GRAVEN Graven is the musical project of Matty McKechnie (MM). In advance of an upcoming 5 date run in March, we caught up and discussed his early influences in music, his heavy inspiration for songs such as Little Plum, and his favourite venue. Read on and check him out at one of his upcoming shows!
VITALS
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gravencanada/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gravencanada/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/gravencanada
Latest Release: Jaybird (LP, April 2017)
Web: https://gravencanada.wordpress.com/
Upcoming shows: Thursday, February 22 - House of TARG, Ottawa, ON Wednesday, March 21 - Le Cagibi, Montreal, QC Thursday, March 22 - McCloskey’s, Chesterville, ON Friday,March 23 - The Blacksheep Inn, Wakefield, QC
SA: How did you first get your start in this style of music? MM: I'm not really sure where a 'style' comes from. I think it's probably a culmination of what music you were raised on - and when your formative years came, what albums really wound your clock and put steam in your tank. But in terms of a sound that kept the spirit of classic folk and rock and old-country alive, I was hugely influenced by the 90's Halifax movement. I'd never heard bands like The Super Friendz, Sloan, The Flashing Lights, Thrush Hermit and The Inbreds - and they all dominated my headphones for a while. I loved the lyricism within that movement. It wasn't so much about pomp or glitz, as it was about real wordmasters who could still rock out with thunderous drums and crunch-guitars but still clearly and uniquely communicate an idea or a concept or a feeling. And beyond that, although each of those bands had their own unique sound, they all seemed fairly proud to be Canadian. They wrote about their towns and the backroads and community halls and specific parking lots and the long, awful drives across Northwestern USA to try and 'make it' as a band. It was really special stuff.
SA: What bands or musicians would you cite as the biggest influences on your sound? MM: I mean - I could tell you the bands I've listened to the most, over the course of my life, are probably Smashing Pumpkins, A Tribe Called Quest and Anne Murray, but that doesn't really give a clear picture - but yet, I could see all of those acts influencing me in some strange way. It's hard to nail that down for me. I really have listened to a lot of different music over the years. As a preteen, I thrived on early hip-hop and having an American mom, any chance I got to go Stateside was a goldmine for me, because I was buy rap tapes for 5 bucks instead of 11 or 12.99 in Canada! I made those allowance dollars count, man. I even made 12 or 13 rap albums of my own (on cassette) in my childhood bedroom. None of it will ever see the light of day, but I can tell you my M.C. name was Man Of Steel. But I guess if I had to choose one, before my rap phase came out, Springsteen`s Born In The USA was my first vinyl record, and I`m pretty sure it was a birthday gift. And it blew my mind. What a non-stop parade of anthemic hits, that album was - it had everything. Later, I found out (through an Entertainment Tonight celebrity birthday segment) that the Boss and myself have the same birthday, and so that made it feel like our paths were meant to cross.
SA: Thus far in your career, what has been your biggest success? MM: I find it hard to specifically define success, as it`s such a loaded term in these weird times, but I guess it would be longevity. If nothing else, I`ve really stuck at writing songs and making music and trying different chord patterns and fingerpicking movements and losing songbooks and filling songbooks, and I`ve tried to do that no matter what season I`m going through. For me, music is therapeutic and helps me to deal with whatever demons are hanging around - or whatever mountaintop zeniths that I`m able to stand on and absorb - and it seems to be a bit of a guiding force. Oh, and yeah - when I make a bit of money from the music, that`s always a frosting-bonus on the already moist and rich cake. It doesn`t always happen, but when it does, I can stick my finger in it and say `mmm. Delightful. `
SA: On the other hand, what is the biggest challenge you have faced, and how have you dealt with it? MM: I don`t know that I`ve really faced a ton of challenges, musically. I`ve never toured massively - I`ve toured a bit. I`ve never had horrible band breakups - I`ve had people go their separate ways amicably in different bands with minor drama. I suppose that I`m lucky that way, because I`ve always seen music as a slow-build/slow-burn kind of thing. Personally, I guess my greatest challenge was being involved in a marriage that ended and being connected to a few different people who died way too soon and too young. Those waters are hard to navigate, and full of easy off-ramps and sidetracks that can get someone into a lot of physical and mental trouble - but I've always been a fan of staying the course, and sticking around. I always want to see what happens, ya know? But you have to be rooted - and I have some great friends and family members who have grounded me.
SA: How do you approach the song-writing process? MM: Writing is just something that my mind continuously does, I guess. I have a bit of a gift that way. I mean, I have a degree in English and another in Journalism, and so writing has kind of always been my thing. I can write pretty frequently and vehemently - but that doesn't mean I don't have to sift through my fair share of crap. There are a lot of songs and verses and choruses I write that will never go anywhere. I'm a big fan of weeding things out. Songwriting is really hard - even for me. I always want to get to a bit of an uncomfortable spot. It's a bit of a tooth-puller, and I think it should be. I think there are a lot of bands and musical acts out there that are centered on something other than songwriting, and after a while, there's no substance. It's just a smoke and mirrors show.
SA: What are your thoughts on the Ottawa music scene, particularly regarding the style of music you play? MM: I feel like Ottawa is a great place to play, and there is a lot of support within the city and the energy of the music, here. There are venues popping up or flipping all the time, and they all have their specific sizes and sound-vibes and that's nice to see. I met Matias Munoz a year or so ago (who runs Showbox and books music for Bar Robo) and he just seemed to be a no-agenda guy who wants more music and more good creative stuff happening within Cap city. I also became friends with a guy named Tariq Anwar who plays a weekly show at the Atomic Rooster (one of the coolest/most classically unique places in Ottawa) and he's been a great musical ally and a great person to talk to about ideas (and we are both Sens fans, so those chats have had a lot of passion/anger, lately). In 2017, I did a residency at Bar Robo and I played at Irene's, Pressed, The Rainbow, Black Sheep Inn, Live On Elgin and a few other spots a handful of times, and I can say that I love all of those spots for different reasons. I'm also going to be playing at Orange Gallery in the spring, and again at House of Targ, and a few other spots - so that should be a real gas. I think I might be in the minority of the actual specific soundstyle I represent, but that's not a bad thing, and music fans in this town seem more than willing to check out hip-hop or Jazz or Punk or EDM or singer-songwriter stuff if it is something that moves them.
SA: If you had to choose your favourite moment off your latest release, Jaybird, what would it be, and why? MM: I thought about this question for a while, and honestly, I'd be a huge idiot if I didn't say 'Little Plum' because that simple, little song is about such a complex topic; my daughter Sloan. She was born on Christmas Eve in 2016, and it was written way before she entered into the non-placenta reality of this world. She was a real surprise to myself and my life partner Jillian, who is an amazingly strong person and who I'm continually thankful for (ok - I'll stop being being a mushman). But Sloan had a tough first month of her life, and was in the NICU of the Civic for a few days after being born and then sent to CHEO for some complications. She didn't end up coming home until January 13th. Going through the insane rollercoaster of labour with your partner (where, as a man, you are basically doing your level best to not freak out or pass out, and to just be present and supportive) and then having a baby come out who is then instantly hooked up to wires and tubes is one of the shittiest things imaginable. It was dark. But she's doing well now, and that song does really represent the weird, wild mystery of babies for me. Childbirth is something that you never fully relate to until you've been through it. And I'm continually blown away by Sloan, the spirit and smile of that kid, and how Jillian and I became lucky enough to have her wind up in our lives.
SA: With respect to your lyrics, what serves as lyrical inspiration, and do you find yourself coming back to similar emotions or stories that resonate with you? MM: Lyrics are something that usually come first for me, as I'm a pretty wordy guy (not hard to tell from these answers, hey?) but I don't usually come to the same place for songs. I like to purge demons and get rid of negative thoughts, and I think songs are one of the best platforms for venting that stuff. A song can also be a nice way to reflect, if you feel sorrow about the way you acted in a certain situation, and work through that. I like to go pretty deep, I guess. I don't see the point of writing surface value songs. But it's never the same for me. I think the albums I have loved the most are the ones that are uniform and have a definite theme, but that also have variety and range within the songs. Usually, I like an artist because I'll listen to them and be like 'oh wow - this song is SO different from that one, but this one is also sort of a similar vibe to an older record' etc.
SA: A question for fun, for the locals: do you have a particularly favourite venue to play in Ottawa, and if so, why? MM: Irene's is definitely a favourite for me. There is something about the vibe and the folklore and the actual woody smell of that place that is hard to beat. You walk in there and you just feel like something special is happening, and that's hard to find. Aislinn (one of the owners and bookers) has always been really welcoming to me, and supportive of musicians in the area. They also always do a killer job with sound - Gilles and Doug are two of the best sound people in the city, and they always work with the artists to make sure they can hear everything. But that's not to speak poorly of any other venue I've played in Ottawa, at all - because I've been playing live in and around this city since the 90's, but I think there is a standard that is rising. I don't think Ottawa venues can get away with half-sleeping soundboard operators, or pretentious attitudes within the staff. That stuff is all part of a time capsule of the way certain music venues once were - Ottawa is a tight musical community and people are starting to do their due musical diligence and that's a great thing for everyone.
SA: What do you hope for musically in 2018? Our best wishes for your continued successes! MM: I've got a 5-day solo tour with Megan Nash in March, and I'm really looking forward to the grind of that process. I think I just hope I can still find ways to keep doing what I do, and to help other people along the way. I've met my share of artistic self-absorbed, pretentious, hyper-perfectionist/hypercritical types, and they suck the fun out of the room. I mean, everyone has their own burdens to bear and their own journeys to go through, but what's the point of living in and among other people if we don't interact or help each other towards our goals? I'm not perfect - and I definitely need my alone time, too. But I try to showcase friends who are doing cool, creative things, and to help (in whatever way I can) and shed light on other songmakers in this city.
