MATTHEW SWEET Interview (Echo)

“Sweet Sensation”
Written by Jason Reed
August 16, 2017

Last night I had the opportunity to sit down with power pop musician extraordinaire Matthew Sweet at the Echo in Los Angeles before his concert to talk about the recent release of his new, critically acclaimed album entitled Tomorrow Forever. Crowdfunded entirely on Kickstarter, it is an album with a fascinating backstory.  In many respects, Tomorrow Forever is a “full circle” album, with Matthew and his wife having moved back to Nebraska (Matthew’s place of birth) from Los Angeles a few years ago along with Mathew dealing with the untimely loss of his mother. Due to the various readjustments and newfound inspirations going on in his life (including creating a new recording studio entitled Black Squirrel Submarine), the album took a little longer to release than was originally intended. On his original video appeal to fans, Matthew promised that the album would be “exciting and heartfelt” and this is, indeed,  the case as the album finds the artist imbued with his trademark optimism, introspection and emotional sincerity. Proving that “good things come to those that wait,” the June release of Tomorrow Forever adds another classic album to his pantheon of impressive album releases since 1986. I was eager to chat with Matthew in greater detail about some of the ingredients that went into the making of this unique album.

The night’s musical festivities were plentiful, with openers Chris Price and Tommy Keene getting the crowd jazzed up.

Accompanying Matthew Sweet on this tour are guitarist Jason Victor (of Dream Syndicate), bassist Paul Chastain and drummer Ric Menck (both of Velvet Crush). During the concert, all three men performed impressively, their unique musicianship contributing to the smorgasbord of sonic bliss.

One of the big surprises of the night was when long-time Sweet collaborator and Bangles member Susanna Hoffs jumped on stage to sing vocals on the track “Waiting,” ratcheting the exuberance of the crowd even further upward.

On a side note, at another point during the performance, Matthew also took time to acknowledge a fan in the front row named Kristy for whom he had written a personalized song as part of the album’s crowdfunding endeavors. The look on her face as Matthew talked to her (with her tearful eyes and beaming smile) was a testament to the enduring “sweetness” (pun intended) of this thoughtful performer who is humble and quick to express his gratitude to fans for their continued adoration and support.

Mathew Sweet is a legendary performer and his new album is one of the years’ best. Go pick it up today. For more information on his current tour (and to order a copy of Tomorrow Forever) check out matthewsweet.com.