Change has been a constant in Matthew Logan Vasquez’s life. Since his days as frontman in Delta Spirit and then, with the band on hiatus, a solo career, the Austin-born musician settled in Long Beach, California, Brooklyn, Austin and Wimberly, Texas. His current address? Oslo, Norway.
A family emergency by his father-in-law led him to theNordic country. Finding a little bit of home, he said, “I lucked out to findthat Oslo has a handful of really good Mexican food restaurants. Surprisingly.It ain’t cheap but they fly in cactus, do sopes, enchiladas, that kind ofthing.”
Before he could join his wife and son overseas, he needed tocomplete his next album before losing access to his studio.
Living alone in his newly-refurbished house in Texas, Vasquez turned his melancholy mood into the songs that would make up Light’n Up, his third full-length album. Longtime fans would recognize that this isn’t the first time Vasquez explored his dark side. He did that on the lo-fi burner “Solicitor Returns.” It’s just that this time the approach became intensely personal. As he told me in 2017, “Part of it is that side of my songwriting that’s always existed and very rarely showcased in Delta Spirit. It just got to a point where, “Man, I need to make a record like this or people are going to think it’s not true.” It know it’s contrary to commerce, sometimes, to complicate the scenario with a bunch of stuff but I grew up listening to Nirvana, Neil Young and Marilyn Manson.”
While the lyrics may be dejected, as demonstrated by openingacoustic number “Ballad In My Bed” and heavy-hearted “I Love My Boy,” overall,the music softens the effect. The first single, “Trailer Park,” rushes by likea driver ignoring all speed limit signs on an endless desert highway, the hardrocking “Vacation” as it laments the lack of depth in relationships while thekey line in the pulsating rhythm of “Ball Pit” can be taken as a boast or desperate confidence boost.
With his latest solo work and tour occupying his mind thepossibility of a return to Delta Spirit remains on hold. “We haven’t broken up.It’s just one of those things where everybody’s doing their life. It’scertainly not for lack of trying. Not broken up. Not over. Just very verydormant and hopefully not dormant anymore. As soon as we can be, we willre-emerge.”
Until that happens, there’s much to enjoy from Vasquez’smisery; songs to put a lump in your throat, stir your ass to shake or causeyour fist to pump in the air.
JPG: How are you adjusting to living in Norway?
MLV: I’ve been there since last March. It’s fucking cold.(laughs) The lack of sunlight really did a number on me. I survived a few NewYork winters but it’s definitely a lot more extreme than that. Like any place,it has its pluses and minuses.
JPG: Did you use aSeasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) lamp to help you deal with that?
MLV: I’ll go to a botanical garden, sometimes, and standnear a cactus. Get in a humid room. That tends to help. I filled my schedule uppretty thoroughly from here on out until July. Then, I won’t have to deal withit quite as much.
The summertime’s nice. It’s like Chicago in the summer. It’svery clean. People are pretty nice.
JPG: Are you playinggigs around there or are you more of a homebody?
MLV: Delta Spirit didn’t really tour in Scandinavia verymuch or at all. We didn’t play there at all. I spent the last three yearstouring through Europe. I mainly played in the Netherlands, Germany and the UK.I’m pretty anonymous out there. But, I have shows. People show up. It’s reallyfun. It’s not the same energy as the U.S. Definitely gonna move back as soon aspossible. (laughs)
We moved out [to Oslo] because my father-in-law gotAlzheimer’s. We had a pretty crazy time where we bought a house, renovated thisold house in Wimberly, Texas, outside of Austin. I made a joke while I washanging drywall that we’ll move as soon as we’re done renovating. That’sexactly what we did. So, it’s just one hurricane after the other for me.
We decided to move in June (2017) because it looked like hewasn’t going to be too lucid for much longer. I’m glad we moved when we did butit was really really hard. I spent last January making this record. I waspretty lonesome because the day after Christmas because my wife and son left.We gave up our cat, and I was in this house completely alone making thisrecord. Things are much better. (laughs) I’ve got friends in Oslo now. That’sbeen a big difference.
JPG: Rolling Stone described this as your“darkest sounding effort.” I thought it was melancholy in spots but I didn’tthink it was that dark. Maybe it’sjust me.
MLV: Well, I guess it’s dark for an optimist. I don’t know.I’m not without hope…ever. But it was definitely a trial, writing within atrial.
JPG: One of thesadder songs ends the album, and that’s “Oslo.” Why place it there?
MLV: Functionality being that was the last song that I wrotefor the record. I had spent a month out in Oslo and settling in, taking my sonto daycare and not being able to get out of the driveway. My feet are plantedand I’m just sliding down an icy hill in the snow and screaming, “Fuck thiscountry!” (laughs) Being like, “I can’t deal with this.”
There’s a very A to B about my solo efforts. It’s been verymuch a diary and that’s where I left off the diary. That was written in Oslo.That was the only song that wasn’t recorded in January in Wimberly. Everythingelse was recorded in Texas.
JPG: The song does hasthe feel of someone sitting along in their living room.
MLV: It’s very much…that’s exactly where I recorded it.Funny you said it. I was in my living room and cut it. Then, I had theParkington Sisters do the string arrangement.
JPG: Before that, didthe album end with “Character Assassination” but you added “Oslo” as a nice wayto tie things up?
MLV: Yeah. I got to that point with “CharacterAssassination” and knew that the album wasn’t finished. I had the record and Ihad a big question mark at the end of it. I wanted to tie it all up and to theplace I was because the record is very much about the transition of life,always being on the run, about to feel settled and then being on the run again.Also, it really tied that up for me in terms of the story I’m telling.
JPG: Is it enjoyablein a way or cathartic to be so vulnerable on a record or is it a burden ofbeing an artist?
MLV: I’m always looking at myself in the mirror as the 13year old kid that is playing guitar. What am I supposed to become? And you’reholding true to the idealism of being a songwriter. It’s about honesty. It’sabout trying to love the craft. For this record, especially, it’s very muchputting my own life story into the music.
JPG: Listening tothis, I can’t imagine it being a Delta Spirit record. It has to be a soloalbum.
MLV: Yeah. It’s not like I haven’t done that with DeltaSpirit. It has songs like “House Built for Two” and “People Turn Around,” “TheWreck,” “War Machine,” “Yamaha,” all of those are very diary-written kind ofmusic. The nature of what Delta Spirit is…definitely Kelly the other songwriteris more a fan of the vague. Things lean that way within Delta Spirit because ofthat. He’d always challenge me to be more relatable.
But I look at it like life is ugly and truth is strangerthan fiction, those kind of things, especially with this solo effort and howthings have become. The people that continue on the journey with me, it’s verymuch a closer knit, awesome thing where I feel like I’ve been able to be moremyself and get a very different experience. It’s really fun.
JPG: There’s aconnection, rhythmically, of the Delta Spirit song “California” with the firstsingle off this album, Trailer Park butthere’s a much different viewpoint.
MLV: Yeah, it’s got that straight beat, that straight eight.Cool beat. (laughs)
JPG: A similar bpm
MLV: Yeah, 155. It’s a thing we do, a thing we love.Definitely not shying away from that. I’m always writing songs in that form.
JPG: It’s a fun form.Maybe your drummer won’t enjoy playing a whole set of that.
MLV: (laughs) We definitely switch up quite a bit. Unlessyou’re playing some serious house music, that’s like the only time that beatsurvives that long.
JPG: Speaking of Trailer Park, it’s interesting that thevideo got its premiere on Rolling Stone Country. It says a lot about what isconsidered country now and that your music is included in that.
MLV: Delta Spirit’s been called a whole lot of things likehonky tonk Americana stuff. Certainly, the hipsters of today have beenlistening to a lot more Steve Earle and Townes Van Zandt and a bunch of othercrazy old people and are really well-studied on a lot of stuff that a lot of myfriends were hip to. It’s definitely taken a lot further these days than it was13 years ago.
JPG: Back to thealbum, "Ghostwriters" has a Tom Petty/Traveling Wilburys feel to it.
MLV: Jeff Lynne is a god idol of mine and I’m alwayslooking for an opportunity to nod my hat at that guy. I really loved the showlast year. So fun. So good.
I saw it in Oslo. Taylor Goldsmith [of Dawes] was openingfor them. I texted him, “Fuck you, man” when they got to open because I was sojealous. It was so cool. So, when your friends open for you idols I called in afavor and I got to watch that whole thing in the front row, which was so muchfun. I got yelled at a couple times for singing the harmonies too loud.
JPG: By Jeff or theaudience?
MLV: Some relative of the bass player sitting next to mequietly enjoying it. (Starts singing, “I’m so tired of being lonely…”) I lovethat. Roy [Orbison’s] the man.
JPG: So Dawes openedup?
MLV: Not on that date but they opened for them through theU.S. So, when they came through Oslo I was able to call in a favor and get onthe list, and that was really fun.
That’s definitely been really positive. Normally, I don’thave so much time to go see shows or hang out with people. It’s actually beengreat being in a city where not a lot of people know a lot of people. You endup getting to spend a little more quality time. Los Lobos came through town andI got to run around with Steve Berlin and went eating. He had an old buddy fromthe ‘80s that owns a Mexican food restaurant. Had a whole night eatin’ chilis.(slight laugh)
JPG: Speaking ofbands, you put out an album with Glorietta last fall. Did that record have anyinfluence on Light’n Up?
MLV: Glorietta was very special. Nobody knew what they weregetting into which was exactly how I hoped it would be. We found our waytogether. It was such a magical week in the finite nature of the project, whichwas set out to make one record, do one tour and that’s it.
JPG: Do you likeapproaching musical projects like that because you did Middle Brother years agoand haven’t done anything since?
MLV: With John[McCauley of Deer Tick] and Taylor [Goldsmith of Dawes] and I, we haveconflicting schedules. Always. Everybody’s pretty prolific and busy.
The only reason we did a reunion for Middle Brother wasbecause of Jay Sweet [executive producer] and Britt [Ryan, productioncoordinator] of Newport Folk Festival that pleaded and convinced us to do it.It ended up being really fun.
So, the idea that could exist again is pretty much a longshot,but that’s the fun and specialness of those records that you get to make. Ireally wanted to make another one that had that vibe because it’s just so funto be challenged in that way and open you up as a songwriter. It’s a verypolite pissing competition.
JPG: Well, as long asit’s polite.
MLV: Yeah, yeah. When everybody’s the leader in a band atthe same time, sometimes, that can blow up in your face because everybody’sjockeying to do their thing or itturns into people being really supportive because they empathize and they go,“How would I want my band to react to a new song that was being performed andhow can I bring something to the table that’ll enhance the song?” Everybodycame in in a really great way in both Middle Brother and Glorietta.
JPG: They had a greatattitude and honored the song above all else.
MLV: Yeah! And simplicity was a takeaway from it. You canalways have a little bit of sonic candy, and that’s always really fun, but atthe end of the day you should just hear the lyric and get the general vibe. Ifyou don’t leave a little space for the imagination or the feeling and sentimentof what the song is you can miss the mark.
JPG: Speaking ofsongwriting, I was listening to your previous album, Does What He Wants, as well as the new one, Light’n Up. The song “Tall Man” and the line, “I know I can change,yes I know can change” stood out in regards to what’s happened to your lifesince then. Then, “Ball Pit” references the father son father aspects that wereon the previous album, particularly the line, “Feel like a king baby, numberone, pass the sin from the father to son.”
MLV: It’s out of the Bible, sins of the father intogenerations. That’s very much a story song built around the life of a gigolo ormarrying up and being in an outlandish situation. “Ball Pit” is actually anolder song that I wrote. In January while I was recording the record we hadplayed a wedding in New Orleans. We played this song “Everything I Do Is Out”and we normally go into this E minor jam thing…and the wedding was hilarious.The groomsmen got too drunk to go to his own reception, which they rented outGasa Gasa, and it was one of the funniest craziest nights.
The “Ball Pit” line came from, it’s weird, Taylor couldn’tdo a Middle Brother tour and it was Jeremy Black from Apollo Sunshine fillingin on drums and John McCauley and I jamming as a rock three-piece in SantaCruz. Super weird. That’s where the ball pit idea came from, but it found itsway back on to my lips doing this improvised jam and it ended up turning intothis drunken congo line. I was like, “This is fucked. I’m going to finish thisidea.” Then, I landed on these old lyrics that I had of a gigolo marrying up inthe world, and I always liked that Egyptian cotton line. Then, I had JoeWoullard of Hard Proof play that bari sax, and it was all over after that.
I needed literally something to lighten up the record. Ineeded a dream fantasy left turn out of the woe-is-me attitude of therecord.
JPG: Does that makethe title of the album, Light’n Up, acommand to yourself?
MLV: Yeah. It’s in jest. If you sit back and listen to thething and think about the space I was in when I was making it and a lot of deepsolitude, searching, looking in myself and also feeling sorry for myself. That’swhere the light’n up came from. You’re sitting there, you’re all alone andyou’re feeling sorry for yourself, you need to get your ass up and take a realrecord of the good things in life. That’s why I wrote that.
JPG: You mentionedearlier about looking at yourself as the 13 year old playing guitar in themirror and I thought of that when I watched you play live with Delta Spirit orin live videos, solo or in Glorietta. You're a pretty wild guy on stage.Have you ever injured yourself or anyone else?
MLV: (laughs) Ummm, we played a South By SouthWest event. Wegot cut off and I got pissed and started scaling some stuff. Security wastrying to grab me and I jumped from the scaffolding into the audience andcrowdsurfed but I didn’t know that I accidentally hit somebody square in theface, a girl got a bloody nose. But, I’ve never intentionally hurt anybody.That would be pretty fucked up; pretty lucky kung fu, especially with theamount of alcohol intake that I’ve carried on with during my life.
JPG: Maybe it’s somesubconscious thing, like a mime, you stay in the “box.”
MLV: Yeah. I’m always pretty conscious of my space andwhat’s going on. I’m always trying to gauge things. I wanna be able to feel theenvironment around the room. I’m always looking for a way to hype it up…and notwhack people in the head even though I’m going nuts. (laughs) I try not to.I’ve got good Spidey sense, mostly.
