Page 46 - the NOISE April 2015

MUSICIAN PROFILES: MATT BINGHAM
Just a couple days before Christmas of 2014, Matt Bingham walked into Northern Arizona Yoga Center with a smile on his face, holding one of the fresh-off-the- press copies of his latest Album Fireflies. Like his album Me and You, released in 2012,
Charmange Coe created an original painting for the cover.
Mr. Bingham and I decided to meet at the yoga center to discuss his newest album,
because in addition to being a singer/songwriter and recording musician, he also has a devoted yoga practice, teaches yoga and has just completed his 500 hour yoga teacher training at Vertical Soul Yoga here in Flagstaff.
Born in Durango, Colorado, Mr. Bingham was raised in Mancos, Colorado. The mu- sic his parents listened to influenced him from an early age — Fleetwood Mac and James Taylor, as well as Van Halen and AC/DC played on the home stereo. It was groups like Van Halen that got him interested in playing the guitar and he began to take guitar lessons at the age of nine.
As he grew older, he discovered his own taste in music. Artists like Bruce Hornsby and Mark Cohn both inspired him. “Cohn had a song called, ‘Walking in Memphis.’ I first heard it when a friend played it for me in the car,” Mr. Bingham remembered.
“It was funny because she skipped it after about 10 seconds of playing because she wanted to listen to another song and I said, ‘Wait! Go back! That piano intro is beau- tiful.’ That was one of the pivotal moments where I remember thinking I want to do something like this. I had an identity as a solo guitarist — I thought I had to play rock music and have a little bit harder of an edge. That was a moment where I thought these artists are defined by their lightness. They can really tap into the beauty of melodic songwriting.”
He began experimenting with chords on the guitar — beyond open chords. “I would experiment with using my fingers in different shapes on the guitar,” he de- scribed. “That’s where a lot of songs that I still write come from. I come up with a guitar idea that’s a repetitive pattern and then I change chords on top of that, and this usually causes something to come out.” After the melody of the song is crafted, the lyrics follow.
The practice of yoga has not only been life changing for Mr. Bingham, but has also affected his music as well. “I remember one of my friends talking about being a songwriter,” he recalled. “He was saying that he feels like songs come from a uni- versal celestial plane and it’s your job to get out of the way and let it express itself. As I practice yoga more, I find that that’s true. Yoga has been hugely shaping in my songs. I’ve become less shy about expressing that side of myself to people. I think that’s something that makes me unique too.”
Since beginning teaching yoga, Mr. Bingham has been incorporating his music into his classes and sharing his gift with students. “Before when I was playing a con- cert or something like that there was more judgment,” he said. “People kind of pick you apart a little bit more. But I think in the Yoga world people are there to relax and connect, maybe more so than going to a concert and there is more appreciation. I almost feel like I can take more chances that way.”
During the songwriting process, Mr. Bingham lets the song form on its own. “When I write songs I don’t always have a clear idea of what the song is about,” he explained. “I have melodies and I have groups of words together. I don’t necessarily know what the words mean and until I sing it a few times — then I can look back and
say, ‘Oh! That’s what that song is about.’ It’s not necessarily coming from an intel- lectual state, it’s coming from something different, some universal plane. Overall, I think that I like to leave any theme up to a person’s interpretation of it.”
Since 2009, Mr. Bingham has recorded six albums. What We Are (2009), New Sun- rise (2010), Come & Save Love (2011), and Anima (2011) were produced by Jeff Lusby-
BY CLAIR ANNA ROSE PHOTOS BY CAROL HAGEN & SASHA HOLIDAY PAINTING BY CHARMAGNE COE
Breault and Me &You (2012) was produced by Bob Hoag, along with his most re- cent Fireflies (2015). Listening to the albums in sequence as they were released over the years, changes are easily heard — from a maturity in songwriting and content, to a further development of musical skill and artistic style. Mr. Bingham shared what he thinks sets Fireflies apart from previous albums and how he has changed as an artist.
“Firefliesisdifferentfromanyotheralbumforafewdifferentreasons,”hesaid. “My breath control had improved, so that improved my range, leading to being more expressive. Another reason is that although I feel most of my music is a cathartic exercise in dealing with relationships, I had moved past a lot of pain ... This opened my eyes to explore even deeper themes.”
In our interview we talked about how the song, “‘When the World Was Right,’” was about innocence, and how we begin to lose our sense of wonder as we grow older. “I relate finding my way back to innocence similar to the yoga path of finding one’s
way back to their connection to the divine after they’ve seen a bit of life and lost that connection,” he elaborated. “The lyrics were meant to paint a picture of a boy and girl growing up separately, and finding each other in their love for music later in life, much like that relationship of the soul to the divine and music is the tool to connect.”
I asked if Fireflies was arranged with a connecting theme in mind. “If the album has a thread, I think it would be that the image of fireflies, the way they light up andoff,islikethatsparkthatyoucatchwhenyouwriteasong,”heexplained.“Ifeel it’s a connection to something greater than yourself. All the songs, in one way or another, are about my relationship with that process.”
One song that stood out among the others on Fireflies was the song “Still,” and I asked Mr. Bingham to share the story that inspired this composition. “‘Still’ took me about a year to finish,” he told me. “I had the chorus melody, which had no words at first. The song is about finally getting out of a haze of being confused after that same relationship I mentioned earlier ended. I was questioning why things had not worked out, but in the end I knew it was a lesson for me. I started to have more of a positive outlook. It’s called ‘Still,’ because it’s about feeling the same way for a long time, the same love for someone, even if you’re not with them.”
It wouldn’t be like Mr. Bingham if he wasn’t already recording new songs for an- other album before Fireflies is even officially released. The creative energy for this songwriter continues to steadily flow. Not only is he writing new songs, but he’s laying down plans for his next studio album. “I sent a couple demos of new songs to Will Ackerman, who had the label Wyndham Hill, and he is interested in doing an album with me,” Mr. Bingham said. “I have been patiently waiting for the right person to connect with to record a new album, and I believe Will could be it!”
For 2015 Mr. Bingham hopes to continue to play more shows in the Flagstaff area, as well as outside of the city. A new goal for this recording artist is to see his songs appear in movies and television shows, since his songs and the emotion they carry lend themselves to supporting screenplays that share similar storylines to the songs. “My goal is to just bring positive things to people with my music,” he told me.
“I think that’s the direction I would like to keep heading in.”
Though Mr. Bingham’s latest album is available for purchase online now, his of-
ficial CD release party will take place at Northern Arizona Yoga Center, 113 S. San Francisco, on Saturday, April 4, 6PM to 7:30PM. MattBingham.net
| Clair Anna Rose takes her yoga with a side of music. editor@thenoise.us
46 • APRIL 2015 • the NOISE arts & news • thenoise.us