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Artist strives to get closer to fans
Author: Jamie Hayashi Tennant (The Hamilton Spectator)
Published: October 30, 2003
For the last four years, songwriter Matt Sharp has been living incognito.
The artist, a founding member of both Weezer and The Rentals, hasn't been sequestered away to avoid his fans, though. If anything, he has been working to get closer to them.
For Sharp, "getting closer" means breaking down the dense wall of production between the artist's voice and the listener, stripping away the elements that create an "unnecessary barrier" between the song and the audience. The approach is fairly distant from Weezer's wall of indie rock guitars, or the even fuller, thicker sound of the Rentals, who scored a hit with the retro-new-wave single "Down with P." [sic]
Those expecting Sharp to continue laying on layers of Moog synthesizer may be surprised by the acoustic simplicity of Puckett's Versus The Country Boy, a four- song E.P. released this summer.
The contemplative but catchy material still reflects Sharp's wit and songwriting style. In a live setting, the songs allow for a more intimate approach as well.
"Usually if the stage is large enough we have the majority of the audience on the stage with me," Sharp says on the telephone from Washington state.
"If the stage is too small, quite often I'll set up my instruments on the floor and just have everyone get as close as possible and sit on top of each other," Sharp says.
"I try to dismantle and tear down the walls between the audience and myself."
Often when an artist packs up the band and picks up an acoustic guitar, it reflects a more personal, reflecting approach to songwriting.
Sharp's songs haven't changed as much, he claims. That would explain why his fans remain loyal despite the changes in approach and production style.
"I think all the records have been extremely personal," he says.
"The major difference is that there's not such a dense wall of production separating the songs from the meaning."
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