WayHome 2016 Preview: Matt and Kim Q&A
WayHome 2016 is just a heartbeat away, and we’re getting more excited with every day that ticks by.
This 3 day festival is packed with talent and entertainment on 4 stages – and will go late into the night on both Friday and Saturday. And one of the acts that will be part of the late night party on Friday night is Brooklyn’s Matt and Kim when they hit the WayBold stage.
The indie pop act have Coachella experience, so they aren’t going to be out of place at WayHome, and their music is as upbeat and danceable as you could possibly hope for in a 1am to 2am time slot under the tented WayBold stage – and beyond.
To get ready for the set and the festival we caught up with Matt Johnson by phone to talk about surprises, samples, the studio, 1am, and more…
Q. LCD Soundsystem headlines Friday night on the main stage – and then you guys get to play the end of the night party slot, do you have any surprises or plans to keep that momentum going from everyone’s high earlier in the night?
A. Matt’s short answer was “that’s our set in a nutshell”, bringing energy and keeping a party going is what the band has been doing since they started playing warehouse parties in Brooklyn.
When it comes to surprises there was a pause. Matt told me that they have some, but he didn’t want to show his hand. BUT, he did tell me that none of us should be surprised if a bunch of naked blow up dolls start flying off the stage and into the crowd.
You’ve been warned!
Q. We read that you like to do some sampling in your live set – is there any chance that you add some Canadian flavour to those samples when you come up here for WayHome?
A. The immediate answer: Maybe.
Matt continued by saying that he does have some Drake and Justin Bieber songs in his personal knowledge set – and asked me if there were any other bands that he should be looking up.
And I’ll be honest, I could have gone a lot of ways with that. Arkells and Metric will both be at WayHome this year… and Arcade Fire are headliners, and Neil Young is a legend. But the 1st band that came to my mind was The Tragically Hip for so many obvious reasons. So keep an ear open, maybe we’ll hear some of that!
Q. We Were The Weirdos was recorded in 1 week between Coachella Weekend 1 and 2… what was it like in the studio that week? Hectic? Stressful? Exciting? Adrenaline Rush?
A. Matt gave me a different word and let it sit for a second… Inspiring.
He said that the songs they took into the studio and the idea of getting them done and live online in less than a week had elements of stress – but the inspiration of just getting to work and making music instead of overthinking things (which Matt admits that he does on a regular basis, and not just in the studio) was a great experience.
Also, I’ve listened to the 4 song EP more than a couple times now and the inspiration thing seems to have worked pretty well for Matt and Kim on We Were The Weirdos.
Q. The Get It (from We Were The Weirdos) lyrics are all over the 1am theme which just happens to be the slot that will be playing at WayHome – it feels like a pretty perfect fit to us. Do you feel good about that coincidence?
A. Coincidence: Yes
When I mentioned that it would fit perfectly as the 1st song of Matt and Kim’s 1am to 2am slot Matt didn’t disagree – and told me that maybe they’d have to take advantage of that coincidence.
During our call Matt also told me that the band takes pride in making sure everyone has a good time when they play live. Whether they know all the songs, a couple songs, or no songs at all. So whether Matt and Kim opens with Get It or not, I’m sure it will be a party.
Matt also told me that as artists and New Yorkers they tend to live their lives late in the day/night. It’s not uncommon for him to eat dinner at 11pm, and stay up late. It’s what they know, so it’s no surprise to Matt that it’s what they wrote in the song.
Q. Your videos have become a calling card of what you do – is there any chance we see some video recording going on at the WayBold stage?
A. This one brought another maybe… mostly because of logistics. BUT as we talked about it Matt came up with a great idea.
There needs to be a piece of software that scrubs through social media feeds to finds clips of songs from a performance and stitches them together for a full live performance video. That’s a free idea for you right there people!
But until then Matt says he’ll continue to open up Twitter and Instagram after shows to see new angles and the videos that people are capturing throughout the set. So if you’re getting video of Matt and Kim’s WayHome set, make sure you’re tagging them!
Q. Last one before we go… I’m a little bit of a betting man, so I want to know what you think the odds are that you guys are the best dancers up on stage for the whole weekend?
A. First he laughed and then Matt was humble about his dance moves, recognizing that he tries his very best with what he’s got.
But, in his words, “Kim is a machine!”
When she was growing up her brother was a rave dj so she was always dancing and Matt thinks that rhythm brought her to the drums in the first place.
He also said (and is 100% correct) that you have to give major props to anyone that can stand on a drum kit or on the hands of the audience and shake their booty like she does – and he thinks she will probably be near the top of the list in dance moves from WayHome performers.
Thanks again to Matt for hanging on the phone all the way from LA to Toronto. We can’t wait to see them at WayHome 2016!
ps. Check out these moves on Kim and give a listen to We Were The Weirdos!
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