Basic Folk: Matt the Electrician

The world of Austin’s Matt the Electrician, AKA Matt Sever, is quirky and sincere. Sever is known for his work ethic and vibrant presence in the Austin, Texas music scene. Before music was full-time for him, Matt worked as an actual electrician in between folk music gigs and open mics. He found people were drawn to his skills in the trade, so he decided to make it part of his musical moniker. After self-releasing eleven studio albums and a couple of live sets, the name remains – even though he has not been a professional electrician for a long time.

In this episode of Basic Folk, Matt discusses his new album release, The Ocean Knocked Me Down, and shares insights into his songwriting process and the unique creative writing techniques that keep his music fresh. We learn about his experiences with the independent music community, performing live, and the joys of music discovery in the ’90s through alternative music magazines like Puncture Magazine.

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Matt also opens up about the evolving landscape of music marketing strategies, reflecting on his journey from traditional methods to the more creative approach he employs today. For instance, Matt’s been conducting fake interviews on his social media between himself and Spotify, Facebook, and Rolling Stone that are hilarious. Also he reminisces about the excitement of finding new music back in the day and talks about his favorite snacks – like carnitas tacos and the benefits of black coffee – that clearly fuel his creativity.


Photo Credit: Erica Nix

LISTEN: Matt the Electrician, “Do You Believe In Love”

Artist: Matt the Electrician
Hometown: Austin, Texas
Song: “Do You Believe In Love”
Album: Do You Believe In Love/Walking on a Thin Line
Release Date: October 6, 2023

In Their Words: “Growing up in Sonoma County in the early ’80s, Huey Lewis & The News were a really big deal, they were hometown heroes. And though the album Sports contains the bulk of their hits, and was much beloved to be sure, the first hit from the album Picture This was huge! ‘Do You Believe in Love.’

“It popped back into my head a few months back, and I couldn’t get it out. I became obsessed like I was 11 years old again. And I wanted it to be covered. And I wanted it to be a covered by a bluegrass band. But I couldn’t convince anyone I knew to do it. So I just had to do it myself. And so, purely for the fun of it, I enlisted the help of some of my favorite pickers here in Austin, Texas: Tony Kamel (guitar, vox), Trevor Smith (banjo), Noah Jeffries (fiddle), and Andrew Pressman (bass), and I went into the studio, and recorded both ‘Do You Believe In Love’ – and a version of ‘Walking on a Thin Line’ from Sports as a B side for the ‘digital 45.'” – Matt the Electrician


Photo Credit: Kathie Sever

LISTEN: Glen Phillips, “Brand New Blue”

Artist: Glen Phillips
Hometown: Santa Barbara, California
Song: “Brand New Blue”
Album: There Is So Much Here
Release Date: November 4, 2022
Label: Compass Records

In Their Words: “‘Brand New Blue’ was written as an assignment from Matt The Electrician’s songwriting game, as were many of the songs on this album, There Is So Much Here. I’d missed a week, and incorporated two weeks’ worth of prompts — Brand New Blue and The Next Room — into this song. What came out was something about the Groundhog Day aspect of lockdown, the particular doldrums of being in the same environment every day for months on end. The song ‘Sound of Drinking’ is about the silver linings of that time. This song is more about the boredom and depression of it all. Just because there was the one doesn’t mean there wasn’t also the other.” — Glen Phillips


Photo Credit: Chris Orwig

BGS 5+5: Matt the Electrician

Artist: Matt The Electrician
Latest Album: We Imagined an Ending
Hometown: Austin, Texas

Which artist has influenced you the most … and how?

As a songwriter, I have to go with two, often copacetic, though possibly somewhat diametrically opposed forces, Paul Simon and Rickie Lee Jones. The way they both use language in their storytelling has always been inebriating to me, and feels very much like home. They both often stuff words into spaces that feel, all at once, both incongruous and at the same time, absolutely perfect in their placement. It encompasses for me the way I aspire to be as a writer. And musically, they both have a lot of influences in their own songs from early ’50s rock ‘n’ roll and doo wop, which I’ve always felt speaks to me as well. I think that hearing artists that seemed unafraid to change or break whatever rules around the ways you’re allowed to use words and language in a song was always very liberating to me, and made me not feel not quite as weird writing about whatever I wanted to. And all of that freedom, couched in the confines of the pop rock idioms, feels comforting to me, like a cartoon Tasmanian devil wrapped up tightly in a cozy blanket.

What’s your favorite memory from being on stage?

As much as I’m a bit of a planner, I also love it when plans fail, and as a performer, I think I’m often better when I’m improvising. Once when playing a showcase at the Folk Alliance conference, the sound system went out in the room I was playing. It was a smallish room, but was very full of people. The sound guys were gonna go get some more equipment, but knowing I only had a short set time, I stopped them, and did the show unplugged. Everyone gathered in tighter. A friend in the crowd came up on a couple songs and sang backup, unrehearsed. The community vibes were in full effect and the warmth of that particular room is how I wish all shows always felt. I’ve played giant festival stages in front of thousands, and none of it compares to being huddled in a small room with people singing along with you.

What other art forms – literature, film, dance, painting, etc. – inform your music?

I’m a voracious reader and a film buff. I’d say that both inform my music a great deal. It never feels super linear, like I rarely sit down to write a song while directly referencing a movie or book, but I know in retrospect, that quite a lot of both filter into the process all the time. I think I tend not to like looking directly at any of my influences per se, but rather, hope to allow them to seep in sideways, when I’m not paying attention. That being said, book-wise, I’m currently reading John Lurie’s memoir, The History of Bones, and watching lots of 1950s film noir.

What was the first moment that you knew you wanted to be a musician?

Watching my dad play rhythm 12-string electric guitar in a ’60s rock cover band at a pizza joint in Rogue River, Oregon, when I was 4 or 5 years old. A few of us kids were allowed to watch the first set, and then we were relegated to a camper in the parking lot for the rest of the night. There was a sax player in the band named Willie, and although I don’t remember watching him play the trumpet, he had one in a case at his feet, and I decided then and there that I wanted to be a trumpet player. Soon after, my parents found a $5 trumpet at a garage sale and gave it to me for Christmas. I played that same trumpet through sophomore year of high school before getting a new one and went on to study trumpet in college.

Which elements of nature do you spend the most time with and how do those impact your work?

I married into a backpacking family, so we spend a good chunk of time every summer in the Sierra Nevada mountains, and I love those wooded forests, always have. But my main draw is the Pacific Ocean. I grew up alongside it, in California and Oregon, and even being in Texas for the last 25 years, I manage to get back to it at least a couple times a year, every year. The overwhelming power of it absolutely hypnotizes me. I think it is literally the rhythm of my thoughts, and I aspire to my actions falling under its spell someday as well.


Photo Credit: Allison Narro

The BGS Radio Hour – Episode 216

Welcome to the BGS Radio Hour! Since 2017, this weekly radio show and podcast has been a recap of all the great music, new and old, featured on the digital pages of BGS. This week, David Crosby and Sarah Jarosz join up for a Joni Mitchell number, husband-and-wife duo Darin and Brooke Aldridge bring us some beautiful bluegrass harmonies, LA’s own Los Lobos share their rendition of a favorite Jackson Browne tune, and much more.

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The Wallflowers – “Maybe Your Heart’s Not In It Anymore”

25 years after their breakout hit and almost a decade after their most recent release, The Wallflowers are back with a new album, Exit Wounds. In our interview with Jakob Dylan we talk about the project, singing with Shelby Lynne, the documentary Dylan executive produced, Echo in the Canyon, and more.

Ric Robertson – “Carolina Child”

We spoke with Ric Robertson about playing a popcorn kernel in a musical as a kid, his kite surfing aspirations, his new album Carolina Child, and more in a recent edition of 5+5.

Amy Ray Band – “Chuck Will’s Widow”

Amy Ray of The Indigo Girls finds herself often haunted by the song of the nocturnal songbird, the Chuck-will’s-widow: “I find that I witness the most profound moments in the midst of their songs, when everyone else is asleep. While I am often in need of rest, the respite I find in being awake under a miraculous and melodic night sky is too tempting for me to sleep. It’s a conundrum that inspires me, but also leaves me bleary-eyed.”

Darin and Brooke Aldridge – “Once In A While”

Bluegrass husband-and-wife duo Darin & Brooke Aldridge hope that every aspect of their music makes you smile — even more than “Once in a While!”

Matt the Electrician – “Home Again”

Folk singer-songwriter Matt The Electrician will return with a new album called We Imagined an Ending in November. A new track, “Home Again,” takes inspiration from the point of view of his teenage daughter. “The conundrum of parenthood, that as you finally start to figure some things out, and try to pass along some of that hard won wisdom, you’re greeted with your own teenage face staring balefully back at you.”

Tobacco City – “AA Blues”

Says Chris Coleslaw of Tobacco City’s latest single, “The character in the song is trapped between working in a brewery and staring at beers all day and trying to walk a sober line. I think regardless of your sobriety status we can all relate to those kind of blues.”

Jesse Daniel – “Clayton Was A Cowboy”

Jesse Daniel spoke with us about his new album, Beyond These Walls, about growing up catching crawdads and fishing, the chills-inducing feeling when a crowd sings along with his lyrics, and more in a recent 5+5.

Joy Oladokun – “Judas”

Joy Oladokun is able to do more with just an acoustic guitar and her voice than many artists can in an entire discography of work. And going from Arizona to L.A. then across country to Nashville with a new outlook and perspective, her music stands on a plane with a unique vantage point.

Luke LeBlanc – “Same Blues”

A new video for Luke LeBlanc’s co-written tune with Roy August, “Same Blues,” attempts to capture what the song is about: the tug of war between the status quo and what you’re currently doing versus that thing you really want to do.

Midnight North – “Silent Lonely Drifter”

“Silent Lonely Drifter” is an original folk melody reminiscent of timeless Appalachian string band music. Each verse references a different full moon, speaking to the natural balance that exists in the universe.

Los Lobos – “Jamaica Say You Will”

The Jackson Browne tune “Jamaica Say You Will” always resonated for the fellas of Los Lobos and the narrative and storytelling were attractive, too. So, they recorded their own rendition of the track on their latest project, Native Sons.

Aoife O’Donovan ft. Milk Carton Kids – “More Than We Know”

New music from Aoife O’Donovan is here and we’re loving it! Hear tracks created with Joe Henry and the Milk Carton Kids — one inspired by the modern classic re-telling of Peter Pan, the movie Hook.

John R. Miller – “Shenandoah Shakedown”

Depreciated, the new Rounder Records release from singer-songwriter John R. Miller, combines many of his string band and bluegrass influences with a satisfyingly melancholy and dark mood — plus plenty of fiddle.

David Crosby ft. Sarah Jarosz – “For Free”

Legendary singer, guitar picker, and songwriter David Crosby keeps his love for collaboration alive on his new album, For Free, which features guests and co-writers such as Sarah Jarosz, Michael McDonald, his son James Raymond, and more.


Photos: (L to R) Joy Oladokun by Nolan Knight; Aoife O’Donovan courtesy of Shorefire Media; David Crosby by Anna Webber

LISTEN: Matt the Electrician, “Home Again”

Artist: Matt the Electrician
Hometown: Austin, Texas
Song: “Home Again”
Album: We Imagined an Ending (produced by Tucker Martine)
Release Date: November 5, 2021
Label: Burnside

In Their Words: “Like the old adage, the idea of going home again is filled with sentimental longing and unfulfilled promise. Seeing my hometown through the eyes of my teenage daughter, I wrote this song for her and for myself. The conundrum of parenthood, that as you finally start to figure some things out, and try to pass along some of that hard won wisdom, you’re greeted with your own teenage face staring balefully back at you.” — Matt the Electrician


Photo credit: Alison Narro

BGS Songwriters Parlour at The Long Road 2019 in Photographs

It’s not every day that you get to handpick folks for a songwriters round in your very own personal Honky Tonk bar, but that was exactly the task handed down to us for this year’s Long Road Festival in Leicestershire in the UK last weekend. Outside, a bright, bustling, jovial festival celebrating the awe-inspiring depth and breadth of American roots music from around the globe. Inside? A dark, divey, straight-out-of-Nashville honky tonk — the perfect setting for Rose Cousins, Rhiannon Giddens, Sean McConnell, Jessica Mitchell, Francesco Turrisi, and our host Matt the Electrician to share songs and stories. And laughter. A lot of it!

Check out a few photos from the BGS Songwriters Parlour:


All photos: Justine Trickett

The Show On The Road – Matt the Electrician

This week, Matt the Electrician — a kind-hearted songwriter and cunning craftsman of smile-inducing folk songs that retain the one thing we might need most in our jackknifed new century: hope.

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While the artist not known as Matt Sever may still be able to fix the sparking wires behind your walls with his nimble bear hands, he found a line of work even more daring, dangerous, and financially precarious. What did he set his sights on back in the 1990s? Being a roving folk singer.

Matt’s been at this a while, he looks more like your cool tatted shop teacher than the next big arena money maker for the major labels. So, letting the people who have put him up in their houses and cooked him a warm meal on the road support the music their own way? It’s kind of beautiful. In fact, his sturdy fanbase just lovingly funded his next record, for which he’ll be working with a producer for the very first time, and that producer is none other than Tucker Martine. He’ll be heading up to Tucker’s studio in Portland, Oregon to start the project in October.

BGS UK Preview: The Long Road

There aren’t many British festivals that get American roots music as right as The Long Road. One of the UK’s biggest celebrations of country and Americana, it made a stellar debut last September. BGS is thrilled to be heading back to Stanford Hall, Leicestershire, where we’re once more curating the Honky Tonk stage in the afternoon on Sunday.

Here are just a few highlights heading your way at one of the most epic festival weekends of the year:

Friday, 6 September

You’ve just got away from work and you’re still feeling a bit stressed. Can we recommend you head straight for Jake Morrell at the Honky Tonk, and let this Nashville-by-way-of-Norfolk singer ease your pain?

Failing that, Katy Hurt is opening the Interstate stage, with The Cactus Blossoms following straight behind. If you’re still needing some catharsis, don’t miss Sam Outlaw’s set; if you’re ready to party, the CC Smugglers will help you shake it all off. With fifteen acts across three stages, there’s plenty to warm you up for the big two days ahead.

Saturday, 7th September

Where to start? Is it Jessie Buckley’s intimate lunchtime set, which we guarantee will have a crowd spilling out of the sides of the Honky Tonk? Or Jake Morrell of the Civil Wars on the Interstate stage? From the searing honesty of Roseanne Reid, to Curse of Lono’s Gothic rock show, to the out-and-out hilarity of Rich Hall’s Hoedown, there’s something for every mood.

There’s also an all-day schedule of ridiculously entertaining activities including a lasso workshop, the Cowboy Olympics and a hot dog eating contest. Oh, and did we mention that Kip Moore is headlining on the Rhinestone Stage? Yeah, that Kip Moore.

Sunday, 8th September

We think this’ll be the best day — but then, we’re biased, because from 2pm onwards, we’re getting to handpick who plays in our own personal Honky Tonk bar, and that includes Rose Cousins, Beth Rowley, and Jessica Mitchell. We’re also hosting the Long Road’s first ever Songwriting Parlour, led by Matt the Electrician, in the intimate, in-the-round style of the Bluebird Café in Nashville.

What else do you want — Rhiannon Giddens? Asleep at the Wheel’s first UK performance in 10 years? A DJ set from the Flying Mojito Brothers? Oh all right then, you can have them. They’re on the stage next door. And with BGS’s takeover ending at 8.15 pm, we won’t even take it personally if you head off for Josh Turner’s headline set.

Matt the Electrician: Just One Song Motivated by a Healthy Sense of Competition

Editor’s Note: Matt the Electrician will take part in the Bluegrass Situation Takeover at The Long Road festival, to be held September 6-8 in Stanford Hall, Leicestershire, England.

In 2007 I was asked to travel to Japan and play a tour of a dozen shows or so. It was my first time there, and actually only my second time out of the US — the first being a short drive into Vancouver, BC a few years earlier. In the subsequent years between, I have toured Japan nearly every year, with a total of 11 trips to date. But at the time, I was a newbie to international traveling, and filled with equal parts wonder and terror. My tour manager/booker/promoter was a man named Shuichi Iwami. I had met Shu a few years before in Austin, at SXSW, and he told me then that he would bring me to Japan someday. He kept his promise.

Shuichi lives in the city of Kure, which is very close to Hiroshima. A few days into the tour, we took a train to Osaka for a gig. When we exited the train station, it was raining, we were carrying guitars and suitcases, and I followed as Shuichi led the way, Mapquest in hand. We walked for what felt like a long time. And in what felt like circles. Eventually, as we started to really get wet, Shu turned to me and said, “I think I am lost. I do not know Osaka very well.” He then directed me to take a seat on the front stoop of a brownstone with the luggage, and said, “Wait here, I will go find the hotel, and then come back and get you.”

Only as he was nearly a block away, did it occur to me, that perhaps this was it. Maybe I now lived in Japan. Bear in mind that while this was not pre-cell phone era, it was pre-smartphone, so while in Japan my little flip phone (it didn’t take pictures either) was mostly useless. I sat on that stoop wondering what my new life in Japan would bring. I watched girls riding by on bicycles while holding umbrellas.

After a while, Shu returned and we walked to the hotel. While he was checking us in, I decided to check my MySpace page on the computer in the lobby. There was a message from my songwriter/bass playing friend Tom Freund. He asked what I was doing, I responded, “I’m in Osaka in the rain.” He wrote me back immediately. “If you don’t write that song right now, then I will.” So I went immediately up to my room and wrote my song, “Osaka in the Rain”

Most importantly, I wrote the song before Tom could write it. I beat him. And if history has taught us anything, it’s that songwriting is a competition, and the scoring is based on speed.


Photo credit: Allison Narro