Matt the Electrician

Artist Information

Biography

Once upon a time, there was a youg man named Matt Sever. He lived in Austin, TX, and he worked as a journeyman electrician. Every morning, when it was still dark outside, he would go to work, and wire houses all day long in the blistering Texas heat. When he would come home, again, it was dark outside. And then, sometimes, with no time to shower or change his clothes, he would go straight to the bars and nightclubs of Austin to play his songs for whomever would listen. And he would apologize for his appearance, and explain to the audience that he was an electrician, and he found a certain nobility in this, even if no one wanted to sit too close to the stage. So they called him Matt The Electrician, and he did not mind this, for he was proud of himself, for there is no shame in a hard days work.

But eventually, he quit his job as an electrician, to spend more time writing and playing songs, and the name stuck with him, because everyone needs an electrician sometimes.

Matt continues to tour all over the world, and released his 7th studio album, “Accidental Thief” in June of 2011.

Instrumentation

Matthew Sever-Acoustic Guitar, Vocals
Seela-Vocals
Jon Greene-Drums
Tom Pearson-Bass Guitar
Jud Newcomb-Acoustic Lead Guitar, Lap Steel, Mandolin

Discography

Baseball Song-1998, ChezDre Records
Home-2000, ChezDre Records
Made For Working-2003, Self Released (Lost, XM Americana Station)
Long Way Home-2004, Self Released
Songs My Mom Doesn't Like EP-2005, Self Released
Playing Live at Cafe Mundi w/ Southpaw Jones-2006, Self Released
One Thing Right-2007, Self Released
Animal Boy-2009, Self Released
Matt the Electrician is Alive-2010, Self Released
Accidental Thief-2011, Self Released

Official Website

http://www.matttheelectrician.com

Links

• Facebook
• MySpace
• Twitter

Audio

• All I Know
  Listen  
• Accidental Thief
  Listen  
• I Wish You Didn't Feel Like My Home
  Listen  
• Animal Boy
  Listen  
• Got Your Back
  Listen  

Lyrics

• Little Hands
• Happy Ending

Video

All_I_Know_050211.mov

Photo Gallery

Press

• What People Are Saying About [+ Show ]
  

  JamBase.com review of Matt's High Sierra Festival 2012 performance... Matt The Electrician 1. Ma...JamBase.com review of Matt's High Sierra Festival 2012 performance...
  
  Matt The Electrician
  1. Matt the Electrician - 11:30 - 12:45 – Vaudeville Tent
  Often at High Sierra it’s a lone person armed only with a voice that resonates with the full spectrum of the human condition, a backpack full of killer songs, and a single acoustic guitar that walks away with one’s heart. Past discoveries in this same spot (often at this same early morning time) include Ashleigh Flynn and the man who would go on to be Mayor of High Sierra, Nathan Moore, and 2012 brought us the streetwise, huge soul gift of Austin’s Matt the Electrician. Sad about having to leave HSMF right after his set for another festival in Canada, Matt flowed from story to song to stories within songs to spontaneous moments with the crowd with the supreme showmanship and undeniable raw talent of Todd Snider and Robyn Hitchcock. Matt is a modern equivalent to prime Loudon Wainwright III and John Gorka with the tale-spinning gifts of Spalding Gray rolled into a soft spoken, tattoo adorned package. Pointing out the virtues and pitfalls of an 8-month vacation from the working week grind and injecting humor into his pathos like a true chef, Matt was a delight – which is a word one should use with care. His tales offer one freshly angled perspective on their own plight, and his instincts for reading an audience kept the emotional tone shifting with expert grace. Just as he’d stir a tear with a reminder that “you’re not the only one” who feels the way you do, he’d veer into a belly laugh about bacon trees and how their “fruit” longs to be in our bellies. He closed with the single best cover of Rick Springfield’s “Jessie’s Girl” I’ve ever witnessed, mingling a personal story with a sincere reading of the hit that culminated in us being told there was a literally a bit of Rick inside all of us. The cover was so smooth and effective it must be a regular in his trick bag, but like all blessed vaudevillian bards, Matt is so good at what he does that nothing feels rote or routine – it’s all happening in the minutes we share and one leaves better for the experience.-Dennis Cook, JamBase
  
  "Matt (The Electrician) is a wonderful musician and captivating performer and his
  songs have come to mean a lot to me of late. He is an artist who has serious weight
  to his music, yet its delivered in a beautifully light and accessible manner. And he
  is simply one of the nicest guys to be around. He would be a great edition to any
  festival."-Martyn Joseph Oct 2011
  
  
  Matt the Electrician weaves humor, intelligence and great musicianship into his music while covering the full spectrum of human experience. His songs and his chops instantly make you wonder how you haven't already heard of him. -Willie Porter
  
  "The Austin native has averaged a top-notch album every couple of years, endeared himself to a small, rabid fan base and mined a goofy/profound folk vein similar to that of Arlo Guthrie, John Prine and Loudon Wainwright III....So far, Sever's gotten five things right."-Harp Magazine
  
  About the CD, “One Thing Right”, Performing Songwriter says; “Sever is being modest-despite the title, he’s doing everything right.”
  
  "His musical confections remind me of butter mints, the small white
  fluffy kind that instantly melt in your mouth. After each song finishes
  you¹re left with only a pleasant taste."-Vintage Guitar Magazine
  
  "...as carefully crafted and insightful as good Paul Simon. With a raspy voice and subtly complex arrangements, Sever brings a delightfully different energy to
  the often hidebound folk scene; electrifies it, actually."-L.A. Daily News
  
  "The Austin native has averaged a top-notch album every couple of years, endeared himself to a small, rabid fan base and mined a goofy/profound folk vein similar to that of Arlo Guthrie, John Prine and Loudon Wainwright III....So far, Sever's gotten five things right."-Harp Magazine
  
  About his 3rd CD; “…Made for Working is a near-perfect record…”-John Shelton Ivany, New York Times
  
  “His songs have a childlike quality, a youthful sense of humor that in lesser hands might come off as downright silly….his wordplay is deceptively sly and, like the best tunesmiths, his melodies are remarkably direct and simple.”-Jim Caligiuri, No Depression
  
  “…songs wrapped around rootsy arrangements so casually perfect that you’ll need a twelve step group to dislodge your ears from the sheer pleasure.”-Sing Out! Magazine
  
  “I feel like I should just save a spot on my end of year list every year for whatever Matt the Electrician has done.”-PopMatters.com, Terry Sawyer’s Best-of-2003 list
  
  "Matt the Electrician proves singer/songwriters can be funny without being clowns and thoughtful without being overwrought."-Brian Baker, Amplifier
  

Setlist

Animal Boy (Animal Boy)
Valedictorian (Long Way Home)
Milo (Made For Working)
On The Radar (One Thing Right)
My Dog (One Thing Right)
Got Your Back (Animal Boy)
Osaka In The Rain (Animal Boy)
Bridge To Nowhere (Animal Boy)
Little Hands (Made For Working)
Train (Made For Working)
Mother (Songs My Mom Doesn't Like)

we play anywhere from a half hour set, to 4-45 minute sets

we play covers from artists as diverse as Dave Alvin, Danzig, Rick Springfield, Wheatus, and Jon Dee Graham

Basic Requirements

Calendar