A Cambridge, Mass. area vocalist/musician

At a recent reading for the Ibbetson Street Press  http://homepage.mac.com/rconte  at McIntyre and Moore Books in Davis Square, Somerville, Mass., Jennifer Matthews performed as a special musical guest. Matthews, who regularly plays the club circuit in Somerville and Cambridge, has been making a name for herself on the poetry scene. She describes the songs she writes and sings as " strings of words with wings," and her lyrical expression makes her a favorite among literary crowds. I spoke with her at the Grand Cafe in Union Square, Somerville, amidst an animated crowd of artists and musicians that congregate there on any given day.

 

Doug Holder: What makes you stick with "original" music, when you can make more money doing "buisness" gigs, like corporate jingles, weddings, etc...

Jennifer Matthews: When I was in my teens, when I wrote my first song, I played for a lot of business bands. After each rehearsal I would run home, grab my guitar, and sing my own songs. Those gigs never made me feel at home. It felt so unnatural to me. Anything that takes away from my "original" music is not worth the sacrifice.

DH.:  Talk about your life as a musician.

JM:     I dropped out of the fast track in New York City because it became all about the record deal and not the creative process. I broke away from my band  BEAUTIFUL MUD.

DH:  How does the Cambridge/Somerville/Boston scene differ from New York?

JM: It's hard to make a living as a musician in Cambridge, unless you are featuring or playing in the subways. If I played solo, I would do alright.  But I have to pay my band. I keep the band because they bring so much life to my songs.

The clubs I play in Cambridge, I do to break in as an artist. I like to play the LIZARD LOUNGE. It is a good, eclectic room. It has a good mix of musicians, music fans, and college kids.

Boston has a wealth of talented musicians. Unfortunately there is just no industry here, and it is a killer. I was constantly offered opportunities in New York City, but here it doesn't happen as much.

What I like about Cambridge and Somerville is the mix of people. The Plough and Stars in Cambridge was a regular venue for me. There were a lot of interesting and intelligent people who were in the audience. There were a lot of Harvard and MIT professors in attendance, and they were friends of mine. I made my name in Boston at the Plough and Stars.

DH: You told me you consider yourself a poet.

JM: I'm a poet in my heart. From the way I deliver my tunes, to my style of lyrical expression. I paint pictures with words. I try to take you on a journey with my songs. I travel with my words, and they bring me to a beautiful place. I describe my poetry as " strings of words with wings."

DH: The poetry community seems receptive to your performances.

JM: Poets have been receptive to me because they are willing to journey with me. Sometimes when I play at clubs, I can't bring people on that journey, because they are talking and not listening. When I was playing in Europe, people kept asking me for encores. They were silent, attentive...so we would journey.

DH: What does your music mean to you?

JM: I had a tough childhood. My mother committed suicide when I was really young. For me, music has been my voice, an outlet. I put it all in my music. In my life, when it is chaotic, I just start writing, with my guitar in my lap.

DH: What do you write about?

JM: I write about whatever strikes me. For instance, I saw a woman with porcelian skin, and piercing blue eyes on the train...I wrote about that. I sit back and silently observe. I try to get a glimpse. You have to remain open.

DH: How is it raising a 12 year old son, and having a music career?

JM: My son, Jonathan, is my roots. Being a musician can be incredibly intoxicating, but sometimes it can be low and heavy. The one thing that keeps it all real for me is my son. It's a manic lifestyle. In the center of that is a tree with deep roots in the earth, and that's my son.

DH: Is performing a sort of addiction for you?

JM: It's like a drug. When you belt out songs, then you hopefully trancend. And hopefully you transcend with the audience. When this happens it's like a high. When you connect with your music, it is a gift.

 

--Doug Holder   * to find out more about Jennifer Matthews go to:  http://www.jennifermatthews.com   Published in the Somerville News.