Eric Matthews
Encyclopedia
Eric Matthews is an American
composer
, musician
, recording artist, and record producer
.
's Lou Barlow
and Bob Fay as Belt Buckle, releasing an EP
on Sonic Bubblegum Records.
In 1995, Matthews released his debut solo record on Sub Pop Records in 1995. It's Heavy In Here, described as "a darkly luxuriant sequence of exquisitely arranged and executed orchestral pop", featured the radio hit "Fanfare" and went on to be a top seller for Sub Pop and received positive reviews while also appearing on many best album lists that year . In 1997, the follow-up album The Lateness of the Hour was released on Sub Pop. It did not sell as well as It's Heavy In Here, but included orchestral instruments within its rock stylings.
Sub Pop and Matthews terminated their relationship in 1999, and he began working as a sideman for such groups as Tahiti 80
, The Dandy Warhols
, Ivy
, Man of the Year, Elliott Smith
, Paula Kelley
, Pugwash
, Volovan, and Bug 2000.
In 2004, Matthews began a relationship with Empyrean Records to re-issue the Cardinal record. He has since continued to release music under the Empyrean label.
In 2005, Matthews released his third solo record, entitled Six Kinds of Passion Looking For An Exit, and in 2006 another album entitled Foundation Sounds. In the summer of 2006, Matthews announced that he and a guitarist from Cleveland named Christopher Seink had formed a new instrumental band called Seinking Ships. In 2008, Eric Matthews and Empyrean Records released The Imagination Stage to a flurry of glowing reviews heralding Eric's return to the fully orchestrated sound of his Sub Pop releases. In March 2009, Eric ended his professional relationship with Empyrean Records.
Collaborations/guest musicians include:
Richard Davies
, Jason Falkner
, Spookey Ruben
, Elliott Smith
, Gregg Williams
, Tony Lash
, Robert Harris
, Christopher Seink, Mark Eitzel
, Lou Barlow
, Bob Fay, and Steven Hanford.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
, musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
, recording artist, and record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
.
Career
Eric Matthews began his serious recording career as one half of the band Cardinal. Cardinal was formed with Australian singer-songwriter Richard Davies in 1992 while the two both lived in Boston, Massachusetts. Cardinal introduced Matthews as a multi-instrumentalist and arranger while Davies contributed most of the songwriting. Cardinal, while not a huge commercial success, made a big splash among sophisticated music fans in most of the West's big cities and with its 1994 self titled debut cemented itself as one of the pivotal bands of the 1990s. In 1993, Matthews collaborated with SebadohSebadoh
Sebadoh is an American indie rock band, formed in 1986 in Westfield, Massachusetts by Eric Gaffney and Dinosaur Jr bass player Lou Barlow. Along with such bands as Pavement and Guided by Voices, Sebadoh helped pioneer lo-fi music, a style of indie rock characterized by low-fidelity recording...
's Lou Barlow
Lou Barlow
Louis Knox Barlow is an American alternative rock musician and songwriter. A founding member of the groups Deep Wound, Dinosaur Jr., Sebadoh and The Folk Implosion. Barlow is credited with helping to pioneer the lo-fi style of rock music in the late 1980s and early 1990s...
and Bob Fay as Belt Buckle, releasing an EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
on Sonic Bubblegum Records.
In 1995, Matthews released his debut solo record on Sub Pop Records in 1995. It's Heavy In Here, described as "a darkly luxuriant sequence of exquisitely arranged and executed orchestral pop", featured the radio hit "Fanfare" and went on to be a top seller for Sub Pop and received positive reviews while also appearing on many best album lists that year . In 1997, the follow-up album The Lateness of the Hour was released on Sub Pop. It did not sell as well as It's Heavy In Here, but included orchestral instruments within its rock stylings.
Sub Pop and Matthews terminated their relationship in 1999, and he began working as a sideman for such groups as Tahiti 80
Tahiti 80
Tahiti 80 are a French indie pop band from Rouen and Paris. The group was founded in 1993 by Xavier Boyer, Pedro Resende, Médéric Gontier and Sylvain Marchand....
, The Dandy Warhols
The Dandy Warhols
The Dandy Warhols are an American alternative rock band formed in Portland, Oregon in 1994. The band was founded by singer-guitarist Courtney Taylor-Taylor and guitarist Peter Holmström, with keyboardist Zia McCabe and drummer Eric Hedford later joining. Hedford left in 1998 and was replaced by...
, Ivy
Ivy (band)
Ivy is a New York City band composed of a trio of musicians, Adam Schlesinger, Dominique Durand, and Andy Chase.-Lately and Realistic:...
, Man of the Year, Elliott Smith
Elliott Smith
Steven Paul "Elliott" Smith was an American singer-songwriter and musician. Smith was born in Omaha, Nebraska, raised primarily in Texas, and resided for a significant portion of his life in Portland, Oregon, where he first gained popularity...
, Paula Kelley
Paula Kelley
Paula Kelley is an American indie pop singer-songwriter and orchestral arranger/composer from Boston, Massachusetts. She began her musical career in the 1990s with the band Drop Nineteens before leaving them in 1994 to start her own career in songwriting...
, Pugwash
Pugwash (band)
Pugwash is an Irish pop band fronted by Drimnagh-born musician Thomas Walsh. Pugwash has released four albums since its debut LP Almond Tea in 1999. The band signed a five-year deal with XTC founding member Andy Partridge's label Ape House in 2009...
, Volovan, and Bug 2000.
In 2004, Matthews began a relationship with Empyrean Records to re-issue the Cardinal record. He has since continued to release music under the Empyrean label.
In 2005, Matthews released his third solo record, entitled Six Kinds of Passion Looking For An Exit, and in 2006 another album entitled Foundation Sounds. In the summer of 2006, Matthews announced that he and a guitarist from Cleveland named Christopher Seink had formed a new instrumental band called Seinking Ships. In 2008, Eric Matthews and Empyrean Records released The Imagination Stage to a flurry of glowing reviews heralding Eric's return to the fully orchestrated sound of his Sub Pop releases. In March 2009, Eric ended his professional relationship with Empyrean Records.
Collaborations/guest musicians include:
Richard Davies
Richard Davies (musician)
Richard Davies is an Australian-American musician. He first came to prominence in the Australian band the Moles. Upon moving to the United States, Davies joined with Eric Matthews to form Cardinal, whose debut , Cardinal, was released by Flydaddy in 1994...
, Jason Falkner
Jason Falkner
Jason Falkner is an American pop and rock musician. Active since the late 1980s, he has performed with several bands. In addition to releasing several albums as a solo artist, he is a prolific session musician and producer who has contributed to dozens of other recordings by other bands and...
, Spookey Ruben
Spookey Ruben
Spookey Ruben is a Toronto-based musician, composer and video director. Due to his father's work as a space engineer Spookey grew up in Germany, Holland, and Washington, D.C. He spent his teenage years playing in array of hardcore and speed metal bands...
, Elliott Smith
Elliott Smith
Steven Paul "Elliott" Smith was an American singer-songwriter and musician. Smith was born in Omaha, Nebraska, raised primarily in Texas, and resided for a significant portion of his life in Portland, Oregon, where he first gained popularity...
, Gregg Williams
Gregg Williams
Gregg Williams is the defensive coordinator of the New Orleans Saints and the former head coach of the Buffalo Bills. Considered one of the most respected defensive minds in the game, Williams is known for running aggressive, attacking 4-3 schemes that put heavy pressure on opposing...
, Tony Lash
Tony Lash
Anthony Carr "Tony" Lash is an American musician and music producer, most notable as a founding member of Heatmiser as the band's drummer. He played with Elliott Smith, in the high school band. Lash played the flute; Smith, the clarinet....
, Robert Harris
Robert Harris
Robert Harris or Rob Harris may refer to:* Robert Harris , MP for Steyning* Robert Harris , English Puritan* Robert Harris , governor of Anguilla...
, Christopher Seink, Mark Eitzel
Mark Eitzel
Mark Eitzel is a musician, best known as a songwriter and lead singer of the San Francisco band American Music Club.-History:Eitzel spent his formative years in a military family living in Okinawa, Taiwan, Ohio and the United Kingdom. He moved to America in 1979.He started making music while he was...
, Lou Barlow
Lou Barlow
Louis Knox Barlow is an American alternative rock musician and songwriter. A founding member of the groups Deep Wound, Dinosaur Jr., Sebadoh and The Folk Implosion. Barlow is credited with helping to pioneer the lo-fi style of rock music in the late 1980s and early 1990s...
, Bob Fay, and Steven Hanford.
With Cardinal
- Toy Bell (EP) (1993) Flydaddy Records
- CardinalCardinal (album)Cardinal is the sole album from the Eric Matthews and Richard Davies collaboration Cardinal.-Track listing:#"If You Believe in Christmas Trees"#"Last Poems"#"Big Mine"#"You've Lost Me There"#"Public Melody No. 1"#"Dream Figure"#"Tough Guy Tactics"...
(1994) Flydaddy - Cardinal (album re-issue with eleven bonus tracks and expanded liner notes) (2005) Empyrean Records
With Seinking Ships
- Seinking Ships (EP) (2007) Empyrean
- Museum Quality Capture (LP) (June 8, 2010) S-Curve Records/EMI
Albums
- It's Heavy in HereIt's Heavy In HereIt's Heavy in Here is the debut solo studio album by American singer-songwriter Eric Matthews. It was released by Sub Pop Records on September 26, 1995...
(1995) Sub Pop - The Lateness of the Hour (1997) Sub Pop
- Six Kinds of Passion Looking For An Exit (2005) Empyrean
- Foundation Sounds (2006) Empyrean
- The Imagination Stage (2008) Empyrean
- Too Much World ...release pending
Singles
- "Dream Figure" (1994) Flydaddy Records
- "Fanfare" (1995) Sub Pop (US)
- "Fanfare" (1996) Sub Pop/WEA (UK, Europe, and Asia)
- "Hop And Tickle" (1996) Sub Pop
- "My Morning Parade" (1997) Sub Pop (US)
External links
- Review of The Imagination Stage at Crawdaddy!Crawdaddy!Crawdaddy! was the first U.S. magazine of rock and roll music criticism. Created in 1966 by college student Paul Williams in response to the increasing sophistication and cultural influence of popular music, Crawdaddy! was self-described as "the first magazine to take rock and roll...