The following column will appear in the January 2009 edition of Gaston Alive:
Ten years is a long time to have the blues. But it's not so bad when it's your job.
Meet Matt Walsh - a professional blues musician since 1998. He was born in Statesville, NC, but was raised on a steady diet of Chicago blues - a type of blues that would become famous by such blues legends as Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, and Bo Diddley. Walsh has just wrapped up his tenth year playing the blues. And just like most blues musicians, it's more than just a job - it's a passion and it's a way of life.
Blues music will never be mainstream. Most blues players know this. But all you have to do is to listen to them to realize they don't care. The blues is inside of them. It's there job to share it with the world. I heard bluesman Elvin Bishop say the other day that in order to play the blues, you have to feel it first. Walsh feels it - ever since he was first turned on to those old Chicago blues masters back when he was only 13 years old.
Now Walsh is playing over 200 nights a year. And that's just the playing part. He also handles all of his booking, publicity, and any other business aspect of what he does. He feels blessed to be able to effectively handle both the creative and the business side of his work. Ask any musician - that's not an easy task to juggle. But if anything, Walsh knows the secret to his success. It's all about hard work and patience. He's played small coffee shops to the large auditoriums. He's played the festival circuit as well as the smoky bars. No matter the place or venue, he tries to give it his all in every performance.
Through ten years on the road cutting his teeth in this business, he has learned a lot.
- Nobody owes you anything. You got to prove yourself each and every night. He realizes it's his job to entertain the crowd.
- Be respectful of others. This includes being on time and not taking long breaks in between sets.
- Be nice to people. This means being friendly and courteous to everyone you come in contact with. Treat the wait staff like you would the owner/promoter. He feels it's really important to speak to the people that pay money to see you.
- Don't complain.
- Never, ever, take any of it for granted.
Walsh knows he's not changing the world with his music. That's not his job. His job is to entertain the people. For Walsh - it's through the blues. And he's plain grateful for the opportunity to do it.
For more information on Matt Walsh, including music samples, please visit his website.
