INTERVIEW:
Omer Matz
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WHEN thinking of all the parts of the world…
I have taken this blog; it has been a while since I last visited Israel. Omer Matz gives me a chance to return to Tel Aviv and ask what the music scene is like there. The songwriter talks about his single, Hold, and what comes next for him; how he got into music; the artists who have inspired him – Matz discusses a business venture he set up for hobbyists.
I learn why the artist moved and relocated a few times; whether he took any skills from his business days to the music side of things; how he detaches away from music; whether there are any new artists to look out – I ask Matz whether he is coming to the U.K. and playing anytime soon.
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Hi, Omer. How are you? How has your week been?
Pretty good. New beginnings are always exciting: mainly learning a lot about music promotion these days.
For those new to your music; can you introduce yourself, please?
I’m thirty-two-years-old; I’ve lived in various places throughout my life (the U.S., Italy; London, Tel Aviv). I played Classical piano all of my childhood, started writing songs and playing the guitar at sixteen. At the age of twenty-two, I studied music at Goldsmiths College in London. During that period, one of my tutors spoke a lot about music for films, which I really fell in love with. London was a lot to take in at such an early stage of my music career (and of my personal career). Also, as a kid growing up near the beaches of sunny Tel Aviv, I really missed the weather, the people and felt it might be too early for me. I discovered that in my hometown, in one of the biggest music colleges in the country, they have a major in music for film.
So; I moved back home and began studying there. I wrote a few compositions for local film students but felt there was also another side of me that I needed to explore that’s not a musical side. So, I opened a business for music hobbyists that want to play in bands and gave them band lessons. The business grew fairly and, after three years, I decided to sell my part to my partner and continue exploring entrepreneurship through international startups. I got an offer to be the head of digital marketing for a start-up that was rapidly growing. Being the first employee, I was blinded by the excitement of creating something big from scratch, but it came with a price. After over a decade of having music a big part of my life, for the first time; I wasn’t doing anything connected to music for two years.
I began also exploring my hippy side at that time and remember having this awakening in the middle of an extensive meditation session. (Heads up, this is a weird story…). My hands and fingers locked up, I couldn’t move them and I saw a strong vision of a woman and we started having this internal dreamy dialogue (no drugs were involved, I swear) and she kept telling me I need to trust her. Diving deeper into this bizarre and very intense experience; I understood that this subconscious conversation was reality and my intuition slapping me in the face trying to wake me up. From there, something opened up. I began writing songs like never before. I finally felt the songs were mature enough and ready enough to see light.
I decided to quit my job and start building myself again as a musician, this time, as a songwriter - the raw and pure way it appeared in my life at age sixteen.
Hold is your new track. What is the background to the song?
After leaving my business, while working in the start-up company, we moved offices to a building with shared office space. To my surprise, one of the companies sitting in that space was the music company I have founded and separated from. Going back home that day, I realized I didn’t move on and didn’t forgive myself for giving up this beautiful creation. The song is about holding on to something that’s not there anymore. I think anyone who experienced some sort of separation from something they loved dearly can connect with the feeling.
The lyrics in of the chorus are: “And so you hold, hold till it’s cold/Till the pieces fall apart/Hold with your soul, hold till it’s cold/Someday, it all adds up together”.
It is a busy and alive song. Was it quite easy putting it together in the studio – or were there challenges and hurdles along the way?
Thanks (smiles). I’m really happy you feel that way.
I owe a lot to my producers Dotan Moshanov and Shimon Tal. They treated this song with extreme sensitivity and patience. Since this was the first song, it was also the first step into the E.P. and definitely a style-setter. The decision we made, in terms of style, had to be precise in terms of defining who I am as an artist. Strategically; this song’s purpose in the E.P. was to explore and set the tone for the other songs. It took nearly six months to build - but completely worth it.
I believe you are working on an E.P. Can you reveal some of the ideas and stories you will include?
Each song in this E.P. is a piece in the journey of deciding to become an artist. Some speak about the journey itself and some are about struggles along the way; betrayals, acceptance; fear, learning to let go of things that are stopping me from becoming something I’m so afraid of. Also; the sound and the general music production aim to give a feeling of something cinematic and scenic. I really want people to be able to visualize the stories in the songs.
Tel Aviv is your home. What is the music scene like there right now? How much do you take from the people and fellow musicians?
Tel Aviv has an amazing music scene: very eclectic, so many different genres and sub-genres that are born because there’s such an interesting mixture of family backgrounds. You can find here any genre you can think of (Afrobeat, Arabic music; Yemen Blues, Greek music; Electro-pop, Jazz and so much more). Musicians here are so talented, which might also be one reason I was afraid to go in this path for so long.
But, yes; there’s so much to take from the scene over here.
You have moved around a bit and spent time in the U.S. and U.K. You transitioned from study to set up your own business. Tell me about that venture you set up for hobbyists…
After being a private piano tutor and as a child growing up playing the piano, who didn’t learn in any formal school, I came to music college clueless. I knew how to play Chopin and Debussy, but when I had to play with a band, it was a completely different thing. I remember getting a chord chart in my audition that I could read but when the bass, drums and guitar started playing, I had no freakin’ idea what to do. So, I thought to myself: there are so many music students who learn with a private tutor, they probably don’t play in bands - which is such a huge part of your education as a musician.
So, I started off by collaborating with many music tutors who give private lessons and giving their students a platform to also have band practice. I took a player from each instrument until a band was formed and gave them two-three-hour band lessons playing Rock, Pop; Jazz…anything. I worked with a small group of professional musicians who gave the band lessons and, every three months, we would organize bandathons.
The business grew till there were about thirty bands; 80% of them were adults, to my surprise. So many different types of people: a sixty-five-year-old grandma playing the bass; a commercial pilot, a British nurse; an endless variety of people brought together by music and the desire of playing in a band. It was great fun.
How much did you learn from the business and taking care of musicians? Do you think modern artists have a lot to handle in terms of finance and promotion?
I’m still terrible with money - but it was obviously better than any business school out there. I think, today, musicians are very much similar to a business. I find a lot of musicians who are afraid to take care of the financial side and promotion side - but, it’s the most important thing you have after the music itself, of course. Nobody cares about your music as much as you do - and that passion is an engine. Even if you don’t ‘know’ how to promote, you have to be a part of it, somehow, and embrace it.
Do you have any gigs lined up? Where are you heading?
At the moment, no.
I’m working on building up awareness, slowly, by releasing song-by-song. The plan is to release the E.P. around September and then start gigging. I’m heading anywhere.
Will we see you come over to the U.K.? Do you play here a lot?
I wish! I have played a bit with a band in London when I lived there ten years ago. Very much hoping to be back there.
What do you hope to achieve in 2018?
Recognition as a musician; connection with new people through music; building a lifestyle that will allow myself to make music.
Music, to everyone, has different meanings. What does it mean to you? How important is it in your life?
Well….
Music, for me, is the most honest place there is. It comes from a feeling that needs to be expressed. It’s usually a dominant feeling; so, if I’m struggling with something, I might try to solve it through a song. It’s a place of healing and problem-solving. In my life experience, when music wasn’t in my life, I felt lost. It’s a sense of purpose.
Have you got a favourite memory from your time in music – the one that sticks in the mind?
Wow; so many…
If I have to choose one, it’s when we finished the mastering of Hold. I had some friends come over for drinks and, as the evening went on, they asked to hear the song. Most of my closest friends didn’t even know I was in a studio twice a week producing the E.P. (that’s how exaggeratedly-scared I was). Only two or three people heard the song before but I was drunk enough to go with the flow.
I played the song (on speakers. God forbid, not live) and they were so excited they couldn’t shut up for, literally, more than five seconds. I don’t even know if they listened to the song but they wanted to hear it again and again (worth mentioning: my friends are terrible when it comes to being politically correct). To feel their excitement was so rewarding - it gave such a boost of confidence.
What advice would you give to new artists coming through?
Patience. There is a tremendous amount of stuff to deal with and manage: you don’t have to deal with everything at once.
Are there any new artists you recommend we check out?
Yes. Two from the local music scene here in Israel: Full Trunk and ISADORA.
PHOTO CREDIT: Merav Ben Loulou
Do you get much time to chill away from music? How do you unwind?
A good few days’ hike or a surf trip somewhere (which I don’t do enough).
Finally, and for being a good sport; you can choose a song and I’ll play it here (not any of your music - I will do that).
Ásgeir - Afterglow
Such a beautiful song. A great example of the magic that happens when a beautiful song meets beautiful production. Thank you so much for this interview!
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