Matthew Ramsey is the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of Old Dominion. This is his story from backwoods Virginia to Nashville. He was in Music City for over a decade before he had any real success! It’s a long way to the top if you want to rock and roll (and that’s what today’s country music is!)

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/matthew-ramsey/id1316200737?i=1000706788961

 

 

 

https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/9ff4fb19-54d4-41ae-ae7a-8a6f8d3dafa8/episodes/b296d80e-7db8-4840-9e59-effd94a47ce7/the-bob-lefsetz-podcast-matthew-ramsey

I was mesmerized by the vibe.

I won’t say we haven’t had that spirit here in music since 1969, but it’s been gone for quite a while.

You didn’t know what to expect. When it comes to a music show of an established act… The set list is online, as are YouTube videos, and it’s a rare act that delivers unexpected songs. If you want to succeed, you give the public what it wants. As for jamming, exploring…that was a thing in the late sixties and early seventies, but it was killed by MTV, with worldwide hits by acts who felt they had to replicate the sound, if not the look, of the video. And sure, you’ll get experimentation in clubs, from some of the jam band acts, never mind the EDM acts, but major stars? The more major, the more calcified. At these costs and these ticket prices, you don’t want to take any risk.

Not that the Queen Elizabeth Theatre is huge. Research tells me there are 1,250 seats, although it felt a bit bigger than that, but it definitely didn’t feel like a club. Comedy clubs are small and intimate. But tonight’s show was very intimate. I wondered how it would play in an arena…I felt the jokes would translate, but really playing big halls like that negates the essence, it’s one of the reasons Steve Martin gave up standup. Comedy is not broad… Well, there are broad comedians, although a lot of them died with the Catskills, but what I’m saying is it’s one to one, from the performer to the listener. There’s no talking during the show, and no taking videos either, because you had to put your phone in a Yondr pouch. Primarily so Dave’s routines will not show up on the internet, so they can be fresh when aired as specials on Netflix.

But this show was very different from any Netflix special I’ve seen from Dave. In the specials, there are longer breaks, Dave cracks up at his jokes even more. Tonight there was more of a flow, it was continuous. He was playing for us, but…

He knew who he was.

At the end he referenced that he was the most famous comedian in the world. Dave is confident in who he is and at this point he’s transcended the gatekeepers. Dave can be himself, because Dave is bigger than…

All the musical acts. The new ones, anyway. Because the new acts don’t reach everybody and are usually selling artifice, whereas Dave specializes in truth, he’s an equal-opportunity offender. You’re left wondering whether you’re offended or not. Certain jokes can be interpreted in multiple ways.

But that’s the genius of Chappelle.

But who is Chappelle? I don’t mean where did he come from, but more how did he make it?

Yes, yes, he had that sketch show on TV, and that boosted his popularity, and he took off for Africa rather than work himself to death and O.D., but how do you follow this path?

I mean he talked about coming up in New York’s comedy clubs. But you can’t exactly slot Chappelle, there’s no one exactly like him. He’s basically a storyteller, but not like those of yore, maybe because of the constant digressions. How did he develop this persona?

And it is a persona.

Last week we watched Bill Burr’s new Hulu special. Thinking about it, I felt it was more attitude than jokes. Bill’s got a persona. Angry guy removed from everybody else who points out the insanity of life. But Bill puts himself down here and there, Chappelle does not.

And Chappelle tells more jokes.

But watching him tonight you realized that the laugh is almost always a throwaway at the end. Which made me wonder how much was pure delivery/timing. Jokes are one thing, being a comedian is quite another.

And a lot of comedians work fast, fearful of dead spots, expressing their anxiety about acceptance. But Chappelle works slowly with complete confidence. He knows you’re going to laugh… It’s like an elite sports star, give Steph Curry the ball with no one on the court and he knows he’s going to sink it.

So how do you do this?

We all grew up with funny people, maybe you’re funny yourself. What does it take to make it on the stage?

Of course you need punchlines, but you can buy jokes. How do you let your personality shine? So many who try freeze on stage. God, you have to work for years to get over the stage fright, to feel comfortable, to believe it’s your stage and you set the mood and you’re in control.

So I’m watching Chappelle tonight and I realize he’s bigger than any musical star. And he too is rich, he told us so. What are the odds he flew here commercial? ZERO! But that’s just how much money is in it, there are almost zero costs, but he does travel with a deejay.

And being Black… He’s successful, but still feared. He’s rich but giving us the perspective of a…sometimes rich Black man and other times just another Black man. This is not Tiger Woods or Michael Jordan shying away from race.

And Chappelle’s star will never fade. Do you axe your friends? Of course not, you evolve with them. Sometimes you like them more than others, but you don’t cut them loose.

So we’re looking for a truth sayer. And Chappelle says we’re living in a  conspiracy theory but then undercuts this later. That’s a feature of his act, he has you convinced of one thing and then he contradicts it long thereafter.

So what are we looking for?

Humanity. Dave is very real. He hangs with the rich and famous but he doesn’t evidence airs. You really feel like you’re in his living room listening to him. And it’s not blind listening, Chappelle makes you think.

It’s both an amazing and confounding experience. Because on some levels he’s just telling stories, and he’s got his smoking shtick for pauses, but then he drops truth bombs and you realize this is more than entertainment.

I felt like I lived through something. It was a sensation more than laughs. It’s not like I left the building feeling good, rather a bit numb floating in my own bubble. An elusive feeling that I’d love to experience again. Kind of like sex. You can’t have it all the time, but you’re always on the lookout for it, and when you can’t get it, it’s oftentimes all you can think about.

So tonight’s show is in the ether. There are no recordings. You had to be there. And if you were not, you completely missed out.

It’s kind of like pre-internet shows, then again if they have Yondr pouches at a music show you don’t leave with the same feeling. The acts and their music are all over the web, you need this to be successful. That bond with your fans. But Chappelle keeps his fans at arm’s length at the same time he draws them in. That’s one of the elements of the offending material. Sometimes you snicker along with him, other times you’re saying wait a minute here, let me think about this, I’m not sure I’m down with that.

I felt like comedy was the only place I could get this feeling. Being at a standup show. There was a visceral quality absent from the music business. And the audience knows this. They’re riveted, along for the ride, anything but bored. In fact, they’re tingling!

And all this from a guy who lives in Yellow Springs, Ohio?

There’s more to America than Trump.

But in order to learn that you have to listen to someone like Chappelle, who can divide the word of truth.

Yes, that’s a Bob Dylan reference. We used to hang on the words of wisdom of Bob. Who do we listen to today? Sure, there are some rappers, but too much hip-hop has become a cartoon, whereas Chappelle isn’t playing a character, you know it’s him, and it’s deadly real.

It was an amazing experience.

Talk about verbal…

I went to see Matty Matheson after eating some street tacos from a food truck adjacent to the hotel. AND THEY WERE EXQUSITE! What kind of crazy, f*cked up world do we live in where the food from a truck is better than that from any fast food joint, and sometimes restaurants?

One in which the palates of the public have been educated and chefs are set free to create to their vision as opposed to that of the boss.

There was cole slaw with the pork! And all kinds of chozzerai in the three tacos I purchased. But best of all, they were SPICY! If someone doesn’t like spicy food today, chances are they’re old.

Then again, I’ve been told that Toronto has the most ethnicities of any city on the planet, the most nationalities. And one thing is for sure, the conference is filled with many colors. There’s less racism in Canada. Then again I’m sure there’s some racism, there always is.

I went to see Matty Matheson because of “The Bear.” You know Matty, he plays Neil Fak, an overcharged doofus. He’s comic relief, then again everybody at the restaurant takes their job seriously.

And this may be the only job Matty can get, because of his neck tattoos.

So, in the mania attendant to “The Bear” we learned that unlike the rest of the cast, Matty does come from the food world, he’s a restaurateur… That sounds highfalutin’, and in some cases Matty’s restaurants are, but during Covid he opened Matty’s Pattys, a burger takeout joint in Toronto (and now Costa Mesa!) As a reward for sitting through the presentation, everybody got a burger, which was cold. It’s the little things that count, I was debating going to the location and getting a burger, now I won’t, you’ve got to keep up your standards 24/7.

So Matty left culinary college to go on the road with a metal band, but really, he’s a cook. And he says being a cook means he can always work, even if it means selling hot dogs in his driveway, and he loves feeding people.

But when you’re at a conference like this, people are looking for lessons, to learn how to make it.

There’s nothing you can learn from Matty Matheson, nothing you can learn from any of these stars, they’re unique individuals. And Matty even referenced this and emphasized this at the end of the interview… “You be you.” “Don’t follow trends.” “Trends come and go, but you don’t.”

What are the odds people will follow this?

Just about ZERO!

Furthermore, almost all people are not willing to work that hard and suffer. Which is why they go straight. You must have a vision and execute it. Matheson has had about seventy restaurants, but only thirteen are open today. He learned through failure, which I think is overrated. No, scratch that, just because you failed that does not mean you learned something. Failure only yields benefits if you tested the limits and learned along the way. Matty opened his early emporiums sans business plan. But not anymore.

So in real life Matty Matheson is not the doofus he is in “The Bear.” He’s intelligent. And…

You put a nickel in the jukebox and he goes and goes and goes.

But despite having such high energy, Matty told us he sometimes gets sad. Which was a shock to hear. Especially in this world of winners where everybody is up 24/7. And then he said that those in the audience were sad sometimes too, maybe even right now!

But you get the endless questions from people hyping themselves and asking stuff that most people are not interested in. As if by standing amongst others and testifying as to their greatness it will yield an opportunity. NO! That’s not how it works! Someone asked Matty how to get celebrities to come to a restaurant, to pay attention to what they’re doing. Matty said they had it all wrong, you just do the work and wait for people to find you. And that’s what I’ve experienced. Now more than ever, when everybody can promote themselves online. How do you get people to follow you? Be unique and great and never give up. Sounds simple, it’s not.

Or as they say, it’s a long way to the top if you wanna rock ‘n roll.

Matty talked about putting all that effort into opening a restaurant only to open and find people online saying “meh.’

You can’t control the public, you can only do.

But most people are afraid.

Even worse, most people are not worth paying attention to. Just because you make it, that does not mean people will come. “Field of Dreams” is a MOVIE!

There was so much I wanted to ask Matty. It’s the personal stuff that’s at the root. However, he did talk about being overwhelmed at first on “The Bear.” Everybody else was an actor, and he didn’t know how to act, and that’s a skill too.

But I’ve seen a lot of these chefs speak, and I’ve never encountered one like Matty. Most are somewhat laid back, they put their energy into their work, i.e. food. Or they’re busy building and promoting their empires.

But this guy is a bundle of energy, he’s punk rock in a world where some reject anybody and anything that is not safe and familiar. But there are those who are yearning for, hungry for something unique and different, something that radiates vision, something they’ll experience that they won’t forget.

That’s the business Matty Matheson is in.

That’s the business you need to be in.

And it can’t be taught, it comes from the inside. A burning desire that can’t be extinguished. You walk into the wilderness, you play without a net and success comes long after failure, assuming it comes at all.

Sound good?

Probably not.

Not everybody is a star. Especially if it requires talent. Which you don’t need on social media. But to truly make an impact on people you must possess it.

Furthermore, if you’re not questioning whether you should give up, you’re overconfident/in denial and you won’t make it either.

Now more than ever, success depends on humanity. Credibility is key. And it can be blown with one faux pas, one misstep. You’re managing your image all the time. You have to be just like everybody else but better.

Which is why very few rise above, to the point where they’re well-known.

Then again, food is now more popular than music. It was standing room only for Matty Matheson, unlike Tegan and Sara. And stunningly, no one left!

This is the essence musicians used to evidence. But today they’re too busy following trends and formulas to evidence this level of intrigue.

But Matty Matheson… I don’t think we could be friends, but I’d love to hang with the guy for a week to see how he does it.

Because he doesn’t do it like me or you.

And that’s what makes him interesting.

They’re so VERBAL!

That’s one thing Americans don’t understand about Canadians. Their gift of gab. I’ve never met a silent Canadian.

But you wouldn’t know that unless you came here.

It’s a cultural thing, maybe as a result of the long, cold winters. But everybody is talkative in a way all Americans are not. But I didn’t expect Tegan and Sara to be so, because they’re rock stars. You know, different from you and me. Up on a pedestal. Deigning us with their attention.

But not these women.

Not that I can say I was excited about the theme, which was “Beyond the Music: Tegan and Sara on Advocacy, Identity & Impact.”

You see Departure is the new CMW (i.e. “Canadian Music Week”), albeit with some comedy and cooking mixed in. And they have some Canadian stars speaking. And I got here last night and the app said these women were appearing and…

What else was I going to do? Stay in my hotel room? Watch more of “The Pitt” on my iPad? Finish my book?

I remember Neal Preston, Led Zeppelin’s tour photographer, telling me he’d been around the world and seen nothing, I try to make sure that’s not the case with me. However, the hotel where I’m staying/where the conference is is down by the lake, near the soccer stadium, so it’s not ambling adjacent, but…I like to feel I’m in the city I’m in, I like to participate.

But I didn’t expect to be intrigued, to be paying attention to Tegan and Sara.

You see you drop in late, sit in the back, scroll your phone…

That’s what most bigwigs do at these events, assuming they attend at all.

And what do I know about Tegan and Sara? NOT MUCH! I mean I’m aware they’re gay and were with Warner Brothers and have a career and…

They’re talking about their foundation. Sara says how everybody told them to focus on one issue, but that’s not how they saw it, they want to address needs in the LGBTQ community. And that could be as varied as bus passes for workers doing outreach in communities to sponsoring kids at gay summer camps.

I did not know it was a thing. I mean I assumed some existed, but now I know it’s more of a network. And one of the sisters remarked that she didn’t love summer camp, and one broke her arm there, but the biggest reward of going to gay summer camp was to be around gay adults, who you could model.

Not that all the talk was about gay issues…

Sara talked about the difference between conversations with men and women. The men always want to rank things, like the best Beatle albums. The women want to talk about more social issues.

And then, Tegan said…

You may not like our last record. You may not like everything we stand for.  But what I’m hoping for most is you like ME!

Wow, this is the essence of being not only a public figure, but influencer culture today. It really comes down to the identity. And if you don’t have one, it’s harder to ensnare fans.

But the truth is all performers are insecure. They need to be accepted and liked. It fills an inner need. Oftentimes this is why they do it.

Not that many will admit it.

But the best story was about appearing on the Oscars, singing their song from “The LEGO Movie,” and right thereafter meeting with agents and being shown a graph of their career, which saw pointing down, down, down…

You think you’re at the top, you’re having your best moment, you’re pinching yourself, and just after that you find out you’re struggling. It’s a wake up call and a reality check.

Now in the U.S. everything is groovy. The stars are media-trained. They say nothing controversial and shine their wares such that you’re starstruck.

But not these two.

How successful are they?

I’m not sure. They’ve been in the game twenty five years, which is an accomplishment unto itself, and on Spotify they’ve got a cut with a hundred million streams, but…

We live in a new world. Traditional media keeps telling us how big the stars are when they’ve never been smaller in the recording era. Just like you can avoid news you don’t like, only consuming curated media that fits your world view, the same is true for music. You’ve got the acts you’re a fan of and the rest…might as well not exist. It’s not a homogeneous world anymore. It’s every act for themselves. So Tegan and Sara aren’t in the music business, they’re in the TEGAN AND SARA BUSINESS!

You’ve got to forget the klieg lights, all the trappings of yore are gone. There is no MTV making your hit universally known. Sure, there are people surviving on streaming royalties alone, but the fact that you can’t has nothing to do with Spotify but the niche-ification of the scene. Hell, look at it this way. Your newspaper, assuming you get one, doesn’t even print all the sports scores. And if you go to “The Athletic,” you’ve got to click through to find the standings. They used to be up front and center, now they’re for fans only. I used to peruse the standings in the major sports in the newspaper, I wanted to get a snapshot of how things were going, now it takes an effort, and I have other priorities.

Now Tegan and Sara are twins, but they’re not identical in personality. Sara is a bit more edgy, Tegan is a bit softer. These are nuances, and not definitive, but…

That’s what we’re looking for, PEOPLE, not STARS!

And that requires an adjustment across the board. From the acts to the media.

But the public already knows. To be a true fan of someone there must be more than the hit.

As for Canada… Jake was telling me last night that Karen sent him a picture of her ankle, she was icing it and he said to go get x-rays, ultimately she did, and it was broken. And this triggered a thought in my brain. If medical was free, covered by my taxes, I would have gone to the emergency room back in 1991 instead of toughing it out and ultimately losing a body part.

Trying to think of a downside…

Canada has one tenth the population of the United States. And as a result, everybody knows everybody, it’s a giant high school, if you get too big for your britches, they tear you down, cut you down to size.

But maybe that’s good. Because it results in more well-rounded people who focus on the work, on their lives as opposed to pure stardom.

And ultimately that’s what turns people into stars anyway. The work, the identity, not the airs.

Which is why Canadian acts outpunch their weight in the music business. Along with government support, that is.

But we don’t need no stinking support for the arts in America. That’s SOCIALIST!

Well, people live for screwing, eating and the arts. Period. The arts make life worth living. They reflect our lives back upon us.

It’s key to get your priorities straight.

And they do an excellent job of that in Canada.

Eh?