gotowv.
UPDATE: (Monday, October 25, 2016) Tickets are officially sold out to this December 4 show! Sign-up for the Mountain Stage newsletter and follow us @mountainstage for show updates.
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Mountain Stage with Larry Groce has one more show up its sleeve before saying “goodbye” to the year 2016: a special show commemorating Mountain Stage’s 33 years of live performance radio.
Tickets are $30 in advance and $35 day of show, available today beginning at 10am on MountainStage.org, by phone at 877-987-6487, locally at Taylor Books in downtown Charleston and also at the upcoming live shows.
On Sunday, December 4, Mountain Stage will record episode #885 at the Culture Center Theater on the State Capitol Grounds, 1900 Kanawaha Blvd., Charleston. The show (which acts as Mountain Stage’s 33rd birthday celebration and will be heard on over 180 NPR Stations nationwide in early 2017) will include indie folk giant Iron & Wine, the one-man folk operation conducted by Sam Beam. This will mark the singer-songwriter’s first appearance on the Mountain Stage, following his recent collaborative releases with Band of Horses’ Ben Bridwell and California-born, Manchester-dwelling singer-songwriter Jesca Hoop, as well as his short film Dreamers and Makers are My Favorite People about the Jerry Run Summer Theater in Cleveland, West Virginia.
Also appearing on the December 4 show is up-and-coming Canadian multi-instrumentalist Andy Shauf, whose intricate songwriting and indie folk leanings have led to comparisons to Nick Drake, Elliot Smith, and Grizzly Bear. Appropriately enough, Shauf will make his Mountain Stage debut on our 33rd birthday show with a new record titled The Party in tow.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6y5F4S1I1Q
West Virginia mainstay Todd Burge will also perform on this December 4 show. Often named one of West Virginia’s premier singer-songwriters, Burge has performed on Mountain Stage over ten times since the show began in 1983, leading to his new release of some of his favorite performances on Live on Mountain Stage: 2006-2015.
More acts for this December 4 show will be announced in the coming weeks, but we recommend grabbing those tickets now for this sure-to-sell-out show!
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 Tyler Childers to Coyotes in Boxes’ Sean Knisely, Twin Cousins Records to Qiet 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 37-year-old Jimbo Valentine. He’s not exactly a singer or a songwriter. But even though you don’t hear his work, you’ve undoubtedly seen it around the West Virginia music scene. From concert posters in Morgantown and Huntington to album artwork for Charleston bands to listening party signage down in Fayetteville, Jimbo’s work makes West Virginia music just as eye-catching as it is ear-catching. Since he’s worked on over 1200 pieces for various artists over the years, we asked him about his creative process, his favorite pieces and how music plays a role in his artistic life.
Jimbo Valentine is a graphic designer with Brand Yourself, not to mention a freelance artist. Hear #WVmusic (some of which he’s created posters for) 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 Jimbo Valentine
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Jimbo Valentine regularly designs Huntington Music & Art Festival promotional material, including this poster from last year’s festival.
Interview Highlights
On the art he creates in and around West Virginia:
I do a lot of graphic design around the area and the state, making posters for The V Club and Black Sheep Burrito and Brews, as well as bands and events and festivals and really whoever needs whatever they need. I do a lot of album layouts and T-shirt designs and sticker designs. I also… oh man, I don’t know where to start [laughing]. Designing the cards for West Virginia Public Broadcasting’s #WhyListen: First Listen Music Party was a fun event to do.
A lot of people like to look down on West Virginia and don’t think we have much of anything to offer. But we actually have really good artist communities that have been building and building. I started working at The V Club in 2009, and I had been doing a little stuff before that, but that was when I really started getting more involved with everybody in the region. Ever since then, it’s been non-stop growing. Just all kinds of people you don’t expect who play music and make art and do all kinds of stuff. That’s really one of the best things we have to offer. But it’s getting people to recognize that.
On moving from Fairmont to Huntington:
I’m from Fairmont, from up in-between Morgantown and Parkersburg. Actually, this May marks my 14th anniversary of living down here in Huntington. I’ve almost lived here in Huntington as much as I’ve lived up in Fairmont. At this point of time, Huntington feels more like my home than Fairmont actually is.
Like most stories, it was a failed love story. I moved down here with a girl who was from Huntington and who graduated from West Virginia University. Give a year or so, she was out of the picture, and I was just left here. I started going to Marshall University for a little bit, and it didn’t work out too great. Now I’m here [laughing], trying to do something. I don’t know what, but…
On getting into art:
I had grown up doing art in high school, and I started taking art at Fairmont State for a year-and-a-half, but I dropped out of there. I didn’t do any art for a long time, but after I moved down here, I had a bunch of time on my hands and started learning how to use Photoshop. I bought some screen printing gear and taught myself how to screen print. I decided I’d try to make a go at this for a living, which I’m still working towards. So I tried learning how to do it around 2007, but 2009 is when I really kicked it off.
Credit Jimbo Valentine
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This 2006 Todd Burge / 63 Eyes / Tripleshot show marked Jimbo Valentine’s first as a #WVmusic graphic designer.
On his first gig poster:
It was for New Year’s Eve at a show at 123 Pleasant Street for 63 Eyes and Todd Burge. That was the first gig poster I had ever done. I got hooked up through the poster community because I would go to website called gigposters.com and post on their forums, and a guy on there from Saint Albans hooked me up with that gig.
I definitely listened to 63 Eyes and Todd Burge a bunch [prior to making that poster]. In high school and my formative years, that was my band. 63 Eyes were some of the earliest shows I had ever seen, back when 123 Pleasant Street was still The Nyabinghi. So it was really cool to make that my first poster because it was something I had grown up with. Todd is obviously one of the greatest West Virginia musicians we have, and I still have a big place in my heart for 63 Eyes.
On the number of artists he’s worked with in West Virginia:
Honestly, at this point of time, there’s not many bands in West Virginia or the region that I haven’t done something involving them. Which is pretty awesome. I’ve done over 1200 gig posters at this point of time, and some of them I have had the opportunity to do multiple things for. Working at The V Club has gotten me to be able to do posters for national acts and other regional acts. Like I just did a poster for The V Club for Kiefer Sutherland’s band, which is a weird thing to add to your list because I never in a million years would expect to be doing something like that. And that’s some of the cool stuff that I’ve gotten to do: the stuff I didn’t expect.
Credit Jimbo Valentine
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Jimbo Valentine designed the gig poster for actor-turned-musician Kiefer Sutherland’s recent concert at The V Club.
I’ve done posters for the legendary bands that I like, including Saint Vitus and The Obsessed, people who have been around for a long time. I’ve also gotten to do posters for really cool bands like Man Man and The Felice Brothers.
On listening to #WVmusic growing up:
There was a band from Morgantown called The Law Abiding Citizens, and I used to go see their shows. They were a punk hardcore band. Fast-forward after their break-up, they did a reunion show, and I got to do a poster for them. That was really cool.
There weren’t really any bands from Fairmont. I mean, there were bands up there, but it was weird at that point in time because some of them were basically bar bands, and I wasn’t old enough to see too many of them. But 123 Pleasant Street (back when it was The Nyabinghi), sometimes they would do early shows that were all-ages and then at night, they would do an 18+ show.
Karma to Burn was a band that I grew up listening to. They blew up, disappeared for a little while, then got back together, and I got to screen print posters for all four of their West Virginia reunion shows and a poster when they played in England. I’ve done stuff for their side projects and such, which is cool because I grew up listening to them. Now I work for them, and now they’re my friends. To me, sometimes it feels like completing a circle of your life.
That’s why I got into doing this: I love bands, and I love music. And I want to make T-shirts for bands, which is totally a 12-year-old goal that I was doing in my 20’s. But that’s really where that started from.
Credit Jimbo Valentine
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Were it not for Maryland rock band Clutch, Jimbo Valentine might not have gotten into #WVmusic graphic design work.
On his first gig poster for The V Club:
One of my all-time favorite bands is Clutch. They’re a Maryland / West Virginia-based band. I grew up loving them and going to their shows. I used to go onto their message board, and when I started getting into all this art, the guy who ran the message board hooked me up to make some screen printed posters for them. And then in 2009, the first time they played at The V Club, I had already contacted them and made a poster for them and showed up to the show with it. That’s when The V Club’s Patrick Guthrie saw it and found out that someone in town made it. That’s how I got hired at The V Club. That was all because of Clutch. That’s how all this happened.
On the process for making posters:
Once they have the opening acts and bands nailed down, I get to work. The next step depends on how familiar I am with the band. If it’s a band I already listen to, I might have an idea for the design. Sometimes I get an idea and then try to make that idea come to life. Other times I sit down and start trying to do things that might look cool. I’ll find old stock photos or a photo I’ve taken. Maybe I’ll get an idea from an illustration. Or a combination of all those things.
Credit Jimbo Valentine
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Yep. Jimbo did this Jason Isbell gig poster back in 2014.
Then I try to match it to the feeling that I get when I listen to that band. Even if it’s a band that I don’t know, if they have something online to check out, I’ll listen to it to see what kind of vibe I get from it. I’ll look at the things they’ve released and see what kind of vive they go for, so I can play off that. I always try to match it to the feeling of the band. I never try to shoehorn a band into a piece of work that I’ve made. To me, it’s all about representing what the band is about or what the band sounds like.
It also depends on the opening act. Sometimes you have a show where all the bands are similar. And sometimes you have a show that’s like a grab bag, where all the bands are different. Say you have an Americana show; it’s easier to tie it all together with that kind of imagery. But then sometimes you have a show that has an Americana band, an indie rock band and an acoustic something: that gives me the opportunity to do something a little weirder, a little broader. It really is a show-by-show basis.
On his favorite poster creations:
Some of my favorite posters are the ones where, when I did them, they were creative turning points for me.
Credit Jimbo Valentine
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It’s been a few years, but people still talk about this poster that Jimbo Valentine designed for Man Man’s 2014 show.
The Man Man poster that I did was one of my absolute favorite ones, because it was one of the first ones I did on a new tablet with a screen on it, so you could draw right in Photoshop. I loved how the poster turned out, and l lot of people have told me that’s their favorite poster that I’ve done.
I did one for the band called Universes. They broke up, and one of the guys moved away, but I did a poster for them a few years ago. It had a Native American in it, but the techniques I used in it? I had never done anything like that in Photoshop. It turned out so well, I ended up using it as a basis for painting a mural outside The V Club. So that’s one of my favorite ones.
I’ve done quite a few for Tyler Childers and Ona that turned out really well. I love working with those guys.
On the #WVmusic scene:
It’s really, really good now. I want to say that a few years back, we probably had more bands (at least in Huntington) and maybe a little more variety. At this point in time, there might be a little less bands, but all of them are top notch. So it’s a balance of quality over quantity.
Credit Jimbo Valentine
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Tyler Childers is but one of the many regional artists that Jimbo loves to work with, not to mention listen to.
One of my favorite things is stoner rock and doom music, and we had more of those bands here in Huntington a few years ago. But now we don’t really have those bands anymore.
On advice to folks wanting to get into gig posters:
If you know somebody in a band and they’re going to put on a house show or a show at a bar, see if you can do a poster for them. Do some work, show’em what you’ve got. And then if you have the opportunity, do your best. If it’s good enough, people will notice and people will start asking you to do it. You have to fight tooth and nail to get really, really big. It takes a tremendous amount of skill to get there, but sometimes it just takes being in the right place at the right time to get the right set of eyeballs on it.
Music featured in this #WVmusic chat:
Of the Dell- “Runnin’”
63 Eyes- “Who”
Big Rock and The Candy Ass Mountain Boys- “Good Ole Wagon”
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, Sean Richardson to Kyle Meadows 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 27-year-old Parkersburg singer-songwriter Corey Shields. Or should we say Mid-Ohio Valley singer-songwriter, because you might find him playing more often across the border in Marietta, Ohio than in his hometown of Parkersburg, West Virginia. But why is it hard to build a scene in that part of the Mountain State? Let’s find out…
Corey Shields’ newest release is Only Questions. 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!
Interview Highlights
On starting music in Parkersburg:
I thought I wanted to be a drummer when I was 9 or 10. I remember they brought the junior high band to our elementary band, and they let us try different instruments. I immediately wanted to play the snare drum. Of course, Mom and Dad weren’t too happy about that because it’s the noisiest of things. My neighbor actually was a drummer, so he gave me a snare drum, and I’d sit around and pretend like I knew what I was doing. But it never really went anywhere.
And then I had some family troubles, became the typical teenager. I was 13, and I found a nylon string classical guitar under my grandma’s bed. I had no idea what I was doing, but thought it might be cool because all the cool kids play guitar [laughing]. I proved myself enough so that my grandma just let me have it. My mom bought me an electric guitar for my 14th birthday, it was one of those $100 nothing-special-guitars, but I still have the guitar. I kept it. I’m one of those sentimental types. I kind of moved from there and spent every penny that I could through high school buying all kinds of gear.
Then I was in bands in high school and wanted to do the whole rock star thing. And I guess that feeling never really died.
Credit Knobel Photography
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Corey Shields isn’t afraid to belt it out.
On loving rock music as a kid and playing more acoustic material as a young adult:
Nothing changed because that was always the type of music I was listening to, but as a 15- or 16-year-old kid, I’m like, “Heavy metal for days!” I always had this love of pop music, like Justin Timberlake. I don’t care what kind of music it is. I love a really good hook.
I was at the exact right age when metalcore became the big thing with bands like Killswitch Engage and Avenge Sevenfold. I loved that stuff because it had hooks, but it was heavy. So I still got to wear black t-shirts and things like that.
When I was around 14 or 15, John Mayer came on the scene, and I fell in love with his music. And I still love his music, even though I’m not a fan of his personality sometimes. People are like, “Oh, you like the guy who plays ‘Your Body is a Wonderland.’” And I’m like, “No, I like the guy who plays with Steve Jordan and Pino Palladino.” He uses a lot of jazz chords and things, and it’s more intricate than it appears.
On staying in West Virginia after college:
My senior year of college, my wife Heather and I went to Pittsburgh, our concert destination. And we actually went apartment hunting at one point. We were totally committed. I was going to graduate, and we were moving to Pittsburgh. That was the goal. That was exactly what was going to happen. I was supposed to graduate in May, and in February we found out she was pregnant. So we hit pause for a second to reassess everything.
All of our immediate family is in Parkersburg or the very near area. There’s no one in Pittsburgh for us. So it was more of a family decision of how can I tell my mom, “You’re going to be a grandma… Oh and we’re moving three hours away.” I couldn’t do that in the same breath.
So we hit pause, and we started looking, and we found that we could live in Parkersburg and go ahead and buy a house. Heather’s a nurse, and she was able to get a job right away. So it just worked out. It made the most sense to stay here and stay with our family.
On #thestruggletostay in West Virginia:
Speaking of Parkersburg specifically… the local establishment is not the most helpful in terms of the arts and the arts scene in this area. It’s a city that’s heavily populated with the older generation, and they don’t want us kids coming in, tearing up their nice things. I get that vibe a lot. I try to introduce myself to people, and they see me, catch a glimpse of a tattoo, and see my long hair, and they immediately assume the worst. There’s been a few times where that’s been really annoying because people just make assumptions about you. So that part’s been really frustrating with Parkersburg specifically.
That’s where Marietta, Ohio, came into play. Their scene has been super helpful to me. You can see West Virginia from some of the venues I play there. It’s right across the river. And for some reason, that magical bridge across the river is just a different world of this music culture that has really embraced me.
If I just went off the reaction I got in Parkersburg, I would’ve stopped playing music immediately. I never would’ve bothered. There’s not a lot of support right here, and it’s really frustrating, especially in the last year after watching Huntington and Charleston and the awesome bands there from afar. I feel hundreds of miles away. It’s a different world.
That’s my thing in Parkersburg: I’m a hometown guy, and I don’t play offensive music. My music’s not in your face, cursing everywhere. It’s pretty laid back music. You’d think I could get some support around here. Honestly, it feels like other places have really taken off, but I haven’t moved from square one in my own town.
Credit Liv Hefner Photography
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Corey Shields has high hopes for the Mid-Ohio Valley.
On things he sees in Marietta that he’d like to see in Parkersburg:
Number one: young people. I don’t want to sound like I’m talking down on my city, because I honestly do love Parkersburg. I think it has a lot to offer if it was just utilized properly. But you could put Marietta verse Parkersburg as the liberal versus conservative towns. That’s exactly what it feels like. Because you go to Marietta where it’s fresh, it’s always clean, young people everywhere. Then you go to Parkersburg, and there’s not a whole lot. Our downtowns are night and day. I wish Parkersburg would catch up, but I don’t know, it feels like there’s some people holding Parkersburg back. It feels like there’s a hold on Parkersburg, like it’s stuck in the past, where it won’t trust the new young adults.
April of last year, I went out and started playing some open mics, trying to meet some like-minded people. I started building meaningful relationships with other musicians. I immediately found that if you don’t have material, no one will book you, believe it or not [laughing]. So I decided to record an EP, and it was done over two weeks. It certainly wasn’t the best, but it was enough to get the point across and help me get some gigs, meet some more people. Things kept moving at a somewhat scary pace, honestly. It picked up faster than I thought it ever would.
I had these songs I was playing all the time, but they weren’t recorded yet. All of the songs had been written. I really wanted to put them together and record it all properly so I started recording end of December, early January. I think I had 15 songs, and I ended up cutting a few. I recorded it on my own. I just used the equipment I acquired over the last 12 years or so. I threw together the album, and I talked to a friend of mine about helping me with some album art, and she jumped on it. The album art’s probably the coolest thing I’ll ever be involved in.
Credit Courtesy of Corey Shields
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The album artwork for Corey Shields’ debut release was shot by Mid-Ohio Valley photographer Liv Hefner. You may see her work in the regional publication Clutch MOV.
On #WVmusic outside of Parkersburg:
My wife and I seriously listen to Ona’s American Fiction in the car, just for fun. I would listen to a band like Ona no matter where they’re from. It’s awesome that they’re from Huntington, that’s incredible that you could slip into the V Club and see them. But the location didn’t draw me to them; it was their sound. That’s what I’d like to get out of the Mid-Ohio Valley. It doesn’t matter where we come from, it’s just good music.
A few months ago in Marietta, I got to play before Tyler Childers, and he was so incredibly kind to me. That was my first step into the Huntington scene. He was really nice to me, and he named some people I should talk to like Ian Thornton and JJ Waters. I started messaging these people after the show, and all of these people have been really nice to me.
Credit Corey Shields
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Corey Shields’ American Minor CD, signed by one of the band members.
Bud Carroll’s American Minor was my first “sneaking into a club” show. They opened for Shooter Jennings in Athens, Ohio, and it was a 21+ show, I was 16, and my mom snuck me in. I got to see American Minor front row. I immediately put them into this rock star category. I learned a few of their songs playing along with the CD. The thought of guys like Bud Carroll ever hearing anything I do, it’s unfathomable to me.
And I really like Todd Burge, who only lives a few blocks from me. I was on a run last year, and I found out he lived right there. I really like what he’s done. He’s really friendly, really helpful, gives me advice anytime I ask for it. I mean, he’s the reason I got to play with Tyler Childers. It’s incredible how all of these things line up.
