Tag: Matthew Perryman Jones

MIXTAPE: Blue Water Highway’s Space Ship in a Barn

Posted on by Editor

We are a four-piece Americana/indie rock and roll band from Austin, Texas, combining our love of singing and harmony (Catherine and Zack were both opera majors in college) with thoughtful songwriting, musicianship, and arranging (Greg and Kyle are multi-instrumentalists, also with college degrees in music). Being from Texas, we are rooted in its southern/western traditions, but love to musically and lyrically explore the contrasts in culture between rural and urban life, and the way that technology has affected both. This was one of the concepts — what we kept calling “building a space ship in a barn” — that was at the heart of our upcoming album, Paper Airplanes, produced by Cason Cooley, and it is the theme of our mixtape.

These “space ship in a barn” songs are a huge inspiration to us, often using acoustic instruments and natural vocals/harmonies mixed with analog synthesizers and electric guitars. Essentially mixing the organic sounds of the country with those of the urbanized, modern world. They also show a contrast between material things, and emotions that can sometimes best be expressed by otherworldly-type sounds. — Blue Water Highway

Bruce Springsteen – “I’m on Fire”

We find ourselves constantly referencing the Boss and his Born in the U.S.A. album, and this track specifically, as a great example of how classic rock and roll and rockabilly crossed with an analog CS-80 synth somehow works so well.

Sandra McCracken – “Reciprocate”

There is something about this track, and whole album really, that uses the roots vs. digital mix to maximum effect. The foundation is the fragility of the vocal and the acoustic guitar, but the “space” sounds peek through, like little slivers of light coming down through the dark clouds. Produced by Cason Cooley, this is one of the initial influences for our album.

The National – “Quiet Light”

The National’s 2019 release, I Am Easy to Find, has some of the best vibe in piano tones and “Quiet Light” is no exception. The soundscapes and drumming on this tune were just so innovative yet familiar.

Matthew Perryman Jones – “Waking the Dead”

The atmosphere kicks in right from the start and supports this upbeat rocker, which happens to be the only non-ballad on this record, is also produced by Cason Cooley, and admittedly is one of the few non-ballads that MPJ writes. The whole record is a rootsy trip through outer space.

Hozier – “Almost (Sweet Music)”

This song combines three things we love: good songwriting, good groove, and jazz. Hozier weaves titles from famous jazz songs throughout the lyrics of this song, and if you didn’t know the jazz songs he mentions you’d have no idea. Hozier is a great example of an artist who uses rootsy sounds with very modern, pop-oriented production techniques.

Phoebe Bridgers – “Motion Sickness”

Is it a country song or not? At least that is the argument we’ve been having in our band since the song came out. The soundscape is obviously a great example of vibey, modern, groovy, indie-rock production, and the lyrics have a very 21st century suburban-kid perspective. But still, there is something in the mood and the lyrics that doesn’t seem too far from Hank Williams… or Dolly Parton… anyone?

Elbow –”lippy kids”

Our producer introduced us to this band and this track, which is not only a perfect example of our theme sonically, but also lyrically. The refrain of “build a rocket boys” exactly conveys the sense of childhood wonder we wanted to evoke on our album.

Taylor Swift – “peace”

We’re big Taylor Swift fans in this band, always have been. Then she released folklore and evermore in 2020, which somehow fit perfectly with sounds of our album, even though we had already recorded it. Catherine never turned these albums off… ever. Taylor Swift is not given nearly enough credit as a songwriter and this is one of those perfectly produced tracks that makes her shine.

Blue Water Highway – “Grateful”

Definitely leaning more on the “barn,” or rootsy, side of things, this is our tongue-in-cheek take on thankfulness, and we still manage to put enough stardust sounds in the mix that it fits with the rest of the album.

Big Red Machine – “Hymnostic”

This song sounds like sunlight shining through the windows of an old white wooden church. Aaron Dessner (The National) and Justin Vernon (Bon Iver) combine to create the ultimate “spaceship in a barn” vibe. Big Red Machine, The National, and Bon Iver have all accompanied us many many times on late-night drives from state to state.

John Moreland – “When My Fever Breaks”

When an amazing songwriter gets a hold of a drum machine, this is the result. Great songs, and vibey drum production, complete with other synths make this album one to keep revisiting.

Brandon Flowers – “Between Me And You”

Brandon Flowers is one of the core artists we reference. Combining a indie synth rock aesthetic with heartland songwriting, he represents one of the many examples of bringing roots rock into a modern era.

Counting Crows – “Amy Hit The Atmosphere”

If this came out in 2021, it would probably be called Americana, but we love how these guys were a mainstream rock band with just the right balance between raw and polished. That’s never truer than on this song from This Desert Life, with the way the band uses atmospheric sounds to support the lyrics.

Maggie Rogers – “Overnight”

This song is a perfect example of how ambient electronic sounds that you can’t really put your finger on really round out and enhance a song that has organic vocals and drums.

Dawes – “Don’t Send Me Away”

One of the under appreciated elements of ’70s Americana will always be the impeccable groove of the rhythm section. Dawes carries this same torch, along with subtle but innovative guitar work, and brilliant songwriting, to become one of our bands favorite bands.

The War on Drugs – “Pain”

Adam Granduciel’s guitar work and songwriting harkens back to the way the ’80s musicians blended the rootsy style before them with modern instrumentation. The War on Drugs unashamed use of drum machine sounds and reverb rich guitar tone creates a cool and nostalgic sonic landscape.

Blue Water Highway – “All Will Be Well”

This is a song about the true meaning of hope, and it uses the synth/acoustic dichotomy as a way to contrast the spiritual with the material, how those realities both rub up against each other and work together. At times it feels like a rickety old space ship, and is one of our favorite examples of this sound in our original music.

Blue Water Highway – “Sign Language”

This is our original song about finding communication, calm, and understanding in the midst of chaos and confusion. The soundscape has many “space ship” elements that evoke communication, i.e. synthesizer and drum machine, which are contrasted with the organic sounds of the harmony vocals, guitar, and drum set.

Photo credit: Cal & Aly

The String – Producers Rick Clark and Neilson Hubbard

Posted on by Chris Jacobs

Recording producers are often the best people to speak with to gain extra insight into what makes some music more effective than others. And that’s what we do this episode with two Nashville leaders with very different stories.


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Rick Clark came of age in Memphis and moved to Nashville in the 90s. He’s been a DJ, a compilation curator and a music supervisor for film and TV. He’s also getting back into songwriting and recording his own music. Neilson Hubbard is a key player in the modern Nashville music scene, with albums to his credit by Mary Gauthier, Gretchen Peters, Nora Jane Struthers and Matthew Perryman Jones. His own band of late is called the Orphan Brigade.

Nashville Ballet Teams Up with Bluebird Café for ‘Attitude’

Posted on by Editor

The Nashville Ballet has never shied away from an artistic challenge. Quite the opposite, really — they continually seek out new paths to blaze, often incorporating the work of local musicians. For the past few years, their Attitude series has been at the forefront of that particular movement, turning to artists like Matthew Perryman Jones and Sugar + the Hi-Lows to perform alongside their dancers.

This year, Attitude finds the Ballet partnering with the famed Bluebird Café to present a songwriters' round like no other. Hit songs by Victoria Banks, Georgia Middleman, and J.T. Harding underscore cutting-edge choreography by Christopher Stuart, Banning Bouldin, Brian Enos, and Gina Patterson as the Ballet re-imagines an experience unique to Nashville on its stage. The show runs February 12-14 at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center.

Describe the process of culling through songs to find the ones that had Attitude written all over them.

Paul Vasterling (Nashville Ballet Artistic Director): I worked very closely with Erika Wollam Nichols (Bluebird Café General Manager) to curate Attitude’s set list. Ultimately, we were looking for songwriters that would be unafraid to take a chance with us. In a way, the musicians have had to release creative control in order to allow the choreographers to step in and freely interpret their music. These songwriters have not only been open to that, but have fully embraced it. They’re each digging deeper into their songwriting and experiencing entirely new layers of their art by seeing it through another person’s eyes.

The three musicians — Victoria Banks, J.T. Harding, and Georgia Middleman — complement each other in a beautiful, effortless way. They are inherently different, yet create this harmonious balance when put together — which, of course, is perfect in a writers’ round setting. The nine songs we chose are very different from one another, yet make sense when paired together. Choosing the music was a delicate balancing act, but I think it overall captures the full spectrum of the Bluebird experience.

Erika introduced the song “City of Dreams” pretty early on in the process, and that instantly became the overarching theme for the ballet. The song was written by Victoria following the 2010 Nashville flood to raise funds for the Red Cross. The song resembles the unity of this city and the idea of building community, and that’s exactly what this ballet is about.

Victoria, how does it feel watching your songs come to life through bodies and movement?

Victoria Banks: Like most songwriters, I write music in order to connect with people. The goal is to evoke an emotional response from the audience. As a songwriter, the tools I’m able to work with are lyric and melody. These tools are powerful, yet also limiting. The added visual element of dance to my songs takes the emotional connection to an entirely new level. To me, it feels downright spiritual. Instead of one person with a guitar eliciting that emotional response, it now suddenly becomes a huge communal experience. It’s not just one person pouring out their soul — it’s an entire stage full of people.

It’s been a fascinating process watching the dancers learn the choreography and put their own spin on it. What has struck me the most is how the smallest change in the intention and emotion of a dancer changes the movement entirely. It’s really quite amazing.

Has this project shifted your perception or connection to the songs at all?

VB: I’ve been playing live throughout the rehearsal process with the dancers, and it’s actually been challenging performing when they’re dancing. Suddenly, the same songs I’ve been playing for years now feel so new and intense that it chokes me up. Songs tend to mean different things to different people, so the choreographers are adding their own layer of interpretation. Then, on top of that, each dancer is adding their own emotional interpretation to the movements. It drives home the belief I’ve always had: Songwriters are not the source of what we write; we are the conduit.

Music, like any form of creativity, comes from a universal source beyond our understanding. On a good day, we're just lucky enough to tap into that creative source, and what comes through can be translated in many different ways. These choreographers and dancers are holding up a mirror and reflecting back a side of my songs that I didn’t even know was there because I’ve always only heard them in my own limited way.

How is the choreography different in a setting like this than it would be otherwise?

Christopher Stuart: Choreographing for this year’s Attitude has been unlike anything I’ve created before. The overarching goal is to evoke the same look and feel as a Bluebird writers’ round, but to amplify the experience by adding the visual layer of dance. We’re experimenting with several elements we’ve never used before in order to bring the Bluebird to a larger stage in an authentic, truthful way.

The three Bluebird musicians will join the dancers on stage and sing their songs acoustically, unlike previous pieces I’ve choreographed with the artists performing with full bands to the side of the stage. The musicians will also share the stories behind their hits, which is an aspect we’ve never incorporated into a performance at Nashville Ballet. I’ve also added Bluebird Café-style tables and chairs into the choreography, along with interactions between the dancers and musicians. This piece has a much more stripped-down, intimate feel in comparison to what we’re typically used to presenting. It feels very fresh and innovative, which is exactly the point of our Attitude series.

Erika, thinking back to your early days in Nashville and at the Bluebird, could you have imagined what it would become through collaborations like this one and with the Nashville show?

Erika Wollam Nichols (Bluebird Café General Manager): When I first started working at the Bluebird, we were a small café that served lunch and dinner, and had some music in the evenings. Comparing the very early days to today, it's hard to believe how the venue has expanded and the mission become more focused.

Now, the Bluebird has become synonymous with songwriters, songs, and incredible talent, concentrating on original music and the people who create it. Expanding that focus has become a large part of the Bluebird's mission and it continues to grow, allowing us to share the magic and the importance of songwriters to our lives and our culture.

Through the past 34 years, the venue has a long history of outreach and collaborations, from a series with the Disney Institute, to our 14-year-old Bluebird on the Mountain series in partnership with Vanderbilt's Dyer Observatory and our equally as long relationship with Robert Redford's Sundance Resort in Utah. ABC's Nashville has made the Bluebird a landmark and given us the opportunity to present songwriters to a much greater audience. This is not the first collaboration with the Nashville Ballet, but we are thrilled to be involved in 2016 and to see our beloved songwriters' music represented through dance.