Matthew Logan Vasquez is an artist undettered by the blatant commercialisation of the music industry. Having set out on a solo musical mission to create the kind of roots-driven rock’n’roll he has longed to produce for over a decade, 2016’s solo offering, Solicitor Returns, is a resonating statement of intent. With a newly found freedom to produce a rawer, grittier sound – something he describes as “the bits and pieces Delta Spirit doesn’t want to do” – Vasquez is certainly treading a self-satisfying path.
It’s a musical journey that has seen him take on numerous international tours across the US and Europe, but on this occasion, the Delta Spirit and Middle Brother frontman could be found relaxing in a humble North London Pub. “I bought a jacket in Camden, it was pretty fantastic!” he remarks excitedly. “And I had brunch – a classic English breakfast. It’s a nice change; I pretty much eat my weight in croissants when I’m in Norway,” – a connection that comes courtesy of his wife Marthe, whose family currently reside just outside of Oslo. “They don’t have spicy food out there, so I went and ordered the spiciest curry I could find.”
When Vasquez made the decision to go solo, he did so in every sense of the word. From the instrumentals and production, down to the packaging and album artwork, the LP is self-produced from start to finish. “In an industry that’s like, “where’s your colourful t-shirt? Where’s your black t-shirt? Where’s your uniform?” it’s about getting back to that DIY attitude. I mean, I did everything myself; I stuffed all the envelopes, I ordered the vinyl, I did all the artwork and directed and edited all of the music videos.”
But why take on such a workload when you’ve got the who’s who of the music industry at your fingertips? “It’s all because I’m so cheap and I don’t want to pay people,” Vasquez declares with a straight face. “Every job I do myself is a job I’m paying myself to do. It’s fun to wear all these hats and it helps me to appreciate what all these people have brought to the table throughout my career. For instance, I’d forgotten how tough it was being a tour manager.”
It’s a statement that’s emphasised all the more as he begins to recount a particularly memorable touring experience. “One time, this crazy guy whom I guarantee you is voting for Trump – a knowingly racist person with bigoted and monstrous opinions – decided to cut off our van and trailer and then slammed on his brakes. Naturally we then slammed on our brakes – and ended up crashing. So our tour manager gets out the van – he looks like Jesus by the way, with his long hair – and he just starts yelling at this guy. All of a sudden this black dude appears out of nowhere, looking so respectful and calm, and he’s like, “Excuse me, I was a witness to this accident… oh, and I’m actually an FBI agent! Legitimately, it was the best thing!”
Crazy touring experiences aside, Vasquez is a musician heavily influenced by good old fashioned rock music. When it comes to recent material, he was able to draw from a wide range of musical legends past and present. “Sonically, our last record had a bit of Bowie and Pink Floyd Metal and some Alice Cooper – so 70s-ish. Early Alice Cooper is great – and Motorhead. It’s a very rock’n’roll thing. I wanted to create something that sonically had all the flavours of no bullshit rock’n’roll. It’s an outlet for me, before Delta Spirit comes calling again.”
Needless to say, we still managed to fit our now-legendary three items question. For those who are unfamiliar with this, it involves our interviewee boiling their artistry down to three unique items that epitomise their sound.
“First off it would have to be Singleton Single Malt Scotch – it’s a cheap bottle; I’d take it with club soda and a pint glass. Then there’d be a rat – like a mouse with a tail that’s gross. The studio where I was recording was infested with them. Big Norwegian river rats. And thirdly? I’d say this record. No one is begging me to make this music. It’s not like someone said, ‘go make a solo record and impress me with it.’ It’s just the way I want to do it. It would have been easy for me to go and make a Ryan Adams, heartbreaker-style copy record and for people to think, ‘Oh, he obviously can’t think creatively.’ I just want to play the shit out of life.
You can catch Matthew Logan Vasquez on tour over the coming months across the US and beyond.
