Mathis talks about his songwriting approach, how is approach to writing solo is different then his writing with other bands and how he plans on presenting these songs in a live setting. 

Click below to listen to “Gathering the Hopeful Gamblers” from “Soft Opening.”

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Dry Ink: Tell me a little about this solo record. How long has this been going on and how long did it take to record?

Mathis Hunter: I got my first 4 track in ‘98 so I’ve been into recording at home for a minute. When Noot d’ Noot was working on “Cash For Gold,” I came across this half finished song, “Binary,” which I transferred into the computer, finished up the lyrics and tracked the vocals. Thought it had a cool sound, it was a little different from Noot, so I figured I’d go back through all these half finished songs and pull something together. I started working on the record seriously after we turned “Cash For Gold” into the pressing plant in May. Ed mastered it in December. So about six months to record, but a lot of the songs go back a ways. It’s called “Soft Opening.”

DI: Where did you record it?

MH: I worked out all the lyrics and vocals, guitars, and bass at home. I tracked the drums and overdubs at The Living Room during off hours. Very grateful to Ed and Justin for letting me use all their mics.

DI: Did you play most of the instruments? Who else is on it?

MH: I played most of the instruments myself, but a lot of friends came through and added a lot.  All the Noot folks helped out, Ben Davis did all the horns, Rich is playing most of the organ/piano/synths, Justin tracked a little bit of everything: guitar, bass, drums, Skins Malone on congas, Travis Thatcher from Judi Chicago played some synths,  Fran Capitanelli played Fender B bender on some tunes, Craig Dempsey played some slide and lap steel, my cousin, Brent Sandel who plays with Nashville group The Tips played some piano, and The Selmanaires added some harmonies on “Endless Psalm Sound.”

DI: Who will be playing with you live?

MH: It’s Justin McNeight on drums, Tommy Chung on bass/vox, Rich Morris on keys, Fran Capitanelli on guitar/vox and me on vox/guitar. We’ve only practiced once, but it’s coming together.

DI: How does this record differ musically then your previous bands? How did you approach the songs?

MH: The main difference in the approach to the songs is when I write for Noot d’ Noot, it’s always from the perspective of groove, a good drum beat and bass line. The songs on “Soft Opening” are born out of guitar riffs/vocal melodies, though I think some of the stronger tracks like “Gathering The Hopeful Gamblers” and “See The Light” came from grooves.

DI: What are your plans after it comes out? Will you be doing more shows? Any out of town shows?

MH: Half the fun of making this record was not having to worry about what comes next. I just wanted to make a record. I’d like to play the material more, but with everyone in the band having so many other projects going on, I don’t know how often we’ll be able to play out. Maybe some of the tunes could be incorporated into the Noot d’ Noot setlist. Honestly, I haven’t thought beyond just getting the record out and playing the show.

DI: Can you talk about the artwork? Who is the artist who did the cover?

MH: Squanto a.k.a. Melissa Cox did the cover as well as the cover to “Cash For Gold” and most of our flyers.  She is an amazing person/artist and we are glad she works with us.

DI: Can you talk a little about Shake Down Records?

MH: Shakedown Records has been our label for all the Good Friday Experiment releases and most Noot d’ Noot releases. The first release was a cassette by Beale Street Green in 1999, which was the precursor band of Good Friday Experiment. There’s a lot of other things we recorded over the years like an album by Seventy Spacebird, a couple of pre-”Goofer Dust” Noot d’ Noot cd’s and a whole lot of Good Friday Experiment stuff that fell by the wayside that we’ll hopefully release someday. New Noot d’ Noot full-length will be out this summer.

DI: When will the record come out and when is the release show?

MH: The release show is March 5th at the Earl with The Selmanaires and Noot d’ Noot.  Shakedown is pressing 300 lps that will include the full length CD with extended versions of the songs and an extra track. Hope to see y’all.