With a well-deserved summer break behind him, Matty T Wall is all set to return to the stage for the new decade, more motivated than ever.
This is in no small part due to the worldwide acclaim that was brought upon Transpacific Blues Vol. 1, the collaborative album that saw Wall duetting with blues guitar greats such as Kid Ramos, Walter Trout, Eric Gales, Kirk Fletcher and fellow West Australian, Dave Hole. The album was released internationally via Memphis label Select-O-Hits and by Only Blues Music in Australia.
Transpacific Blues Vol. 1 was met with rave reviews around the world, hitting the Living Blues chart in the US and making the grade in none other than Joe Bonamassa’s ‘Cutting Edge Blues – Best Of 2019’ Spotify playlist. The great man of blues guitar handpicked Wall’s run through Hi Heel Sneakers with Eric Gales. For Wall, it’s a great shot in the arm.
“When you’re playing guitar with one of the best in the world, Eric Gales, he does a solo that blows you away then you go and do your best on that track,” Wall says. “Then it comes out and you listen to it and you hear that you have kept up with it… it does give you confidence in your own ability, definitely.”
While the various guitar duets have captured the attention of all sorts of blues fans around the world, Wall is pleased to note that his own take on the classic Stormy Monday has travelled the miles especially well.
“Stormy Monday has really grabbed people’s attention,” he enthuses, “which is really cool because they’re saying it’s not just the guitar but also the singing, and that gives me a lot of confidence as well. I kept it in a similar style to Eva Cassidy’s version and being able to sing it with good chops is something I’ve been working on, so I gain a lot of confidence when people appreciate that.”
It seems that the whole Transpacific Blues Vol. 1 experience has given Wall a new template to work with. After every release an artist has to go back to the drawing board but in his case it’s a whole new drawing board…
“It is,” he concurs. “It’s a side-project that I want to pursue, definitely. I don’t know if anybody’s done this too much in the past here in Australia before, working periodically with guest artists from the US on blues covers albums. It’s quite a fun adventure and I want to keep doing it, for sure.”
Indeed it’s a side-project that doesn’t distract from Wall’s original music career, or dare we say, his brand. It’s an outlet that signposts his love of blues music for all to see and hear.
“I wanted my fans to know that I love the blues and this is me playing the blues, so they know where my roots are and what I want to play,” he explains. “I mostly play my originals, but I always throw in blues covers at a gig. People see that at live gigs but I wanted to share that with fans around the world who don’t get to see gigs.
“The funny thing is when you’re in the studio recording an original album, you think more compositionally, I really try to structure everything to make the songs work. I don’t structure all the solos, there’s probably 20 per cent of them that I do, but when it comes to jamming on blues songs I feel very free. It’s a lot of fun.”
So where to from here? How does Wall take a life-affirming and career boosting experience onward to his next album of original material?
“They are two different things,” he states. “I am working on originals for the next album, they’re probably going to have a little bit more of a blues flavour than a rock flavour. Doing those songs helped me in that direction.”
Wall is looking at potentially releasing a live album or EP this year – it’s already been recorded, but just needs mixing. He’ll also be recording an original LP for release in 2021, by which time he’ll be working on Transpacific Blues Vol. 2, with some big-name collaborators already pencilled in.
As for where he is at the moment, Wall played his first show of 2020 at The Basso on Sunday, March 15, and will perform at the Perth Blues Club sharing the bill with Michael Damani of the Original Chicago Blues All Stars.
The momentum is strong and positive, with Wall recently building a recording studio in his home. More than ever, he can keep the creative home fires burning.
“I can record albums for as long as I want,” he laughs. “I can do another 10 or 20 albums, I’ve just got to write the songs! There’s a lot of promise coming, I just don’t know what that looks like at the moment.
“This year for me is all about having fun,” he concludes, “that’s what I want to do. Whatever that means is how it’ll come out and I’ll enjoy that ride.”
bobgordonplusonecom 