Finding the balance with Mat Kearney
Songwriter performing at Niagara Fallsview Casino Thursday
It’s one thing to be a songwriter, scraping your soul for just the right lyric to tug someone’s tear ducts. It’s another to oversee dozens of people on tour, making sure bills are paid and everyone is doing their job. For decades, those two music biz jobs were separate. But when Mat Kearney hits the road, he wears both hats. An indie artist in every aspect, Kearney foots the bill for everything while on tour. Which means you can have fun … but not Mötley Crüe-type fun. “Hopefully, you’re making money,” he says on the line from his Nashville home. “Hopefully, the bill you’re paying is smaller than the cheque you’re getting. “I mean, yeah, doing it for 10 years, you learn touring is an art unto itself. When you’re in your bedroom writing songs on your guitar, that’s a totally different skill than learning how to be a boss. Gathering people who inspire you creatively, that you also don’t want to rip your hair out after spending a day with them.”
But it’s a skill even established artists like Kearney are being forced to learn, as touring becomes the one bona fide moneymaker for so many. It has allowed him to keep playing, keep writing, and ultimately keep surviving in a volatile industry.
“You’ve got family members, some of your bandmates have families … I feel like I’ve hit a good balance of that. I’m actually writing some of my best music because of all that balance. It makes you a better person and a richer human.”
Playing Niagara Fallsview Casino on Thursday, Kearney has rarely done what was expected. After it appeared he would be another sensitive folk/country act on his 2004 debut “Bullet,” he swerved into hip hop, rock and — on his latest, 2018’s “Crazytalk” — EDM.
“I’m kind of a jack of all trades, master of none,” he says. “It’s part of why I do it and continue to do it – I’ve always found people like Paul Simon, David Bowie, Beck really interesting. They continue to have nine lives, make different music.
“That was always way more interesting to me than the kind of artist that had one path, one sound, and they just stick to it. Both have their merits. You could say I’m schizophrenic, but I love it because it just keeps me nimble and excited. Every album can mean a different thing.”
He admits this could burn fans who want more of the same, but it’s not how Kearney operates.
“I would say that’s a real concern,” he says. “I definitely keep people on their toes, and every record is a little different.
“What’s the famous quote … they’re gonna hate you if you change and hate you if you stay the same, so you might as well change because it’s more fun. Exploring boundaries and pushing fits my kind of creative expression than it is to adhere to some really strict guideline.”
Kearney’s currently polishing off his latest swerve, which he expects to release next year. He promises a return to his more acoustic-oriented sound, and raves about one track he “stumbled” into with a Bruce Hornsby vibe. “We just said, ‘Let’s do our best Bruce Hornsby.’ It was just so emotional. I was like yelling in the studio, I wanted to listen to this song for 10 years, I can’t believe we just made it.”
Considering his knack for guest artists, why not just call up the real Bruce Hornsby?
“Maybe I should do that … but for some reason that day, I didn’t have access to Bruce Hornsby. If I had him on speed dial, I would have called him and be like, ‘Bro, come on over — we need your minor 2 over 4 piano playing.’”