Matt Mays turns the page
Considering the circumstances, Matt Mays would be forgiven for putting out a downer album.
After all, most of the five years since his last release in 2012 has been under a grim cloud. Not only did he go through a painful separation with his fiancée, but his guitarist, Jay Smith, died in Edmonton while on tour in early 2013.
It was a tumultuous time for the Nova Scotia-raised rocker, and when word arrived he was finally re-emerging with a new album, the upcoming Once Upon a Hell of a Time, some dark tunes were forecast.
Instead, expect the opposite. Four songs have already been released from the October album, and they reveal a loose, Californiavibe with Mays’ typically crunchy guitars and hooks.
On the line from Nova Scotia, he says there will be one song to deal with the painful stuff. The rest will be a rejuvenating return to form.
“I never really left the studio, it’s sort of a safe place for me,” he says. “A lot of the studio time was therapeutic. There’s a song all about Jay, but I didn’t do a whole record. I just wanted to do one song that was just for him and nobody else.
“It was a really strange time. You put your head down and … know that there’s light at the end of the tunnel.”
Playing The Warehouse in St. Catharines on Thursday, Mays sounds as laid back and optimistic as ever over the phone. After bouncing around New York, Los Angeles and Montreal, he’s made Toronto his new home, with a new relationship to go with it. He does yoga while touring to keep his head clear. He’s emerged from the “destruction of youth” with a new commitment to what he does best — write songs, pack up the van, perform songs.
“I always tell myself, no matter
how dark it gets, there’s always something to trust,” he says. “But sometimes you have to put trust in blind faith, you know.”
While touring for his last album, the Juno-winning Coyote, May’s guitarist Smith was found dead in a hotel room following a show the night before. He had been part of Mays’ band El Torpedo since 2007, and a friend since they were both teenagers.
“Jay’s wit, charm and unparalleled love of music will never be forgotten,” said Mays in a statement. Two fundraising shows were arranged for Smith’s two children, which raised more than $150,000 placed in a trust fund.
Mays recalls some “very difficult” shows immediately after Smith’s death, but not playing wasn’t an option. Music was the band’s outlet and a way to process the tragedy.
“The fans were so supportive and made our job a lot easier.”
Born in Hamilton, Mays was a member of Canadian alt-country band The Guthries before earning a Juno nomination for new artist of the year with his 2002 self-titled debut. Tours with Sam Roberts and Blue Rodeo followed, as Mays built a small but devoted following with rugged singles such as Cocaine Cowgirl and On the Hood.
Coyote looked to be his breakthrough, winning the Juno for rock album of the year. Instead, Mays has been virtually out of the spotlight for five years as his emotional wounds healed.
In recent months the touring machine has been cranked up again, and new songs have been going over well, he says.
The St. Catharines show kicks off a fall tour which sees him play New York, Buffalo and Ottawa over the next month.
“After you geek out in the studio for so long, it’s always nice to take on the road chapter next,” he says. “Stretch your legs a little bit.”
Niagara is always a sentimental stop for him. His sister lives in Niagara-on-the-Lake, where she works with horses. “I have a boat parked in her driveway. I go every weekend to work on it.”
Niagara-on-the-Lake is also where his dad used to sell paintings downtown out of his van during the ’70s.
“My family and I hold Niagara quite dear.” jlaw@postmedia.com