There’s Substack the platform…and then there is Substack the community.
When it comes to MusicStack, Matthew Carlson (aka Matty C.) is a unifying force. Not only is he a talented musician and writer, but he has supported many of his peers through his What Am I Making newsletter, radio show and podcast (I’ve been a guest once or twice myself, but please don’t hold that against him).
“For all of the faults of the internet—and even the faults here at Substack—artists today have an amazing array of tools to create and share their work,” Matty C. told me for the interview below. He is a solo artist these days, but has played with many bands including Harborcoat, The Pantones, and The Stick Arounds.
“Not only can I use Substack as a way to share the details of our new project and crowdfunding campaign, but I can use it to detail each step of the process as we go through this endeavor. Those tools and resources often come with a much higher price tag than it might first appear, but they are a wonderful resource to be sure.”
That project is an ambitious live album that he will record with his pals in The Wild Honey Collective.
In true Matty C. style, he’s going big. “I've decided to use my new live recording project as a case study of the challenges facing middle class musicians. This ongoing project will document exactly what it's like to make a record in the era of streaming.”
“Assuming that we are able to meet our funding goal, we’ll be releasing a live double album on vinyl, CD, and digital, as well mounting a full throated PR campaign. This will not only give us the chance to get our record out into the world, it’ll also give us the chance to really show folks exactly how records are made, released, and promoted. Being able to tell that story with all of the assets we have in place would feel like a huge accomplishment.”
The results will unfold in real time with this truly unique project, and we all get to follow along. I caught up with Matty C. by email to discuss this new project, the inspiration behind it, and what success looks like for him and his collaborators.
Like and share to tell the Substack algorithm (and other music lovers) that we exist!
Congrats on the exciting new live album project. What was the inspiration?
Matty C.: Thanks a bunch for having me.
The initial inspiration was to make a record with my friends in The Wild Honey Collective. We have been pals for a very long time. We play together often in the Lansing area, and we even toured together back in 2022.
I had originally envisioned the project as something similar to the early collaborations of Bob Dylan and The Band. The Wild Honey Collective are a cohesive, flexible outfit. I wanted to corral their musicality and adventurous spirit in a series of recordings that were well played, but loose and open.
At first, it seemed like we would likely go to my family’s cabin to set up a makeshift studio and then run through a big batch of songs for several days. As we looked at schedules it became pretty clear that getting away together for a few days as a unit was going to be next to impossible.
I toyed with the idea of recording rhythm tracks in a rushed session, with the plan to add overdubs with each individual after that. But, Wild Honey are a full-time band of their own, and the players within the band all have something close to day jobs, so it was clear that the overdub approach would take forever. In fact, it might be so difficult to coordinate, it could end up killing the project altogether.
Why was a live album the right vehicle for bringing your vision to life?
Matty C.: Because of our scheduling challenges and the slow nature of overdubbing one part at a time with no end in sight, I began to consider the idea of a live recording. By holding the show at The Robin Theatre in Lansing, I knew that we would be able to control recording conditions, and play to a full, supportive room. The live approach would also allow us to lean into the loose exploration of the songs that is so appealing about working with Wild Honey.
One of the primary objectives for me on this project was to establish my own name again as a singer/songwriter. For the last twenty five years I have been playing in a series of bands; The Stick Arounds, The Pantones, and Harborcoat. While I am incredibly proud of my work in those outfits, I have spent the last two years touring as a solo artist, but fans only know me as a part of these three other acts, if they know me at all.
I have not released a record under my own name in 25 years. It’s important for this project to help establish me as a solo artist, even if it means having a well known backing band behind me. Recording a live album would also give us the chance to re-record some of my songs from those bands to be presented in my own name, and in a new context.
I decided a long time ago that live albums were a relic of the '70s, but I've seen a recent uptick in live releases. Have you seen that too?
Matty C.: I too have sort of thought of live albums as a relic of the past, but then again this one will be my second live release. So, clearly I have no idea. Heh.
I can’t say that I have noticed an uptick in live releases, but it would make sense. It has never been easier for touring bands to record their shows in multi-track format to be mixed later on. Even as a lower-level solo artist, I am recording and sometimes filming most of my shows, if only for my own reference. Not only is it great to have snippets of sets in video and audio form to share online, it’s also a great way for me to objectively judge my performances and presentation.
For this project, we’re going to be filming the show and shooting a lot of footage backstage, as well as at rehearsals. We’ll also be capturing a load of interviews with the folks involved in the project in the hopes of releasing a documentary/concert film made out of this entire endeavor.
What are a few of your favorite live albums of all time? Why?
Matty C.: The best live albums for me are the ones that sort of reimagine the songs in some way. I love hearing a great live version of a song I love, but it, I think, ought to tap into something new that the original doesn't do, or I will likely not keep coming back to it. The live version could be more energetic, include different arrangements, or it could be stripped way back.
One of my very favorite live albums falls into that last category. John Cale’s Fragments Of A Rainy Season is a recording pulled from a live show that Cale performed in Brussels, Belgium in 1992. During the show, Cale dials back the raw power and even anger of his original songs, and performs them completely alone, mostly with solo piano and voice. The result is a staggering set of powerful songs emanating from the booming voice and pounding hands of one brilliant musician and songwriter.
At the opposite end of that spectrum you might find Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band’s Nine Tonight. I know that it’s easy to shit on a dude like Bob Seger, but as a Michigander, this record was a right of passage. Seger and company roll through a parade of his biggest hits, hamming up guitar solos and sax breaks. It is raucous, over the top, and almost ridiculous. I love every damned second of it.
The four album set by Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band, Live 1975-1985, would be high on the list for me as well. Although, I do hate having to flip that over eight times on four records, because I am lazy. Funtown Comedown by Bonnie Prince Billy is a terrifically fun listen, and 4 Nights At The Palais Royale by Sloan is always a treat for the ears. I could go on and on.
I'm seeing more and more Substackers using this newsletter/social media platform in interesting ways. Have you noticed that?
Matty C.: I’m constantly impressed at the ingenuity and innovation of our Substack community. I am not sure I would have had the courage to try and stage something like this without these last two and half years of work and community building on Substack. I have met so many wonderful people like yourself who have supported my work in a variety of ways. The community here is truly remarkable, which is why I had the confidence to feel that we could raise $20,000 and turn this project into a reality.
What have you learned so far in chronicling this project?
Matty C.: Right out of the gate, I am pleasantly surprised at how much this is resonating with folks already. I’ve spoken to a few friends and fans since I first announced the project, and almost all of them are fascinated by the intricate details of what it takes to make and release a record. Most music lovers are aware that Spotify doesn’t pay much in the way of streaming royalties; but most have only even begun to understand just how devastating that is for the artists that they love. Still, almost no fans have a genuine idea of what it is really like to put out an album. What I have seen already is that there is an interest in that process.
We’ve also seen some excitement too from folks who are curious about how much money is required to stage a show, to press vinyl, to pay for promotion, and to do all of the other bits and bobs necessary to bring an album into the world. This project is a sort of object lesson in the high costs for artists in the music business and the meager earnings that are possible on the other end. Fans might already understand that musicians are being squeezed, but they will only begin to truly grasp the stakes once you show them a real life example. This project seems primed to share our very unique test case as we take this thing from idea to reality.
What does success look like for you with this project?
Matty C.: I have long said that the real idea of success for me is having enough money to keep doing the work that I love, nothing more. There might have been a time when I thought fame and fortune were the way to happiness, but not any longer. At some point, I realized that all I need from an artistic life is the ability to keep living as an artist. I would be so very grateful for that freedom. I am simply hoping this project will get me one step closer to a full time life of independent creation.
Obviously, the first sign of success would be to raise the $20,000 crowdfunding goal that we have set for the project. Without that cash, we’ll only be able to mount a compromised version of the project. No matter what, we will follow this through to the end conclusion, and then tell that story as it happens.
In a perfect world, this record, my songs, and the Wild Honey Collective would all find a much larger audience, but that is far beyond my control. All that we can do is bust our ass to raise some money, giving us the chance to make and release a record that we think has the chance to be a great album, and an important piece of cultural history. Once again, the real definition of success is just being in a spot to be able to do the best work that I am capable of doing.
