‘Sidewinder’ is the latest album from Australian singer-songwriter, Matty T Wall. The 12 track record was released in July 2018, and features production by Grammy winning producer and engineer, Bob Clearmountain, best known for his work with The Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen, and David Bowie.
Described by Gio Pilato of Bluebird Reviews as “one of the most inspired musicians of this generation”, Matty T Wall, from Perth, Western Australia, bends the strings of his beloved 61 Les Paul Custom guitar into sounds which beguile the listener and persuade them to come back for more. He has studied and played a wide array of musical styles, including flamenco, swing jazz, and funk, and although as a youth he enjoyed the likes of Metallica and Sepultura, he realised that the musicians he most admired also honoured the blues artists who went before them. Therefore, starting with Eric Clapton and Stevie Ray Vaughan, he found his way back to the real OG, Robert Johnson:
“I discovered Robert Johnson and he made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. I got into the blues and have never gotten out of it.”
Matty’s vocals are likewise as skilled as his guitar playing. “I enjoy using my voice as another instrument,” he says. His songs are mostly riff-driven, and he uses his voice in such a way as to follow the trail of his guitar.
Matty performs with a group of equally skilled musicians, with his favourite configuration being a band of three. Speaking of this he says,
“Sometimes playing with a bigger band is a strait jacket. With a trio I can go crazy.”
With all that said, you can expect that ‘Sidewinder’ is a hard rocking, blues-tinged album. The title track is a huge wall of sound, just over four and a half minutes of solid rock, with Matty on guitars (in the clip he appears to play no less than 5), accompanied by just a bass player and drummer. It’s a simple configuration but it’s all he needs in combination with his powerful voice.
Check out Matty T Wall online on his official website, Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube. Stream and download ‘Sidewinder’ from Spotify and Google Play. Check out his website for upcoming concert dates.
