Luna Matto

Luna Matto – absolutely radical. I will definitely be doing my homework on this Acoustic Experimental act. She sounded so at home with the Cannabinoids backing her though. - rhondostar.com

4 stars - Luna's mother

The beauty of music is that it doesn't have to be a thrashing dance fest to be disruptive. Luna Matto (of the Polyphonic Spree) has a gorgeous solo act. Luna's vocals sink deep into the mind like a smooth scotch while her instrumentation breaks the heart with distant piano and disquieting guitar. This show is not meant to make you comfortable, rather to wallow in the beauty of pain and uncertainty. - Sarah Crisman, Pegasus News

Luna Matto
Polyphonic Spree side projects are nothing new. St. Vincent, Andrew Tinker, the list could go on and on. So Luna Matto is just another name to add to the list, right? Wrong! From the first time I saw this band play live at Lakewood Bar and Grill, I knew instantly that this is a band that needed to be heard by the masses. Ms. Matto's voice is distinctive and quite lovely, and I have yet to hear a song by her that hasn't amazed me. Her style is in a definite Cat Power/Sia type of vein, and she's every bit as good as those artists, if not better. By this time next year, she should be selling out the Granada Theater and other venues of that size not only in Dallas but across this nation. I once said on the blog that if Luna Matto doesn't "explode" this year, that I "just might lose my faith in the Dallas music fan." I still stand behind that statement. There are few artists I'd go that far out on a limb with, and Luna Matto is one of them. - Ghost of Blind Lemon

OAK CLIFF — Typically after a couple months of harsh cold, most Texans get whiny. We prefer a few months of chilly temperature drops, but then we boo-hoo for sunshine and tank top weather. So when it warms up in the all-too-short lived springtime, restaurant and bar patios are open and bustling.


Photo by Alexandra Olivia

But then a problem arises: The moment summer becomes official and the mercury hits the glass at over 100 degrees for the eighth day in a row, Dallas and all its concreted glory becomes an unbearable frying pan, slowly burning its inhabitants crispy. Patios are still open, but instead of wistful breezes and smiling faces, there’s drenched clothing, intermittent grumbling, and sourpuss attitudes. (Or is it just me?)

Dallas band Luna Matto played in a little frying pan of their own yesterday afternoon at Jack’s Backyard, a benefit for a women's shelter that was attended by a crowd of mostly females sipping strawberry margaritas and ice cold beer. Having any outdoor show in this kind of torturous heat without any real effective cover would seem detrimental to all parties involved, but the seven-piece folk outfit didn’t seem phased and their listeners didn’t seem to mind … much.

Dressed in an outfit made for sweating – black leggings and a black tee – the frontwoman and namesake of the band serenaded patrons in a sweet, pitch-perfect mid-soprano with a kind of Billy Holiday swagger. She led her band through a set of relaxing mid-tempo swing-a-longs, with backup vocalist Kristin Hardin tiptoeing sweetly on top notes of verse and chorus harmonies. Their sound primarily draws from all things right and good about folk and acoustic singer/songwriting, but accents it with standard jazz sensibilities.


Photo by Alexandra Olivia

Her songs boded well, especially for trumpet player Thaddeus James Ford, who gave the set a whimsical life of its own with subtle, effortless brass trimmings that were far more supplementary than overbearing.

Luna Matto is also reminiscent of Portishead and its acidic edge, probably because she sang into a MIDI mic for a few tunes that landed her square in Beth Gibbons doppelganger territory. It was an interesting addition to a set that teetered on being too gentle. At times, the intimate crowd sitting at wooden picnic tables were preoccupied with their own conversations, letting Luna’s soft touch fade into background music. Matto’s effects with a MIDI controller drew people’s attention back where it should have been.

Overall, the show probably would have been even more awesome had it been inside Jack’s ultra-trendy and more importantly ultra-air conditioned indoor bar. But despite the heat, Luna Matto tastes like classic folk dipped in a trip-hop coating, rolled in a fine jazz standard powder. The result is best served chilled, especially in this steamy Texas summer.



- Michelle Parsons, Pegasus News