Today we’d like to introduce you to Matthew Gray.
Matthew, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
I am the founder and front man for Matthew And the Arrogant Sea, an alt-folk/psychedelic pop act from Denton, TX. The band has received numerous accolades and notable press from around the globe since its inception in the early 2000s. Heralded with praise from outlets such as Daytrotter, NME, Pitchfork, Rolling Stone, Stereogum, Good Morning Texas, and NPR, alongside the exuberant praise from their national debut, “Family, Family, Family, Meets the Magic Christian”, in 2008—named one of the best records to be released in North Texas in the last decade. With the band’s latest endeavor “The Glooms, Pt. 1”, We take a darker turn into new/exciting/dream-like territories while maintaining (and improving upon) the sounds we had originally sought out with the 2008 release. Most recently I have dabbled into the film medium, and have a very ambitious and exciting short film coming out this fall (A bump on the head in the three parts) Directed by a truly inspired filmmaker Cole Mitchek. **(link)–https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8479300/**
Can you give our readers some background on your art?
I aspire with great ferocity to be the anti-songwriter, at all times. I refuse the obvious formulas and have immensely high expectations of myself in regards to the physical written word. It has to beat out of me, and have some truth to it, for it to be worth playing. I have never been one that likes to necessarily discuss the whys, or the how’s or really the message of my writings. Mainly because I believe the minute, no–the very second you know what a song is about, you have an entirely different opinion about that song. My biggest hope is that those who listen can take something meaningful away from their experience.
What would you recommend to an artist new to the city, or to art, in terms of meeting and connecting with other artists and creatives?
Absolutely! Go out there and get involved in your community. Volunteer to help out at the local music festival, or an awesome community event. You won’t regret it.
What’s the best way for someone to check out your work and provide support?
www.makeamericaweirdagain.com we’re also on all social media platforms, as well as Spotify, iTunes, and all those other neat streaming sites. We’ve most recently released a trailer for our forthcoming short film, “A bump on the head in three parts”
***link** (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbvP-6WVqYo)
Contact Info:
- Website: www.makeamericaweirdagain.com
- Email: matthewandthearrogantsea@gmail.com
- Instagram: @matthewandthearrogantsea
- Facebook: facebook.com/matthewandthearrogantsea
- Twitter: twitter.com/thearrogantsea
Image Credit:
All photos by Matthew Gray, Cole Mitchek, or STEPHiAM.
Getting in touch: VoyageDallas is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
