⚡️💥 Video Premiere: The Greenberry Woods
Plus An Interview With Matt Huseman and Ira Katz
No discussion of ‘90s power pop is complete without mention of The Greenberry Woods.
With a sound at times reminiscent of The Beatles, Raspberries, and Big Star, The Baltimore quartet’s music was a perfect complement to alt rock contemporaries such as Teenage Fanclub, Matthew Sweet, and The Lemonheads. They signed to Sire Records and released their debut album Rapple Dapple in 1994, making their mark with radio-friendly single “Trampoline.” That was followed by Big Money Item in 1995, featuring lead off track—and, to my ears, should-have-been hit—“Love Songs.”
Then, just as suddenly as they had burst into the consciousness of melody-loving alternative music fans, the band left their label and called it quits. Twin brothers Matt and Brandt Huseman went on to release several albums as Splitsville (with multi-instrumentalist Paul Krysiak), while Ira Katz formed Wonderfool and C.L. Blake.
⚡️💥 VIDEO PREMIERE: “The One That Makes You Happy”
Thirty years later, The Greenberry Woods are back with a fantastic new album that picks up right where they left off.
It’s All Good, Sugar… (Big Stir Records) was launched with lead off single “Whenever You Want Me Too” combining chiming guitars, a pulsing mid-tempo groove, and an impossibly hooky chorus. That song, combined with lead off track “Summer Song” and second single “The One That Makes You Happy,” is a great introduction to an album that’s sure to have power pop fans doing backflips in the record store aisles.
“Some of the songs on the album date all the way back to the recording of Big Money Item. I think I can speak for Brandt that we tend to compartmentalize the songs we write. So while we’ve definitely released GBW sounding tracks with Splitsville and on our Stereo Twins album, we’ve also held on to some of them for this eventuality,” Matt Huseman told me for the interview below.
The 2026 line up of The Greenberry Woods features the Huseman brothers and Katz, as well as Krysiak and drummer Joe Parsons. When asked why 2026 was the right moment for a new album, Katz replied: “If we don’t do it now, then when?”
I caught up with Huseman and Katz by email to discuss It’s All Good, Sugar…, get the story behind the new video for “The One That Makes You Happy,” and find out if they plan to tour behind this exciting new release.
What’s Your Favorite Greenberry Woods Song?
Matt Huseman and Ira Katz Interview
Congrats on the great new album! Tell me a little about how It’s All Good, Sugar... was written and recorded.
Ira Katz: It started a few years ago when I reached out to Paul Krysiak and Joe Parsons and asked them to work with me on a new EP as it had been a while since I released any new music. During Covid, I fooled around a bit with Logic and home recording, and I started to get comfortable with that so I figured I’d record it myself with their help. Matt and Brandt heard about the project and thought it might be a good time to finally work on another Greenberry Woods record. I did as well. They both had a lot of songs, several of which I had already heard.
The entire album was recorded either in my home studio or at Paul’s. We mixed and mastered at Paul’s as well. We had to take our time because we were all busy with other things…
In many ways it feels like you picked up right where you left off in the ‘90s. Was that intentional, or more a function of the kind of music you naturally make together?
Ira Katz: I definitely think that is a function of the music we all like and naturally make together. We’ve all released separate projects where the music is different from The Greenberry Woods. And I think that each of us would enjoy working on someone else’s project.
But, when it comes to GBW, there is an “identity.” And while we will experiment with songs like “On The Day We Drowned,” ultimately, it will sound like us.
You announced the new album with the single “Whenever You Want Me To.” Why was that the right track to lead with?
Ira Katz: There are at least 6 songs on this record that we believed could be singles. So we left it in the hands of our label Big Stir Records, who have been great. They consulted with a few folks and put together a plan. Perhaps we’ll be releasing singles through the rest of the decade…
The second single from It’s All Good, Sugar... is “The One That Makes You Happy.” Was there a specific inspiration for that song?
Matt Huseman: Yes, but I assure you it’s not about my wife. In my head the lyrics are actually about the music business, but I’d prefer to leave them open to interpretation. I definitely wanted the song to have noticeable scene changes between the rock and shoegaze parts, which I think we did a pretty good job of once Ira came up with those drone guitars in the chorus.
Can you tell me a little about the concept for the “The One That Makes You Happy” video?
Matt Huseman: I just wanted to subvert expectations for what one might expect to see based on the music. I love the Beastie Boys, so I wanted that element in there. We’re also OK not taking ourselves too seriously, although we’re serious about our music. Hopefully, all of that comes through in the video. Our friend—and former roommate—Brendan Finnerty let us use his bar, Idle Hour, to film in. If you’re ever in Baltimore, you should check it out. As you can see in the video, it’s dope.
I love how you wear your Elvis Costello love on your sleeve with the tracks “Very Good Year” and “That Girl.” Would you consider him a major influence? Who else?
Ira Katz: If you are a guitar pop songwriter, you will eventually find Elvis. He is one of the best to ever do it. I wouldn’t consider him a major influence other than loving his music and appreciating that he is a master at his craft. I happened to be strumming the acoustic when “That Girl” started to take shape. I thought, well, this is an Elvis Costello song. And, since he hasn’t written one like this in a very long time, I’m going to do it. I hope he likes it!
As far as other influences, it all starts with The Beatles and goes from there. If I hadn’t heard “A Day in The Life” when I did, my life would be completely different.
Matt Huseman: I hear more Bob Mould than E.C. in “Very Good Year,” but I’m not trying to yuck your yum.
Any plans to tour for the new album?
Ira Katz: We have our record release show on June 5th in Towson, MD at the Recher. This is one of the best venues in the area. We’ve also discussed putting together a small tour of Spain where we have fans. We sold our van about 32 years ago, so there’s that…
I’m not sure about a tour per se, but I’d be happy to do a few house parties that require a little travel. They’re intimate and will definitely have folks there that know our stuff.
What would I be listening to on the stereo these days if I jumped in the tour van with The Greenberry Woods?
Ira Katz: Well, I bet somebody would have on a podcast, another perhaps a meditation.
But if you listened in on my Apple Music there would definitely be Wilco and The Jayhawks in the queue, the album These Roads Don’t Move by Ben Gibbard and Jay Farrar. I’m on a huge Lemonheads kick, Guided by Voices, oh and there’s this guy in Philly, Barney Cortez…his song “T-Shirt Salesman” is great power pop.
Matt Huseman: We’d definitely be listening to podcasts. But music-wise, I’m digging The Corner Laughers new album, Concerns of Wasp and Willow. They’re our label mates on Big Stir, and they’re lovely. I also love Balloon Balloon Balloon by Sharp Pins, which sounds like early Guided By Voices with the ‘60s pop cranked to eleven. And I want to shout out an album called Faded Days that Paul turned me on to. It was released in 2017 by a band called Actual Wolf, and I think it’s incredible.
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My favorite is Oh Janine from Big Money Item. Was not aware they had gotten back together. Thanks for surfacing this for us. I look forward to listening to the new music.
Parachute, (#37) Feels So Strange are my two favorite GBW songs.