Matt Larson & AudibleWatercolor

When Matt Larson takes the stage at Eamon Patricks Public House on Saturday, you may want to congratulate him. He survived 8,684 miles in a 31-foot RV with his wife, three young boys and a lab/chow mix — all in the name of music.

Larson, a Bloomington native who also has lived in Peoria, has spent the last few years living a quiet life in Fort Mills, S.C., with his family. His music career was coming along nicely and he had several shows booked on the East Coast but wasn’t too excited about all the back-and-forth traveling it would require.

Larson’s wife Kara suggested they tackle a tour together — as in, more together time than most families ever know. They ended up selling their house in and buying an RV, which Larson calls "a glorified dorm room."

"Everybody thought we were insane," Larson said, "but it seemed like a good idea. Family is priority for us, and to really get your career going you have to be out playing a lot. It made sense for us to all be together."

They stayed on the road for four months, homeschooling their 7-year-old (the other boys are ages 4 and 2) while Larson spent his evenings playing gigs in cities from New York to Washington, D.C. to Canada and the Carolinas. They almost decided to stay put for good in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania.

"It’s so beautiful," Larson said of the area. "We were talking about making our way out to Alaska. But we didn’t make it past Illinois."

The family was visiting Peoria in November when they decided to hang up the driving gloves. The weather was getting colder, and they had enjoyed reconnecting with friends and family; it felt like they had found something they had been missing for awhile.

These days, they are calling Peoria Heights home. The RV is in storage now and the family plans to sell it. Larson is focusing on booking gigs in the area; he has a show Saturday at Eamon Patrick’s Public House.

Larson said a critic has described his mellow, acoustic music as "Ben Folds meets Ben Harper meets Coldplay meets something else. ... If you find a category that I fit, that would be great," he says.

Larson has created two full-length albums — "Elevator People" (2001) and "This Living Room" (2006) — and currently is working on his third, titled "Space and Time."

The song writing will be a lot easier now — he didn’t have much of an office in the RV, and Internet and phone service were always spotty.

Although the whole journey may sound crazy to some, Larson is happy they went on the road.

"We stayed in some really nice campgrounds," he said, and the boys didn’t mind the togetherness.

"If they have rocks and dirt and bugs, they don’t need too much else," said Larson, laughing as he recalls ticking off about 10 orange construction cones in the RV during a moment of unbridled adventure, his three boys egging him on.

"There are not too many kids that say, ’Yeah when we were younger our parents sold their house and bought an RV and went on the road,’ " Larson said. "I think that will be pretty cool for them to talk about — later .. they’ve completely repressed all of the horrible memories from the trip."

Danielle Hatch
Journal Star’s Entertainment Editor.

http://www.pjstar.com/stories/032708/DAN_BG5BAV06.030.php

- Peoria Journal Star

October 25, 2006
By Isaiah Smith
Tarrant County College Publication

“Artist who controls all aspects of works to perform on NE”

Self-made artist Matt Larson brings This Living Room to NE Campus. Larson will appear live Nov. 16, at 11 a.m. in the NSTU cafeteria performing songs from both his latest CD and his debut album, 2001’s Elevator People.

“I’m passionate about learning and creating,” Larson said on www.sonicbids.com. “I’m also a broke indie-musician. Those two things lend themselves well to doing things yourself.”

Larson is not playing around when he says “by himself.” This Living Room was written, produced, engineered, and mixed by him. In addition, he is credited as vocalist and plays the scoustic and electric guitars, upright piano, classic banjo, mandolin, harmonica and bass. Now that is what I call an artist.

Even his Web site is self-maintained-www.myspace.com/thislivingroom- where consumers can buy the album.

This is high-quality music for an amateur without a label. I love the track “Something Missing.” Larson has a good tone on this track with a steady beat; it has a Keane and James Blunt ‘70s-soul feel.

“Righteous Virgin” is the best choice for a single. The strings, mixed with light, haunting vocals give a good rhythm to drive to; it is a great radio song.

Some tracks sound similar, but that is to be expected of inexperienced performers, so the familiar sound is forgivable.

One thing that adds charms is the dead, scratching air at the beginning or end of some tracks. It is so great to hear that grassroots music feel in the age of Clear Channel’s stranglehold on music through radio control.

This spunky spirit is well represented on “Resolve,” an upbeat track about an undeterred man finding his way into the heart of a girl. The whole not-giving-up thing is admirable in today’s ADD society.

The second best choice for a single is “The Mind Contention.” Some impressive vocals highlight this track; also he goes into his upper register without going into falsetto. The hook is a mind-bending, haunting chorus of “I will try” that is destined to get stuck in the heads of people all over the country.

Unfortunately, the odds are very small this will get a lot of airtime-a stupid lack of freedom of expression.

Larson is one of the first Myspace artists I have seen make a splash off of the Web site. Maybe this will start or help the trend of independent recording artists sticking it to the major labels.

This Living Room may not be coming to a radio station near you, but it is a really great album. I give it five stars.

Any artist who plays both the mandolin and the classic banjo on one album deserves kudos.
- The Collegian

September 21, 2006
By Thomas Nobles
Eagle Music Critic
Florida Gulf Coast Univesity

Matt Larson “This Living Room”

So, who is Matt Larson? To be honest, I am not quite sure. Last week the editor of this newspaper handed me Larson’s new album, This Living Room, and asked if I would make it the topic of my next review. After just a couple of listens I was very glad to have accepted the assignment. Larson’s soothing melodies seem like they would be just the thing to lift my spirits after a day’s worth of tedious college courses.

According to the album insert Larson plays a ridiculous number of instruments on This Living Room. This impressive list includes various guitars, other stringed instruments, keyboards, pianos, and even a harmonica. He was also responsible for most – if not all – of the writing, producing, engineering and mixing. Larson accomplished all of this from the comfort of his own home. What a showoff.

A few of these tunes were able to catch my attention more than others. The first track, “In Distress She”, sounds a bit like some sort of long lost Maroon 5 b-side. Early Ben Folds Five seems to be getting channeled during “You Won’t Let Me Go,” the album’s second song. “Doubt” is probably one of the most infectious songs I have heard in a long time. I also quite enjoy the delicate banjo picking that flows throughout “Resolve.” Out of the album’s thirteen tracks there are only a couple that I do not really care for. I think that is pretty impressive coming from an independent artist.

Within my first few listens I came to the conclusion that the songs on This Living Room make for some great homework music. Some tunes are just mellow enough to play in the background while typing a research paper, and yet at the same time lively enough to put on the soundtrack to any road trip. I know that sounds like an odd combination, but it totally works.

Even though musically Larson does not break much new ground on This Living Room, his lyrics are still very heartfelt and original. His talent with multiple instruments is also undeniable. I have no doubt that his songs would ft in very well on mainstream radio stations alongside the likes of Jack Johnson, Maroon 5, or even Dave Matthews. Larson will actually be coming to FGCU towards the end of November, so consider this an early reminder to start marking your calendars.
- The Eagle Review

“I would highly recommend Matt Larson. He is an outstanding performer who instantly connected with our students. I applaud him for his flexibility and willingness to accommodate the needs of students and the college to ensure a premier performance.”

Vesta Wheatley
Director of Student Activities
Tarrant County College Northwest
- Director of Student Activities

“Matt Larson was a big hit on our campus! He's great to work with and an all around good guy. The students really seemed to enjoy his music, style, and humor. He took a cafeteria show and made it a great event! I've already had students asking when he can come back.

- Kim Day
Spartanburg Methodist University
Student Activities Director
- Spartanburg Methodist University