Matt T.A. Smith
Matt’s first exposure to live music was accompanied by sweaty, angry men at a Slipknot/Slayer joint-headline show when he was 14 years old, and the first mosh pit he ever took part in resulted in him losing both of his shoes. Since then, Matt has been a frequenter of sweaty, angry gigs and festivals around the country, and has learnt to tie his shoelaces tighter.Matt currently lives and works as an architect in Manchester, England. Former guitar and flute player for A Time For Burning, Matt is particularly partial to grunge, metal, stoner, doom, and Will Smith.
Articles by Matt T.A. Smith
Towards the end of last year, Matt T.A. Smith caught up with stoner rock legend, John Garcia, who had recently finished recording and mixing his second solo offering, ‘The Coyote Who Spoke In Tongues’. Ahead of its January release, they chatted about pissing off Kyuss purists, the challenges of making an acoustic record, and bobcats…
Matt T.A. Smith saw Limb, Fvnerals, Dystopian Future Movies & Vodun as part of the NOIZ All-Dayer at Rebellion in Manchester.
Matt T.A. Smith caught up with Ogoun and Chantal (Oya) from London based heavy psychedelic band Vodun and asked them about their new album ‘Possession’, their upcoming tour with Limb and about their afrobeat influences.
Matt T.A. Smith saw Slayer, Anthrax and Kvelertak live in Manchester. “There are only three things that you, the reader, need to know in order to set the scene for tonight’s show; the line-up is ridiculously heavy, the audience is ridiculously excited, and Manchester is ridiculously wet (as usual). Let’s get into this.”
Matt T.A. Smith caught up with Frank Bello, bassist for pioneering thrash metal band Anthrax, when they played with Slayer at the O2 Apollo in Manchester recently.
Amplifier with Black Moth Gorilla, Manchester, 24.04.2015 Photos by Matt T.A. Smith
Matt T.A. Smith witnessed two great live sets by home-grown prog rock vets Amplifier and Leeds’ finest stoner rock outfit Black Moth at Manchester’s Gorilla.
Matt T.A. Smith had a chat with vocalist Kippa, guitarist Reece, and bassist Cam from stoner rock band Steak. They talked to me about recording with Garcia in California’s Palm Springs, working with a South American comic book artist, and about one particular French fan of theirs with a penchant for wearing a pig mask…
Matt T.A. Smith saw John Garcia, Steak and Komatsu at the Academy 3 in Manchester for a stoner rock spectacular.
Kerbdog, Amplifier, Nine Black Alps The Ritz Manchester, 15.11.2014 Photos by Matt T.A. Smith
So, here we are; a moment that many thought would never happen. Tonight is the first date on Kerbdog’s first full UK tour in over 20 years. By Matt TA Smith
Matt T.A. Smith had a great chat with legendary desert rocker and stoner rock pioneer John Garcia about the histories behind the songs on the album, balancing being a rock star with his responsibilities as a family man, and his surprising love of ’70s disco.
“Wasting no time at all after taking to the stage, Black Moth explode into ‘Tumbleweave’, the first taste of a grinding performance that rarely stops for breath.” – Matt T.A. Smith
Going into the future, John Garcia won’t be hailed as being as influential as any Kyuss album before it, but that hardly matters. While it will still undoubtedly satisfy any fans of Kyuss or early QOTSA far more so than any of Josh Homme’s recent efforts will, Garcia puts enough of his own personal twist on this album to give it its own distinct flavour. – By Matt T.A. Smith
