Matt Burr
Name:
Matthew Burr
Hometown:
Ho-Ho-Kus, NJ / Fishers Island, NY / Waitsfield, VT
Birthdate:
June 2, 1980
High School:
The Peddie School…same school attended by Chris Tomson, drummer for Vampire Weekend, Cam VanDerVeer, and possibly Snoop Dog and George Clooney.
College:
St. Lawrence University*
*graduated at the top of my class despite not knowing how to read or write.
Musical Background:
I always knew I wanted to be a drummer since grade school, but I never got an official lesson until a week before Grace Potter and the Nocturnals recorded their major label debut in 2007. I was 27. All I did leading up to this moment was watch and listen to music around the clock while simultaneously forming three college bands. My biggest moment of inspiration was the first time I saw The Last Waltz. Levon Helm’s eternal onstage joy was instantly infectious and the overall band chemistry was mind altering. I remember going to bed with an eye of the tiger urge to start a band. Weeks later, it all became a reality when i convinced a freshman hooligan named Grace Potter to start a band with me.
Where did you grow up?
Ho-Ho-Kus, NJ
What were some non-musical jobs you had?
I worked for the town of Fishers Island, NY and one of my many jobs was to pick up the beach party trash left by myself and my friends the previous night. I was also a Fishers Island lobsterman, but this unique duty only lasted a month because I partied until sunrise six out of seven days a week. You say what’s wrong with that? Sunrise was when I was supposed to report to sea.
When did you pick up the instrument?
The drums came to me like a red rider bb gun hidden behind the tree on Christmas morning. Aside from owning a drum set for several months as a ten year old and banging and bleeding on pots, pans and bongos, I never actually seriously played the drums until I was 21. However, I did play “mental drums” until I convinced myself I was actually a drummer. At the height of my mental drum phenomenon, I remember calling my parents and saying, “I think I’m a drummer! Will you help me buy a drum set?” The greatest parents in the world shockingly abided by my request and even scored me a deserted faculty house on campus to practice in. The day the drums arrived, I ripped the box open and spent 1/2 a day teaching myself how to set it up. Once complete, I put my mental drums to the test and tried playing the basic pattern I had been looping in my head for years. Somehow, someway, it worked and I realized I might not be making the worst career decision of my life! Skip ahead eight years and this would be the same pattern I played on the Grace Potter and the Nocturnals song “Only Love” I dedicate this blessed drumming tale to my parents and dear friend and god father George Clooney.
Who are your musical heroes?
Levon Helm because every time he plays the drums it seems like the happiest moment of his life.
Top 5 Recording Artists:
In no particular order these are my favorite recording artists: Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, Dylan, James Brown, and Tom Petty.
Top 5 Records:
In no particular order -
Led Zeppelin I
Blood On The Tracks (Bob Dylan)
The Band (Music From The Big Pink)
The White Album (Beatles)
It Still Moves / Acoustic Citousca (My Morning Jacket)
Top 5 Songs:
1) “Won’t Get Fooled Again” – The Who
2) “Something” – The Beatles
3) “Sitting On The Dock of the Bay” – Otis Redding
4) “Hotel California” – The Eagles
5) “Lola” – The Kinks
What made you want to become a musician?
The Last Waltz made me want to become a musician. But I must quickly credit each family member for their musical influence on me. 1) Dad (Frank): On road trips, he constantly played two tapes: The Beach Boys Endless Summer and Van Morrison’s Greatest Hits. And when he had a few drinks in him, he would blast Genesis “In The Air Tonight” and “The Wanderer” by Dion. 2) Mom (Grace): She introduced me to The Beatles and in return I stole all three of her Beatles Anthology albums. Sorry mom! At least you can say you saw them in 65′! 3) Brother (Chip): The only eight track he left behind in the compartment drawer of his eight track player was Led Zeppelin IV and Robert PLant so I was obviously mesmorized when I finally figured out how to use the machine. 4) Sister (Allison): She got me hooked on “Workingman’s Dead,” still one of my favorite Grateful Dead records. I remember singing “Uncle Johns Band” over and over on a road trip. 5) Brother (Andrew): In the summer of 1992, (I was 12) my brother threw an epic party in our driveway my parents still don’t know about and he repeatedly blasted Pearl Jam’s Ten through a boom box. Hearing “Alive” for the first time was an crucial oment in my early musical devopment and I’ll never forget how cool I felt hanging out by the boom box all night. I owe a lot to my brother Andrew for his great taste in music and pass me down cassettes and cd’s.
What would you do if you weren’t a musician?
A long haired, well dressed, mustached member of the PGA Tour.
Was there a record/movie/concert that changed your life?
The Last Waltz
What is your favorite and least favorite things about live performance?
Favorite: Music is a drug…no seriously…it is.
Least Favorite: When the house lights go on after the bands leaves the stage. That used to make me sad when I attended Phish shows and the three hour circus ended with harsh house lights.
What’s your favorite and least favorite things about studio recordings?
Favorite: When the band has a magical take and erupts in pure joy after hearing it back on the big speakers for the first time. Least Fave: When you do too many takes of the same song…this is typically when tensions rise and someone gets grumpy.
What’s your worst nightmare?
Going onstage to a sold out crowd and forgetting how to play drums. Oh wait….I think this happened one night in Boston when I consumed an impressive amount of Makers Mark and forgot how to play 3/4. “See what brown can do for you!”
What’s your greatest fantasy?
New Years Eve…Madison Square Garden….sold out crowd….Pink Floyds light engineer…big and warm drums bouncing off the garden walls like a pinball machine….Robert Plant and Keith Richards join us onstage for our hit song Medicine.
