In Conversation: Astral Swans
In Conversation:
Astral Swans
By: Shaun Lee
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Matt Swann is the visionary weirdo beyond Astral Swans, a mind-expanding chamber pop project currently riding high on the release of their critically acclaimed, self-titled third LP. After some hectic back and forth over text trying to coordinate our meetup (I was pulling double duty as a volunteer driver and had been ferrying Lydia Lunch to and fro prior to our meetup) we managed to get together in the shade of a Ramsay art gallery, a comfortable distance from the noise of the Sled Island block party. There, Matt filled me in on some of the ins and outs of the psychological dimensions associated with being a performing musician.
Shaun: And boom! We're rolling. Let me just pull up some notes here. Yeah, I got to hang out with Lydia (Lunch) for her soundcheck and stuff like that, yeah.
Matt: Craaaazy!
Shaun: She loves to tell some gnarly-ass stories, so yeah, I was getting all kinds, like, good ol' dirt. Yeah, loads of fun.
Matt: That's wild!
Shaun: Yeah
Matt: Like... like... she... yeah... almost doesn't seem like a real... like... mythos is so grand that I'm like, you know?
Shaun: She is like a walking cartoon character, like, yeah, everything I imagined and more. Just, everything she does is very exaggerated and very hilarious. Even, like, their soundcheck, there was like, uh, me and the sound tech and they were like "whoa, we're just going to play a show for you guys". They were bantering with us between songs. I was like "this is amazing". You couldn't ask for more. Uhhh... what have... so... what kind of acts have you caught so far? Anything cool?
Matt: Uhhh... oh yeah... umm... so... what did I see...? Uhhh... first thing I saw was Low. Umm.. which is mind-blowing, so... some stand outs... Low, Sweeping Promises, umm... Sasami, Princess Nokia, uhhh... I saw Julie Doiron... umm... Frankie and the Witch Fingers...
Shaun: Oh, you did it, eh?
Matt: Yeah, yeah.
Shaun: That's an itinerary. Uhhh... who do you have backing you, uhhh... for your show?
Matt: Uhhh... so... I have... uhhh... Clea Anaïs...
Shaun: Nice!
Matt: Uhhh... Jarett Mayo, who's... uhhh.... guitarist that plays kinda back- he does a lot of country stuff... ummm... Clayton... ummm... oh my god, why am I blanking on his last name? Clayton Smith. He plays with, like, Ghost Women and Skinny Dyck... and... Astral Swans and then we had a fill-in… I normally play with Ben Longman on bass but uhhh... Annie Taylr, who plays solo as TAYLR filled in on bass and fucking just killed it. It was really cool.
Shaun: So what... do... do.. uhhh... do you guys have a sort of conceptual idea before you do the show or, like, how do you sort of determine what your set list is going to look like?
Matt: Ummm... for this show it was kind of just uhhh... like... we started doing shows again in... I think June 3rd was the first, like, we did a run of shows in interior BC and just kind of made a set list for that just as, kind of like to get in performance shape after not playing for so long. Ummm... and then ummm.... now, so we played that set for Sled and then uhhh... and then ummm.... for, so I'm doing Folk Fest and we're doing five... we have five sets. So, for that, we're going to be working out a whole bunch of new material, so I want to learn some covers and...
Shaun: Uhhh, any hints?
Matt: Ummm... we're... so far, everyone is just throwing in ideas, so I think I would like to do, I mean, we... I... I have a Cat Power cover on my record and I love Cat Power and she played Folk Fest, you know, a few years ago. Ummm... so, I mean, we'll definitely do that but I want to pick some kind of... I don't know, I'm thinking maybe an Arthur Russell tune maybe and... I don't know, just like a bunch.
Shaun: A bunch?
Matt: I'd like to have... I'd like to have a huge set at our disposal to...
Shaun: Yeah, that's always a nice thing to kinda have in- in your back pocket.
Matt: Yeah, and for workshops and stuff too.
Shaun: Oh yeah, obviously. I've seen my fair share of workshops where it's like twenty minutes of people talking about what they're going to do.
Matt: Totally. Totally.
Shaun: Uhhh, do you guys have a pre-show/post-show ritual or anything like that? Like, how do you approach performances?
Matt: Ummm... I like to get high.... ummm... and just... become absorbed in the music (laughs). That's kind of my ritual.
Shaun: So like- so like- one thing I'm kinda interested in, like, when I talk to like, a highly creative in- in- into the mystic kind of person, like...
Matt: Thank you
Shaun: What is sort of your mental state throughout the course of, like, a set list? Like, are you- do you kind of go places in your imagination and stuff like that?
Matt: I try- I try to kind of get out of my head because I find... uhhh... and... ummm... I, like, performing... like, performing has always been a love/hate thing, like, when I feel connected, I love it but when I feel... anxious, it's like, it can be hellish. But, I find that a big difference is having, like... a band that I'm really comfortable with and my band right now, everyone is so talented. Like, I'm not- I'm not a theory person or I'm not particularly schooled. I have a really weird approach to writing.
Shaun: You- you got- you got Clea there doing all that, for sure, man.
Matt: (laughs) So, it's like, yeah, I have the, you know, I have bandmates that are all like... Ben and Jarrett have, like, music degrees. Clea, ummm...
Shaun: She's got perfect pitch
Matt: She's got, like, fucking perfect pitch. And, like... years of musical experience, and training, and touring and, like... she's just a very grounding person, like, Clea and I have been to Japan together, we've been to, like, across Canada, like, we toured a lot and... she's a very consistent person, like, both in her playing and, just, in her humanity, like-
Shaun: Precise is a way I would describe her.
Matt: Totally, and uhhh... I really, uhhh... she's a very grounding person and a very organized person, I am not either of those things, so...
Shaun: Yeah, that's a good thing to have that sort of-
Matt: Yeah, totally
Shaun: Someone- someone in your band, like, I al-always called them, like, the band, kind of like the- the- the go-to, sort, like, well, like, an arranger.
Matt: Totally!
Shaun: The band- the band leader where you're... like, the keyboard player in our band would literally have a little file folder with all the songs in it and anyone would be like "what's the key" and she would be like (transcriber's note: I imagine Shaun is pantomiming someone looking through a file folder)
Matt: Like that, totally (laughs)
Shaun: “Aww, thank you, Dani”. Yeah...
Matt: That rules.
Shaun: So what is it, you know, you- you talked about a bad gig. What does that look like? Like, what is your idea when- when you're like "Ahh, I played a bad show. How do you determine that?
Matt: Mental illness (loudly guffaws). Just like literally anxiety. Like, uhhh.... yeah, I have OCD and most of the time, it's a pretty manageable thing in my life, you know, I've had that my whole life and... ummm... but... when it's... when... it goes off and I'm... if I... yeah, if I start feeling... if the anxiety starts coming over, it can take over and then I'm just, like... not in good space (laughs)
Shaun: Like, dis- disconnected from... from it.
Matt: Kinda, like yeah, or just like feeling really awkward and feeling really... like too self-aw- too self-conscious, too self-aware, you know, and then, ideally, a good show is like... no self at all, like, you know, like being focus, being... just feeling the music, you know?
Shaun: Suppose, playing a great show, what does that look like? Like, w-what's your mental state. What are you doing after you've just played the best show that you've played in your career, what's the next thing you do.
Matt: So, actually, yesterday was a great example of that. So, I had, we did our official Sled show at Broken City and it went so well, it was so fun, ummm... performed well, had, you know, had a good crowd... ummm... and then afterwards I put on a... another, like, non-Sled event, but... you know, during Sled type-thing, like DIY thing at... ummm... a hotel and... played that and had Mike Feurstack, who's playing with Julie Doiron and used to play in Snail House and Wooden Stars... ummm... I had Jen... uhhh... Twynn Payne from Big Rig playing, and then I had a woman named Ora Cogan, who's from Nanaimo who does super trippy, like... uh, psychedelic stuff and then... so, played- and then I played as well, and then... uh, it was really great, like, Julie Doiron came down to the show and she actually got up and sang-
Shaun: Amazing!
Matt: Sang with me, which was... you know, Julie's a hero... of mine, like, that was just, like, unreal. and then... after that... it was- so, it was like I'm all focused, well-behaved, didn't even have a beer or anything all day, and then... moment the show was done, like... ate a handful of mushrooms and stumbled off into... the... sounds.
Shaun: Walk into the sunset.
Matt: Yeah, and uhhh... and saw so many humbling and moving performances of- of Kraut genre and it was just, like, being, like, in awe of some of the talent. Like seeing Princess Nokia. It was humbling. Like, she's, like, flawless rapping, all this choreographed dance stuff, no backing tracks for any of the verses, nailing everything while doing this, like, incredible workout to this, like, mind blowing choreography and I'm just floored, you know? And then going to... Sasami, like, crazy, so heavy and, you know, people moshing and- and crowd surfing and uhhh... incredible and then uhhh... Julie's set was like... you know... just stunning and, like, I actually was weeping a little bit at some point because I'm just like.... you know....
Shaun: This'll be an inspiring story here. I like this.
Matt: It is, yeah! You know, it's partially the- the mushroom too, but uhhh... I need to experience art in order to feed back into my own inspiration and process. Even if it's... you know, Princess Nokia, where it's, like, there's no way I'm, you know, I do- I don't do anything along those lines... but it's, like, totally different- different genre, totally different in every way, but seeing that was just, like, sparks the inherent kind of... like, creative force that I feel like we all- that we all have, you know?
Shaun: Art is art, yeah, regardless of genre.
Matt: and.. and just being so inspired that something that moving and beautiful can exist... umm... yeah, so... yesterday was almost a- a perfect day, pretty much and then... went home after and, you know, smoked a joint, had a- a glass of beer and listened to a record and then, like, went to bed and started all again today.
Shaun: What record?
Matt: uhhh... I listened- actually, a couple. Uhhh... Can, uhhh.... Tago Mago...
Shaun: Nice
Matt: Ummm... uhhh... what else did we listen to...? Uhhhhhhhh... Neil Young, After the Gold Rush... ummm... and Sam Cook.
Shaun: Whoa, which Sam Cooke album?
Matt: Uh, just, like, Best Of.
Shaun: Ah, nice.
Matt: Yeah.
Shaun: Uh, so post-Sled. What's next?
Matt: Umm... so, I'm doing this residency in this- in this hotel, so I just wanna... well, first up we're playing Vancouver... uhhh... July 2nd at Wise Hall... uh, Read Range or ,like, Range Magazine is put- putting that show together, which is really uhhh... really grateful for. Ummm... and then... coming back and I just want to work on weird new material. Ummm... and then we're doing Folk Fest and we're playing... I think it's, like, four or five shows for Folk Fest, as I was saying.
Shaun: That's crazy. I like that.
Matt: Can't wait. Folk Fest... uhhh... is one of my favourite... things in life to attend and to be able to play it is such an honour.
Shaun: Yeah, and to be able to really dig in.
Matt: Yeah.
Shaun: That's wild. Well, sounds like a banner year.
Matt: Yeah, and I'm very excited for- like, the Folk Fest lineup also is, like, amazing.
Shaun: Yeah
Matt: You know, like, Courtney Barnett, like, yeah. Spoon? That's hilarious. Ummm... but...so, that. So, yeah. That'll be July, will be... ummm... the... Vancouver show, then we'll do Folk- the Folk Fest shows, I want to do a ton of recording between then, ummm... and... then... August is pretty mellow and then, uhhh... I'm going to Japan September 1st for... uhhh... I think about ten shows?
Shaun: Congratulations.
Matt: Thank you, yeah.
Shaun: Wow. You know and they- they treat artists really, really well.
Matt: Yeah, it's great. Yeah, So I've done- I've done two tours there and... I... love it. Like, I love- I love Japan. Just, being there? Like the history and the culture and the food.
Shaun: Yeah, it's a dream of mine to go.
Matt: You HAVE to go. It's-
Shaun: It's on the bucket list for sure, yeah.
Matt: It surpa- It surpassed any- like, I had really high expectations before I went there for the first time in 2007... ummm... and it surpassed all of them and... it's like... yeah, really special. And really... uhhh.. I love... playing with Japanese bands and getting to watch... you know...
Shaun: Well, their- their level of proficiency is unmatched.
Matt: Totally. Totally.
Shaun: Well, I think that's definitely gonna be an interview! Thanks a lot!
- Shaun Lee
Transcription by Max Maxwell
Learn more about Astral Swans here.