Matt Flinner

Video of the Week: "Raji's Romp" by the Matt Flinner Trio

By Theme Admin on June 14th, 2012 at 4:42 PM

This week's video comes from a show by the Matt Flinner Trio at the O.C. Tanner Amiptheater in Springdale, UT on June 2, 2012.  The tune, "Raji's Romp," was inspired by an interception and touchdown run by B.J. Raji of the Green Bay Packers a couple of years ago, which helped the Packers go on to the Superbowl by defeating the Chicago Bears.  I finally got around to writing my tune of the day after the game was over, and being a Packers fan, I was in a good mood. The tune was written for a show at Avogadro's Number in Ft. Collins, CO on Jan 23, 2011, and is featured on our "Winter Harvest" CD.  For more info or to order a copy, click here.   [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vTy7_H4jOpg&feature=youtu.be[/youtube]

"White River Junction" by the Matt Flinner Trio

By Theme Admin on June 7th, 2012 at 1:38 PM

This week I thought I'd introduce the "Music du Jour" project into the video of the week. As you may know, on most of the Matt Flinner Trio shows we write new music the day of the show to perform that night---basically one tune by each member of the trio, for three new tunes every night. I've been hesitant to add these new "du Jour" performances to our video channel, as I don't know what tunes will end up getting recorded on our CDs, and I'm not sure I want to end up with a CD full of material that is already out there on YouTube. Anyway, I liked this performance enough to give it a go. I wrote this tune while on the road between Richmond, VT to Putney, VT. After rejecting a few ideas, the idea for this tune seemed to take shape somewhere near White River Junction; hence the title. In our du Jour shows we're often trying to change things up to keep the material fresh and varied. I gave the main melody to the bass and then tried to pass it around a fair bit to vary the texture. Then in the middle, Ross and I trade solos and build up into the reprise of the B melody back into the bass melody---sort of a backwards version of the beginning. This video was made at the Next Stage Theater in Putney, VT on March 25, 2012 (the same day the tune was written).  We hope you enjoy it!   [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tPM1UR0cdq8&feature=plcp[/youtube]

"Bitterroot" by the Matt Flinner Trio

By Theme Admin on May 31st, 2012 at 12:59 PM

This week's video is a beautiful tune written by Ross Martin, "Bitterroot." This tune was written in Hailey, ID (in the Sun Valley area) after driving from Missoula, MY through the Bitterroot Mountains. When we arrived at the venue (the Ezra Pound Home, which is operated by the Sun Valley Arts Council) about 90 minutes or so before showtime, we asked each other how our tunes were coming along. Ross said something like, "I'm about to start writing mine." And in what must have been about 30-45 minutes, this is what he had. I guess there's nothing like necessity to facilitate inspiration! Or maybe it was just the beautiful drive. This is the first tune we knew we had to record for our "Winter Harvest" CD, and it helped set the tone for the whole disc. This video was recorded at Down Home Guitars in Frankfort, IL (just outside of Chicago) on Oct 15, 2011. Enjoy!   [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mfNUoBtmLG0&feature=plcp[/youtube]        

The Banjo Doppler Effect

By Theme Admin on May 24th, 2012 at 5:11 PM

Not much to say about this one. If you like banjo music, especially loud and fast banjo music, and you wonder how the banjo could be made to sound faster and louder, then this video might be for you. Recorded at the Ghost Ranch Bluegrass Camp with help from Eli West.   [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_5WadpFUYFU&feature=plcp[/youtube]

Playing with Dave Douglas

By Theme Admin on May 17th, 2012 at 5:13 PM

In January of 2012 I got to be part of something unique. Bassist Greg Garrison puts together a series in Denver called "Improvised Roots," in which jazz musicians and bluegrass musicians meet with the commonality of improvisational ability, interest in roots music, and a good dose of courage. His lineup for the January shows included singer/guitarist Aoife O'Donovan, local sax giant John Gunther, myself, Matt Flinner on mandolin and banjo, and one of my musical heroes, Dave Douglas, on trumpet. So the instrumentation for much of what we were going to play was to be bass, banjo, sax, trumpet and voice. Pretty weird ensemble. And I have to say I felt a little nervous being the only chordal instrument. I'd have to practice more ways of playing a Bb7#9 chord to try to keep things interesting. Not to mention I don't play the banjo all that often these days, and I'm called upon to play with some stellar players and a guy who I consider to be one of the best and most creative jazz musicians alive today. It turned out to be a very fruitful mix for two nights at the Dazzle Restaurant and Lounge. Aoife's often deceptively complex yet memorable songs went nicely into Dave's intricate arrangements and virtuosic solos from him and John. And Greg tied the whole thing together with his tune, "Not Sure What That Is." We figured out how to blend as an ensemble and in the end I think we achieved that ultimate goal of making the whole greater than the sum of its parts. And it was an absolute thrill ride. Thanks to Greg, Dave, Aoife and John for all the inspiration I walked away with.   [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dO5cFMvgDMs&feature=plcp[/youtube]

"Wheel Hoss" by the Matt Flinner Trio

By Theme Admin on May 10th, 2012 at 5:10 PM

When you're in an instrumental group that plays mostly original material, you've got to go back to your roots from time to time to establish that connection with your past and remind everyone where all this music really comes from. Bill Monroe was the Father of Bluegrass Music, and wrote a lot of classic songs like "Blue Moon of Kentucky," "Uncle Pen" and "I'm Going Back to Old Kentucky." He also wrote many many classic instrumentals such as "Rawhide," "Big Mon" and this tune, "Wheel Hoss." When we go back to our roots, Bill Monroe is certainly one of the places we go first. This tune was recorded during our 100th "Music du Jour" show at the Chautauqua Community House in Boulder, CO on April 28, 2012.   [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1FqDfDlxbOg&feature=plcp[/youtube]

"Carroll County Blues" by the Matt Flinner Trio

By Theme Admin on May 3rd, 2012 at 5:11 PM

This is one of our favorite older tunes to play.  It is generally credited to Willie Narmour, and is named after his home county of Carroll County, Mississippi.  If you want to go back and listen to his original 1929 recording, click here.  Ross got this tune from a Doc Watson and Clarence Ashley recording, and I learned it from a Mike Compton recording with the Nashville Bluegrass Band.  There are many versions out there, from Gid Tanner to Fiddlin' Doc Roberts to Larry Sparks to Chet Atkins, and they all vary quite a bit in form.  As is the case with many older tunes, it has evolved somewhat since its original version. This was recorded at one of our favorite venues, Village Concerts in Palmyra, VA, on Nov 7, 2010.  Polly King's place is a warm, intimate and welcoming setting that always makes us and the audience feel good.  Thanks Polly!   [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tnHCpnz9lTU&feature=plcp[/youtube]  

"Church Street Blues" with Special Guests

By Theme Admin on April 26th, 2012 at 5:14 PM

This week's video features a few of our favorite musicians: Cahalen Morrison, Eli West and Ryan Drickey playing Norman Blake's "Church Street Blues" with the Matt Flinner Trio.  Cahalen and Eli are a great modern old-time duo, and their "Holy Coming of the Storm" CD is a must-have.  And Ryan Drickey is a fiddler with a keen sense of adventure; he's a classically trained player who has become a master of old-time fiddling (one of very few to make that leap convincingly).  Anyway, we're big fans of these guys and were excited to get to play with them on our High Street Concerts show in Lyons, CO on January 22, 2011.  Watch for Cahalen & Eli's "Our Lady of the Tall Trees," coming soon (and produced by Matt Flinner!). [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3W3qKRkrjE&feature=plcp[/youtube]

"Fifteen Cents" by the Matt Flinner Trio

By Theme Admin on April 19th, 2012 at 5:17 PM

This week's video is of a tune that came to us from a Doc Watson recording from 1984.  Doc and Merle Watson put out many great albums from 1964 until Merle's tragic death in 1985, and their "Down South" recording is one of my favorites.  That's where we got this tune.  Doc's version (the song probably dates back to before Doc's time) has lyrics, which we don't sing; in essence the protagonist of the song is complaining about marriage, and is asking to get his 15 cents back so he can "go home to Mammy" (maybe 15 cents was the price of a marriage license way back when?).  Anyway, we decided to turn the song into a fiddle tune, and it turned out to be really fun to play.  Many fiddle tunes started out as songs with words (like Soldier's Joy, Cripple Creek, Old Joe Clark, etc.), and in that spirit we thought this tune might make a nice addition to the fiddle tune repertoire. This video was recorded at the Buttonwood Tree in Middletown, CT on March 28, 2012.  It's a great little cultural oasis, with live music, theater, dance, poetry and art presented regularly in an intimate, welcoming space.  Thanks to Anne-Marie Cannata for having us, and to Dave Gumbart for the fine video work.   [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HAA5nIJDmE0&feature=plcp[/youtube]

"Slapping Is Encouraged" by the Matt Flinner Trio

By Theme Admin on April 12th, 2012 at 5:22 PM

This week's video is a tune I wrote while we were in Santa Cruz, CA.  Eric Thorin is a versatile bassist, and I wanted to write a tune that exploit his slapping technique.  So this tune goes back and forth between the bass and mandolin, then bass and guitar, then bass and mandolin, etc.  I wrote "Slapping Is Encouraged" at the top of the chart as an instruction for Eric, and that ended up sticking as the title for the tune. We first played this at a house concert at Irene Herrmann's house in Santa Cruz as part of a "Music du Jour" tour.  Irene is a great classical musician as well as an old-time musician, and we were honored to play at her home for the wonderful folks in Santa Cruz. This video performance is from a show in Putney, VT at the Next Stage Theater on March 25, 2012.  Thanks to Barry Stockwell and all the Stockwell brothers for putting the show on.   [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gO3FN_wRiaE&feature=plcp[/youtube]   We recorded this tune on our "Winter Harvest" CD.  To order a copy, click here.