Interview with Matthew Embree


Ok, so we’re in Nottingham so its gonna be cold, as always and more than likely its gonna be drizzling. Tonight Rock City is host to RX Bandits, not someone I’m hugely familiar with but I’m looking forward to it nonetheless. A couple of hours before the band go on and thanks to a very helpful merch guy I’m sitting backstage talking to the vocalist from RX Bandits, Matthew Embree. Matt is wearing a dark hooded top and jeans, he also sports bright red converse, the kind that we all know and love. Oh, and he’s tall, very tall, the first person that your brave interviewer has met that is taller than herself (and she stands at around six feet tall).

We settle in a small ‘no-smoking’ room and begin out conversation. Ask him how’s he doing and how the tour is going Matt will tell you “I’ve been sick for a while, but other than that I’m cool”, and when you look at him you realise that as tall and striking as he is, when he tells you he’s sick you look at him and cant help but see him as a small boy, in the kind of way that makes you want to tuck him up in a duvet and fetch him some hot lemon.

“There is no brief history for this band” says Matt, as I ask him to start with a brief history and a crash course in RXB for those that don’t know. Basically it would seem that the foundations of the band are in Matt and the drummer, Christopher Tsagakis, whom he met when he was a sophomore in high school, the bass player, Joseph Troy,  he apparently went to pre-school with and the rest of the band are people that they have met from other bands that they have toured with. Incidentally the rest of the band are made up by; Steve Choi on Guitar and Key Board, Chris Sheets on Trombone and vocals and Steven Jess Borth II on Saxophone, Keyboards and vocals.

“I think the biggest inspiration musically is life” says Matt when you ask him if he is influenced by other bands or musicians, to which he says “not really”. “Art is just an expression of life, so its usually whatever’s going on in our lives that affects us musically.”

What are the best and worst aspects of what you do? “The best aspect, in my opinion, is being able to travel with the premise of playing music to people and connecting with people in that way.” Says Matthew “it’s a very positive experience.” The worst part is “having no home…having no constant, because everything is changing every day” Matthew expresses that the change everyday is a double edge sword; it is an amazing experience to travel and experience new things, at the same time it can be difficult to have no constant and no personal space. “If I was older I’d be complaining, but I’m young and buff, ya know? Well not buff but ya know what I mean, like virile, so to speak, so its alright with me.”

“In my opinion the most important thing is to express the way you feel honestly…because all you can expect from yourself is to somehow channel what’s inside your head into tangible sound.” As with all the questions I ask Matt considers and answers this question carefully and thoughtfully, not in a way that he is trying to impress, just in a way that he wants to make sure it’s the right answer. The more the interview goes on, the more I find myself to feel in awe of this man who seems to be so calm and happy with himself and so uncomplaining in a world of people that all seem to be doing the opposite.

“I don’t really think of the band in terms of achievements, coz I’m not trying to take score or anything like that. I feel blessed to be able to do what I’m doing.” When asked about ambitions for the future Matthew says “I’m just trying to live every at a time, one day at a time.” As for hope for the future Matt would like to see a musical community, like we have expand into a social movement of like minded individuals where we can all collaborate. We already have that to an extent, but more so than we have it. Here it is worth pointing out that Mr Embree is not planning to take over the world, just hoping for his own version of the punk movement, so that his music and fans of it have more say and more freedom that they perhaps currently have. As well as all of this Matt is also trying to get his own record label of the ground (http://www.mdbrecords.com/). For a man so busy he is very calm and collected unlike my good self who can’t even organise an interview without a twenty-page plan. Not that I’m comparing myself to Matthew but just so you get an idea.
“Right now we’re touring with pretty much the coolest bands you can tour with, Desa, our friends from California and it’s a very lovely experience to have.”
What advice would you offer to aspiring musicians? “ I don’t have any advice really”, “As far as my own personal opinion… as long as you do things as honestly as possible and true to your heart … and you know who you want to be and you attempt to be that person at all times then you’ll always be doing things for the right reason, and if you’re doing what you’re doing, for the right reasons then you’ll most likely be living your life to the extent that makes you happy. Being happy with yourself is really all that matters.”

“I’m listening to Bob Dylan – ‘Times they are changing’, everyday.” says Matt when asked what he is listening to.” It contains one of the most beautiful songs ever written. “ Also I’ve been listening to Igor Stravinsky” whom Matt views as the very origins of punk rock, as the first time his music was played in front of an audience, in 1917, there was a riot “because it was such an insane musical composition that people couldn’t comprehend it.” Matt has also been listening to Lauren Hill ‘Unplugged’ which he says is a “ great album.”

“To be honest with you I wouldn’t wanna be a superhero.” Announces Matt after a long pause. I’ve just asked him which superhero he’d like to be and what powers he would like to have. “ I just wanna be me, that’s all, because being human is an incredibly beautiful experience in itself, and, I wouldn’t wanna give away my flaws for anything, because that’s how I learn.”

The interview ends and I thank Matt for his time, as we stand up to leave he asks just how tall I am. I give my usual answer of “too tall” and he says that I shouldn’t be ashamed of my height as it has many positive uses, such being a basketball player, we both laugh. As I leave the backstage area I am genuinely lost for words for the first time ever. Don’t get me wrong, its not me being star-struck, I’d never heard of RX Bandits until about a month ago, it was just talking with Matt who seems to be totally happy and in control and at peace with himself, it makes me so incredibly envious and makes me wonder why there cant be more people like him in the world as it would most definitely make the world a better place.





(c) 2004 Laura Smith
Laura@onelouderradio.co.uk