VERMONT VOICES : MATT QUINN
Q : It ’ s great to see real music and songwriting win . In addition to being skilled songwriters and performers , you and Noah also both speak on significant issues through your songs , such as politics , the mental health crisis , and what it means to find a personal identity . In many of your songs , you allude to the mental health challenges that you and your friends have faced , but you do it in a way that isn ’ t overly obvious or cliché . As a musician who has drawn from your own experiences in your songwriting , how do you balance musicality and accessibility with making real music that speaks on the societal , emotional , and spiritual issues that you care about ?
A : For me , it all comes down to trusting the process that got me here . I never intentionally try to write a song about anything in particular . It ’ s more about saying , “ Look … I ’ m trying to say something . I don ’ t know what it is yet . I ’ m just strumming my guitar and it ’ s coming out of me . How do I build around this without it being too on-the-nose ?” Still , sometimes , a song does call for slamming a subject on the nose , like with “ New President .” I think it just comes down to trusting that process . For me , when I reached for things too much and wrote songs with the intention of writing a hit , it didn ’ t necessarily go the way I wanted it to . Some of the lines that I ’ ve written that truly strike a chord — no pun intended — are things that I didn ’ t sit down and intend to write out when I started writing the song . If it ’ s something you feel , you ’ ll be able to speak it through the language of music and songwriting . It ’ s going to affect people on a deeper level , because it ’ s not straightforward . That ’ s what I ’ m hoping for , and I can ’ t force that .
Q : Good songwriting can ’ t be forced . It has to come from an honest and unpretentious place . In line with that , you ’ ve built a powerful musical niche with Mt . Joy
and created a world where your audience is fully immersed in your artistic reality . What excites you the most as a musician and songwriter today in terms of pushing the boundaries of your musicianship and expanding your creative palette ?
A :: Not to be boring , but the creative place I ’ m in today is the same place I ’ ve always been . I ’ m just learning , I ’ m trying to get better at guitar , and I ’ m trying to be a better musician all the time . By staying in that space , hopefully my palette stays open , my songs get better , and I have more colors to choose from . One thing that is specific to today is knowing where I ’ m at and what I ’ m writing , which right now is the fourth Mt . Joy album . The question then becomes , “ What does the album need ?” You can ’ t force it , but you can try to “ mood-board ” your way into using songs to create a vision for the album . It ’ s a fun challenge that can be frustrating at times . With the third album , I
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