Matt the Electrician: Great Music Coming Out of Austin, Texas

The 'legend' of Matt Sever is that, living in Austin, Texas, he worked as an electrician.  He busted his ass in the intense sun, sweating bullets.  When he got off work, he had just enough time to head straight over to the plethora of open mics in town, strap on his guitar, and play.  Grimy and dirty, he excused himself by explaining that he was an electrician.  He became known as Matt the Electrician.

I saw Matt play a set at Humboldt State University, which is fitting because back in the 90s, he was a student there.  He actually wrote a song about it, and if you read through the lyrics, you can get a sense of his humor.  Check them out:


I owe thirty-five dollars to the library
At Humboldt State University
But I dropped out fifteen years ago
And I never paid it and I'm still not gonna

I never got my report card
But I didn't go to class and I didn't work hard
So I didn't wanna know how bad I did
But I know I never made the dean's list

And college is a waste of time
If you wanna be a baker or a candlestick maker
You still have to wait in line
At the bank drive through and the train tracks too
Behind people like me with no degree
'Cause I know the conductor and he knows me
You might have a nicer car, but I've traveled pretty far
And all I have is an old guitar

Forty bucks for a bag of weed
In the summer nineteen ninety three
Forty dollars is all I have
And it isn't mine, it belongs to my parents

Oh, five hundred points for a roll of cookie dough
In the cafeteria they got sloppy joes
And the sloppy joes cost three points
I won't eat in the spring but hey, cookie dough

And college is a waste of time
If you wanna be a diver or a big rig driver
You still have to go to the store
And share the road with a wide load
Who's taking up all three lanes
And you can't get around him it's a big pain
And the driver hasn't slept in three whole days
But he knows one thing and that's freeways
He's got a Gatorade bottle where he goes pee
And you're behind him with your college degree

I owe thirty-five dollars to the library
At Humboldt State University
But I dropped out fifteen years ago
So I never paid it and I'm still not gonna.. 

Matt expressed concern that Humboldt State would take that $35 right out of his paycheck, but that remains to be seen.  

Matt described the difference between folk music and pop music as this: in pop music, you sing songs for yourself.  In folk music, you sing songs for other people.  Following that explanation, he divulged that he's really only written one true folk song, a song called "For Angela", which is a song addressed to Walmart customer service, thanking the kindness and helpfulness of a car repairwoman named Angela.  Despite company policy, she hooked Matt up with a battery installation for his broken down car in time for him to make his gig.  At the end of the song he advised Walmart to #1, give her a raise; #2, allow her to unionize; and #3, allow her to claim sexual harassment when appropriate.  

My favorite song of Matt's is "Osaka in the Rain", which captures the sweetness and the nostalgic sentiment of his music.  It's gorgeous, and I included a video of it below.  Another highlight was "Ghost Story", a song co-written by Matt with a Danish lady in a 16th century haunted castle in Denmark set aside for co-writing music.  Yes, Matt participated in a project where musicians from Norway, Iceland, Denmark, and Texas all come together to live in this castle, trading places and intensely co-writing songs together night and day.  A documentary has been made about it - click here to see a preview for it.  In my mind, the idea is a beautiful example of collaboration, music, and art, and it produced a great piece of work on Matt's new album, Accidental Thief.  

I can't say enough about Matt the Electrician.  His three piece band is solid and they harmonize perfectly, he exudes sentimentality in his music and in the way he talks about it and talks about being a working musician, and his songs are quirky and interesting with great lyrical play.  Check out his website and his tunes.  Below are some videos.  And if he comes to your town, go see him.  You won't regret it!