Matt Duke is an ambitious songwriter, fashioning dramatic sagas about troubled souls who struggle with romance, life, death and, perhaps most of all, with themselves. His words can be intriguingly ambiguous: the house-bound couple on “Opossum,” for example, might be dealing with agoraphobia or maybe even the end of the world. He can also be exhilaratingly forthright, as on “Walk It Off,” a no-minced-words rocker about a bruising lover’s spat. Not all of Duke’s material is of a life-or-death nature, however. “Rabbit” is a tender, spare ballad at the heart of the album. “Sex and Reruns” takes a sardonic look, with a surprisingly easy-going pop feel, at the self-medicating properties of the internet and TV, whether you happen to be bored, lonely or having difficulties composing your next song Matt Duke is very much worth a listen.

Altsounds had the chance to chat with Matt about his recent album release and his plans for 2009. This is what he had to say for himself:

Altsounds: Where did it all start for you? When did you realise you wanted to be a musician, and wanted to record the music that you do?
Matt Duke: I've been writing music for a quite a long time - since I was about 13 years old. Granted, the songs that I wrote back then are ones that I'd hardly like to revisit, but even when I was learning some of my favorite songs through tabs I could grab off of the internet and by listening to the radio, I really felt in my element when I was writing - for better or worse.

Before I even picked up a guitar, I had a great piano teacher who played a big role in inspiring me and instilled a love of music that, to this day, I've never really lost. After giving college a less-than-valiant effort, I sort of stumbled into a career in music kind of by default. Though I knew in my heart I wanted to pursue a living in songwriting, my priorities at the time had me believing that it was fruitless trying to make it in the music business and that I should focus my energies elsewhere. That proved to be a disaster, but for all that happened before I started my career recording music, those choices put into perspective what I DID and DID NOT want in my life. I was fortunate in that sense.

Altsounds: I read your story about working in a sandwich shop back in the day, and realising you needed bigger aspirations. Obviously as you become more successful, your aspirations will change. What are your aspirations now as opposed to your sandwich shop days?
Matt Duke: At the risk of sounding complacent, I've really started to buy into the idea of setting the bar - not necessarily low - but in an attainable spot. Still to this day I have dreams and aspirations to write a novel, a collection of short stories, a children's book, a play and conceptual record based on said play, go back to college and get a degree, race the Iditarod, etc etc. But these things are merely a product of high hopes and dreams and the only way to make them a feasible reality is to come up with attainable short-term goals that might ultimately get me to that point. It sounds simple - but by pursuing these fantastic these by setting the bar higher at tiny increments keeps me relatively sane and content. With each new accomplishment comes a bit of delightful surprise and I find it's hard in those situations to grow discouraged or disappointed. There isn't necessarily a disconnect between what I imagine myself doing and the small things I want to accomplish - I'm just trying my best to live pragmatic without losing any wishful thinking.

A good example of that is when I was making sandwiches, I might have said to myself, "It'd be great to release a record before I'm 21." And through some great opportunities, I kind of baby-stepped my way toward reaching that goal (I was 21 at the time, but I still count it).

Short term goals for now:
Putting together a charity show with some local Philly musicians for
Mid-February and to continue writing new material.

Altsounds: What is your take on the extremely simple access to music we enjoy these days? Do you think anything is lost when everything is so readily available?
Matt Duke: Yes, I think something is lost. Making music so readily available, like ripping music offline, digital downloads and whatnot, sort of rewards people's (myself included) short attention span, fickleness and impatience in a way and can sometimes demean the hard work that artists put into their work and has definitely adversely affected physical product sales over the years. However, on the flip side, technology has not just improved exponentially, but it has also started to cater to musicians and music enthusiasts alike who dabble in engineering and mixing. It opens the door for artists who might not have had the outlet to get their music out to the public and that gives everyone (from artists signed to record labels to the
kid trying to move out of his parent's basement) ample opportunities to be
heard.

At the end of the day, if someone is a fan of your music they'll buy your record no matter what. I often read about artists getting hung up over
illegal downloading, but I still believe that getting your music out there however you can is a good thing. Success starts with someone feigning an
interest in what it is your doing, hopefully it draws he or she out to a show and then you try to keep them hooked for the long haul. It is what it is and I'd rather work with the changing times than against them.

You've been quoted as saying "as a songwriter and performer you need to be fearless". What does your level of fearlessness rise to in relation to your music? Is it all about taking risks when you're approaching a new song/album?
Matt Duke: The whole "...fearlessness..." thing is kind of a newfound mantra for me in a way. Ideally, it's a wonderful way to try to live your life in general, but I think risk-taking in terms of art is not just a novel idea, but the only way to really invest yourself in what you create and is almost
endearing to your audience. They can tell when you've phoned it in, they can tell when you're void of passion, they can tell when you're insincere.

That's why taking on a career in the arts is so dangerous - in order to keep your integrity and have any chance at being successful you need to follow your gut and take chances. I was a bit more trepeditious when I made my first full-length record and, even if it's not clear to anyone listening to
"Winter Child", I still feel somewhat disappointed in the choices I made and
also a lot of my indecisiveness when it came to things I felt strongly about deep down. I wanted to change that this time around when we made "Kingdom Underground" and up to this moment I'm still very proud of the work that was put into making that record. The fearless mentality carried itself over from how I perform live - I will credit myself with that much. I love reinterpreting my own songs from time to time and I love sweating it out on stage. It's always been important for me to play as hard as possible when I'm on stage and I try my hardest not to get too wrapped up in imperfections when the band and I play together. It's those idiosyncratic hiccups that make live performances so magical and the feeling is second to-none when I begin to lose myself on stage. For better or for worse, at the end of the day I feel better knowing that I threw all of myself into the music that I write and perform.

Altsounds: How is it working with unique college-run record label MAD Dragon records? Do you think anything in particular will be gained by having them behind you rather than any other label?

Matt Duke: Working has been MAD Dragon records over the years has been great. When they were first establishing themselves, within both the University and the music world alike, I came into the program pretty green myself - it's as if we were growing up together and that comraderie has really blossomed over time. The most important facet of MAD Dragon, the part of the program that is most unique and something I still appreciate, are the kids who are tirelessly working not only for a degree, but also bring with them a perspective of the music business that is not yet jaded or discouraged in any way. What with my age at the time, I was fortunate to be able to work with people that were my piers and, in a few cases, close friends.

Altsounds: You've obviously worked very hard to get where you are, what's been the biggest acknowledgement you've received for all that hard work?
Matt Duke: The biggest acknowledgement I've received so far has been from family and friends. They continue to stick by me and have never been anything short of encouraging. It's that unconditional love that I've tried not to take for granted and has meant the most.

Altsounds: Who do you think are the biggest influences on your alternative/acoustic genre? Who do you believe paved the way for singer/songwriters such as yourself?
Matt Duke: My biggest influences came from the grunge era back in the early 90's. I grew up listening to Soundgarden, Alice in Chains, Nirvana; the unabated intensity of the song-writing, the dark lyrics mixed with dynamic musicality, and (in the case of Alice and Chains) the off-putting, but beautiful harmonies that complemented the melody really opened up a new way for me to approach how I wrote. The biggest of all of them for me was Pearl Jam - not that you can hear much of their influence in my songwriting. But their work-horse ethic, intensity, and the fervent idealism of Eddie Vedder had a profound impact on me and how I perceived a life in music to be at its best. Though the bands I mentioned are hardly considered singer/songwriter, it's those elements that really paved the way for me as a musician. I would be remiss not to mention Conor Oberst of Bright Eyes or Ani Difranco and what they've meant to the genre as well. Their ambitiousness is unparalleled and they continue to expand on what it means to be a singer/songwriter - kind of blurring the lines between genres and taking chances most musicians don't have the balls to make.

Altsounds: You've worked with some pretty talented artists over your career so far (Anais Mitchell, April SmithŠ), which collaboration has been your favourite to date?
Matt Duke: My favorite to date would be stuck at a tie between Anais Mitchell and Gillian Grassie. Gillian is a Philadelphia songwriter who just put out an incredible record called "Serpentine" and writes and performs with a somewhat unconventional instrument in the world of rock music: The harp. I met Gillian years ago and, aside from being a close friend, is one of the better lyricists/musicians that I've met and I'm truly lucky to know her.

The first show we played together, without knowing much at all about each other's music or personalities, I invited her on stage after I joked if she was capable of improv-ing on stage. Without hesitation she said, "Uh, yea, dude." So I called her out on it and she proceeded to not only do an improv jam with me, but also accompanied me on a song she had never heard before and flat out killed it - it was a beautiful moment that I was so happy to share with her.

My Anais Mitchell moment came after a rough road-trip down South. I'll spare you the details of my weekend from hell and cut to the show the following night at the World Cafe Live in Philadelphia - Anais was on the bill with Eric Hutchinson and me and when we said our greetings before the show I made a comment that Anais's voice reminded me of Kate Bush's in a way. Not coincidentally, I had been listening to Peter Gabriel's "So" record that day and there is a song on there called "Don't Give Up" (a duet with Kate Bush), so I asked Anais if she had ever even heard the song and might want to sing it that night at the show. After going through it just a few times backstage, I had her join me on stage and her voice gave me chills; the performance as a whole was very affecting. In fact, I think it's still floating somewhere in the YouTube cosmos and I happened to stumble upon it just a few weeks ago and I still got those same goosebumps even watching the song recorded through what might be someone's cell phone.

Altsounds: Your second album, Kingdom Underground was released in September, how are you feeling now that it's out? Are you enjoying touring with it, or are you just ready to get started on the next album?
Matt Duke: I feel good. The whole experience making the record was fantastic and I'm still very proud of it and looking forward to promoting over this new year. And yes, I've already started to work on new material for a new record, but that's always the way it goes. I get restless working the same material and some of that might be in part to musical attention deficit disorder, but it's mostly to keep the repertoire of songs fresh and the experience of playing live exciting. I'm still trying to find my voice in music and that takes a lot of trial and error as far as writing is concerned so I'll keep on creating until I'm forced to my pen down for good. But over this last year, my focus has been mostly on the new record and how I can spread the word out to a larger audience. I'll just keep pushing forward and we'll see where I get in 2009!

What are your plans for the immediate future, in relation to both recording and touring? Any plans at the moment to tour outside the US?
Matt Duke: By the end of January I'll be heading out over the Atlantic to the UK for a few days. I've never been and I'm really looking forward to playing out that way and wandering about for a few days. We've got a short tour slated for the middle of March that might take me up and down the East Coast and, like I said, I've been working on new material and hope to get back to recording something (EP, a cover or two, new record) sooner than later.

After the experience out west with recording "Kingdom Underground" I'm kind of anxious to get back to working with Marshall Altman and Eric Robinson and see how we can follow up what we did last winter. Whatever happens though I'm still really looking forward to this new year and I hope that everyone gets an opportunity to hear the record we've made and that more and more people get a chance to come and check out the live show.

Check out Matt Duke right now and go out and by his new album "Kingdom Underground".

http://www.myspace.com/mattduke