Iain Matthews and Peter Gallway Japan 2023

 

Q: This is a bit a dream bill for us in Japan. When, if at all, have you worked with or met Peter before?

 

IM: I’ve never met Peter before. He introduced himself to me on Facebook a couple weeks ago. After that I checked out some of his music on Spotify.

 

Q: Have you started planning your set list yet? Having a few hundred of your own songs and endless covers to draw on must be fun.

 

IM: This trip is not your standard Iain Matthews tour. I’m half of a duo with a Dutch songwriter/guitar played, BJ Baartmans and we call ourselves The Matthews Baartmans Conspiracy. We released an album “Distant Chatter” just over a year ago. Tetsuya heard it and booked us.

 

Talking of covers…The Woodstock Album

 

Q: Care to give us an update on the album? Track list, any Japanese release date or special edition coming, etc?

 

IM: Yeah, I’m not going to give you a track list yet. We’re trying to build some kind of mystery and momentum into an April release. We are putting out online video singles leading up to the release. The first one late last year was “A little help from my friends” and the second, “Feels like I’m fixing to die rag” came out last week. There will be one more right before the album, on April 28th. At the moment it’s only a European release. I’m working on the USA. We have no plans for a Japanese release unless a label steps up.

 

Q: What was the catalyst for doing it?

 

IM: Basically, to try and revive the band. We quit touring when Covid hit in 2020 and decided to try and come back with some sort of momentum and hit on this idea.

 

Q: There were a lot of songs played at Woodstock including many that have never been released. Were there any that you tried to arrange for MSC but didn’t work?

 

IM: There were a couple that we couldn’t get our teeth into, but so many that did work. We have 15 on the album

 

Thro’ My Eyes

 

Q: Your memoir is very honest. Was it cathartic even if you didn’t intend it to be?

 

IM: I wouldn’t say cathartic but eye opening to realize exactly where I’ve been and what I’ve done.

 

Q: Being a song writer, when you listen to an old song you wrote of a time and place or an event, it can trigger a memory. Did you listen back to your old recordings whilst writing the book?

 

IM: No, not really. We talked about some of the older songs and the triggers behind writing them. But sometimes it’s difficult to put oneself back in that space in time. I tend to not look back too much. For me life is a forward motion.

 

Song writing and playing

 

Q: There are different kinds of song writers. Some can write an album on demand, others suffer badly from mental block, some will have something pop into their heads while making a cup of coffee. How about yourself?

 

IM: I tend to write all the time. Some songs I finish and others I let lie until I feel the urge to record. I make simple iPhone demos and refer back to them. I find that the initial emotion is usually the best one. Some writers finish a song and then go out and play it. I like to let the song breath and find its own place in time before I play it. These days I tend to co-write more. That’s how the duo album came about. BJ and I would send lyrics and melodies back and forth during Covid. Eventually an album poked its head out.

 

Q: Your guitar playing doesn’t get much attention but it is recognisable as you. Who has influenced you and who do you like to listen to?

 

IM: Yeah, I’m a journeyman rhythm guitar player at best. I find my place in the song and try to anchor the groove. Let the other guy do all the fancy stuff. I can’t say I’m influenced by anyone as a guitar player. Listening is a different matter. Bill Frisell is my big favourite. A true master of the instrument, with an unimaginable imagination. John Schofield, Peter Green, John Renbourn, Brian May, Johnny D. I’m sure there are many more.

 

Three random questions

 

Q: If I had a browse through your bookshelf, what would be the biggest section?

 

IM: It’s a toss-up between Jazz and songwriters. I go through phases. Right now, I’m very much into Hiss Golden Messenger and The Delines. Probably more jazz though.

Or are we talking books? In which case, music biographies. I also tend to read good novels. Right now, I’m reading the new Cormac McCarthy “The Passenger” and a Peggy Seeger biography. Just finished Colum McCanns “The Dancer”

 

Q: Do you speak Dutch? (I’ve been in Japan 20 years and my Japanese is lousy at best)

 

IM: Yeah, I’ve been here 20 years too. The short answer is no. I’ve never really been inspired to try. The Dutch speak such good English, there’s no point. Which means my kids speak great English.

 

Q: What do you think happened to Amelia Earheart?

 

IM: She crashed and died.