Matthew Edwards and the Unfortunates are a six-piece group from San Francisco CA. They feature current and previous members of Ladybug Transistor, Assemble Head in Sunburst Sound and The Music Lovers. Their debut vinyl album ‘The Fates’ was released on San Francisco’s Last Tape Recordings in November 2012. It features guitar from Fred Frith (Robert Wyatt, Henry Cow et al) and was produced by Eric Drew Feldman (Cpt Beefheart, PJ Harvey). A new single ‘Minotaur/Bad Blood’ is released on Metal Postcard Records in the Fall of 2013.
01 How did you get started in music?
I was brought up in England and both my parents sang. My Grandad played banjo. Grandma was blind but played piano. I was surrounded by music and singing from birth. I started out playing bass in punk rock bands when I was 15. I did a pick-up show as a lead singer and loved being center-stage so much I stayed there.
02 Where did your direction come from?
Maps. The Stars. The ebb and flo of the tides. Intuition. Mistakes. Bloody-mindedness and the 3rd Velvet Underground album.
03 Who were your major influences and inspirations and who do you despise?
Films and music… and style. I was as into movies as a young man as I was music so I’d say Carol Reed, Lou Reed and Austin Reed. Jodrowsky, Syd Barrett. Slapp Happy were a major influence. French New Wave, English Kitchen sink dramas… and John Cassavettes. Laura Nyro was and still is a great inspiration.
Despise? There are many holy cows in the rock pantheon that I think are wildly over-rated by precious over-grown schoolboys. However, I’m not saying.
04 What inspires you to make your current type of songs and sound?
Walking the streets of San Francisco alone. Being on trains. Overheard conversations. Bar-room chatter. Eavesdropping essentially. My friends inspire me greatly too, I want to surprise them.
05 What can someone who has never seen you live before expect from your live shows then & possibly even now?
We are a lot noisier than on record: we stretch and mess with the songs. We enjoy ‘taking flight.’ We are a mixture of luddites (me) and highly trained players. We perform, we don’t slouch.
06 How do you begin your songs? What types of themes and subjects do you deal with?
Usually something knock me off kilter, then I start with a title and an idea of what I want to articulate, what story I wish to tell or a character I have in mind (usually someone I know or knew). The themes are myriad but mistakes, accidents, families and unexpected dips into the unknown figure a lot. Also, a certain metaphysical element has crept in in recent times.
07 How did your music evolved since you first began playing?
I know about 4 more notes now.
08 What has been your biggest challenge? Were you been able to overcome this? If so, how?
A few years ago I was dragged through the filth by a ‘major label’ and I learnt mistrust. I also gained stupid levels of sheer bloody willpower.
09 Do you play covers? If you could pick any song, which would you like to cover most and why?
We play ‘I Don’t Care’ by the Ramones in a rather psychedicized style. Solo I sometimes cover ‘May I’ by Kevin Ayers and ‘Black Eyed Dog’ by Nick Drake (on casio). I’d like to try ‘Action, Time and Vision’ by ATV…
10 Where did you envisage being in five years time?
A cult figure.
11 Who would you most like to record with?
A duet with Dagmar Krause of Slapp Happy… or Lana Del Ray.
12 What should we be expecting from you in the near future?
We have a 7’ single (and download) ‘Minotaur/Bad Blood’ coming out on Metal Postcard Records (HK) this Fall. Also, I’m playing solo shows in the UK (Moseley Folk Fest August 31st) and Paris this Winter, plus band shows in California.
Web Links:
facebook.com/Matthew-Edwards-and-the-Unfortunates
Link to buy:
The Fates – matthewedwardsandtheunfortunates.com
Minotaur – metalpostcard.com
