Matthew West: Interview with Matthew West

MQ: Your album is doing well and we're pleased about that. Is there any song on it that stands out for you?

MW: I'm really excited about sharing these songs with people. I think as a writer, it's like everything in life - you've got to grow up, so I feel like I've been growing up with my songwriting. Matthew West growing in his songwriting One thing I've noticed in my life, a lot of times it's easier to not deal with a difficult situation until it passes and then you can look back on it and gain a better perspective in hindsight. For me, I let that happen in my songwriting sometimes. If I'm going through a tough time in my life, I'll wait for it to pass and I'll write a song about it in retrospect. But it doesn't connect as much because I didn't write while I was in the middle of that. I went through some really challenging times in my life in that last two years. I suffered a big injury to my arm where I almost lost the use of my left arm and I have a big scar on my arm to show for it. It was through that time that I really began to write songs that were really from my heart. And this time I didn't have a choice to wait until I was past this difficult time, because I was stuck for five months - I couldn't tie my shoe, I couldn't play guitar - I really had no choice but to flesh out the ideas that were coming from my heart in the middle of this really difficult time, this really helpless state I was in. So, in a roundabout way to answer your question, I think every song on this record is a real extension of my life - true stories without question. There's a song on the record called 'Out of My Hands ' that really were the first words that I wrote after the accident - just realizing that I'm not the one in control of what goes in my life as much as I'd like to think so. I really hope people can hear all of the songs on the record and hopefully be encouraged...and maybe it'll make them 'happy.'

MQ: What musical influences - past or present - have shaped your songwriting or sound?

MW: Well, Ozzy Osbourne is a huge influence....nahh, just kidding.

all: laughing

MW: No, he's not an influence! (laugh) We did this thing before I signed a record deal, a friend and I made this press kit to give out to people and we wrote this total fake press release about me. He wrote 'Matthew West combines the sounds of ' - and then we listed about 50 different artists like John Tesh, 'early Madonna' - all this goofy stuff that I sound nothing like! What was funny was that nobody ever said anything about it, so they thought we were serious - and we were totally joking! For real though, I've got a lot of musical influences. I'm pretty eclectic in the music that I like to listen to. I studied classical music in college and there I was writing pop/rock songs in my dorm room on acoustic guitar and then I'd have to go to class and perform Italian arias. I will say that in my CD collection you won't find too many classical CDs anymore, but I listen to all kinds of things. I was definitely influenced by different singer/songwriters. I remember hearing James Taylor and going, "I think I'd like to try and write a song." Billy Joel, guys like that. Steven Curtis Chapman was a big inspiration to me - with his lyrical integrity and the way he shaped words together, and really had a purpose and a real clear message of truth in his writing. I love bands like Matchbox 20, and Vertical Horizon, and SwitchFoot, so I'm kind of all over the place.

MQ: How would you describe your music to someone who is not familiar with it?

MW: The word 'Pop' music is overplayed. Pop music today is really anything. But I'd consider my music as kind of 'bring the rock to the pop.' It's real songwriting - I think a lot of times when bands write songs, it's less about the song and more about 'rockin out.' For me, my songs are the number one priority, but it's in the context of a band sound - that's not afraid to rock at times, or may break down with just a guitar-vocal or piano-vocal at other times. That's because a lot of times it was just me touring around the country with just me and a guitar. That's how I started, sort of with the unplugged thing. I still write songs with just me and a guitar, but with a vision with what it would sound like with a full band. Look at Rob Thomas in Matchbox Twenty - he's a songwriter, but he records with a band.

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Matthew West interview continued...