Wildebeest Music Sightings, Book Release and Performance

Sad I missed it @ Space Space, a book release and chime performance by Wildebeest. OCM updated a while back about a sighting at an awesome garage show. Wildebeest has been busy. The book "TO TASTE LIKE PAPER Enduring Freedom at the Foot of Love" is the result and the first release by RECOVERED WRITINGS. Inscription on the back jacket: “A construction over which text flows and runs off The book began to talk to itself. The writing left. The Object was the only constant. No need to break a fourth wall when the entire box is made of mirrors." Henry Winn. OK peeps! if you were there, please leave some comments. Let us know. People do come here seeking out anything on the Beest.

Viking Moses, Golden Ghost, Wildebeest, Garage Show

The Naideau shows have been a mainstay for the past few summers. This is where music is appreciated garage style. An oriental carpet darn the stage area, and Christmas lights and snow shovels embellish the walls. They book great touring bands and mix it up with local bands and returning musician friends. I missed the host’s new outfit tentatively named "Your Birthday" but was there to hear Sleepwall’s short energetic set. They integrate rock riffs with punk force and have an awesome drummer. Viking Moses and his tour partner Golden Ghost (Laura Goetz) had a nice night at The Cake Shop with the backing of a full band but ended their full summer tour appropriately in a garage filled with music connoisseurs. I, unfortunately, arrived to hear only two songs by Golden Ghost. She plays electric guitar and has a distinctive voice, similar to a softer Joanna Newsome with a bluesy austere resonance. Her experimental song structures meander into the unexpected. I’ve had more time to appreciate her eccentricities in her self-produced Fauna of Mirrors! Viking Moses’ (Brendon Massei) music really appeals to me. Leonard Cohen on crack comes to mind. His low voice can be soft, emphasizing his storytelling, but he brings songs to life with dynamic hard-core vocals that project a Missouri drawl of soulful fervor. Joined by Laura Getz on the keyboard, Brandon played electric guitar fashioning an echoing style of eerie and abrupt leads of striking simplicity. He played mostly new material giving the crowd a first live run-through. I loved a new one he introduced as “Rough Rider.” It had a continuous beat that he induced hitting the electric guitar between leads. When asked for requests, the audience of young, attentive garage huggers was familiar, and he was accommodating. Since age fourteen, Brandon has taken his non-commercial art on the road, going it alone with little financial reward. At age twenty-nine, he retains his youthful exuberance and affirmative spirit to continue his minstrel lifestyle and openness to share music. He reminds me of another beloved troubadour David Dondero. It was great hearing his music for the first time, and I was immediately taken by his authenticity and captivating music. Just can’t shake it. Awesome!

The night continued as Wildebeest started his set, asking all to follow him into the back woods of the property. In the dark, we listened to a 12-minute poetic speak / song rant with guitar picking and harmonica. After catching our breath, he played three great new songs. He took requests but forgot all the words “Living and Dying” from the incredible out-of-print Motion and Language. He luckily remembered “Host and Hostage” and ended with “Animals In the City.”

I wasn’t the only person listening who has savored every release, EP, or demo Matthew Winn puts out. He might have left them behind, but his recordings live on. We were all grateful to hear him. Wildebeest has taken a personal renaissance from touring. His creative growth has only made him stronger as a performer. Flickr

Viking Moses Video!

Golden Ghost Video

Viking Moses is Scheduling dates for a Fall tour to promote his new release, The Parts that Showed, due out before Halloween.

Wildebeest; Matthew Winn

So...... The always evolving and fascinating, Wildebeest (Matthew Winn) did a Pink Couch Session at If You Make It a while ago that was recently uploaded. Clocking in at twelve minutes, Wildebeest sings/speaks with a touring guitar, harmonica, a smoke, and a flask. He also has been performing similar long rants with chimes!

Recent Wildebeest MySpace Post News
I have published a short story New Reality Competition, and a book of poems Taste Lie Paper. Both are between 30 and 50 pages, cost 5 dollars, and can be obtained by emailing me.

Wildebeest, Matthew Winn / Sweet Mini Tour

The great powerful Wildebeest is doing a small solo acoustic tour visiting some Northeastern States and going to Baltimore and Washington DC as well.
So........... get ready for some serious raw, passionate and bluesy folk like no other. Matthew Winn is a stellar multi-instrumentalist and accomplished songwriter.

October: check myspace for more details.
13 RISD house show/Providence, RI
14 Worcester College/Worcester MA
16 Leah house show/Portland Main
18 51 Railroad/Johnson, Vermont
20 Smog @ Bard College/New York
21 Five Points/Albany NY
24 American University/Washington DC
25 House Show/Baltimore MD
26 Flemington Bucks County Coffee/ Flemington NJ

Matthew Winn / Wildebeest EP Release

Matthew Winn / WILDEBEEST is releasing a Five song EP entitled Some Heavy, Some Mighty. . This is a collection of songs that belong together. They are like a scrambled musical and lyrical puzzle, searching for meaning within the broken fragments of thought. Musically he is branching out and adapting the music to the mood of the songwriting. Evan Louison lends his rich vocals on Wet Dog, Swampy Doors (Golder Lighting), and Palaces. Starting with “How it Is” the title suggests just that, but things aren’t that simple. The only thing rich around here is the coffee / and it ain’t that rich. He has burdens to bare because his / back pack / all heavy. This bluesy alt-country music works well with throaty vocals. The sound gracefully changes. Trumpets and oboe are a welcome addition to an off-beat jazz/blues and eclectic music mix in “Swampy Doors (Golder Lighting).” The mood gets dark, alone, and fearful. / And I am usually standing in dark / lost………… "Wet Dog” employs electric guitar riffs and upbeat drum tempo as Matt and Evan sing / It must be you that's a makin me feel like this wet dog / and belting, / cause it ain't rainin so hard……..“Palaces” is a blues acoustic song with outstanding instrumental and vocal tracks that ring with clarity and bite. Literal phrasing like / children fucking on a bare mattress is juxtaposed with a personification of architectural reference ……/ duel palaces entwined / drawbridge layed down / dual palaces embrace /stone and holy walls. He ends with an introspective song, “Host and Hostage. “ The trumpets chime in like a soft echoing choir, the finger-picking guitar parts blend, and the bassoon blows like a fog horn. The song ends with very faint bells………… To Order, Send $5.00 to Matt Winn, 140 standard oils street Athens Georgia, 30601 A few months back, Matt completed a full-length recording of 12 songs that he edited to ten. The full-length is still in transition, and the recording will be revisited.

WILDEBEEST, MANIFEST SOME DESTINY

Wildebeest, AKA Matthew Winn If you’re looking for pretty or easy, don't even bother. If you want to see and hear a music legend develop, you’re in for a ride. Matthew Winn is reserved, and his musical counterpart is the beast within. In his own words, "this is not folk punk, this is serious." Wildebeest is an exceptional multi-instrumentalist playing guitar, keyboards, accordion, and harmonica. His guitar playing and picking style is fast and furious. I can only compare the caliber of his playing to that of M Ward, but different. On his 2005 full-length release Motion and Language, he played all the instruments except drums. He is a powerful songwriter, and the music and energy of his impassioned singing style hammer those lyrics to the listener.

The voice is raw, it screams for attention and cries for answers, and sometimes it is soft and tender. The songs tell of his year spent living in Spain. They reflect his reactions to a different culture, inner reflections, longings for home and familiarity, and his affirmation to take life on-- to change and grow. Although the songs are personal, they are universal and capture the essence of youthful concerns in a literary mode. In the opening track, “Wisdom Tooth,” he sings, “I’m getting my last wisdom tooth in now / maybe this will be the one that works,” and as the song concludes, “I’ll plant my roots on a wrought iron bench,” repeating that line over and over, declaring a realization. In “Fighting Windmills,” he sings to propel himself forward, "I’m gonna manifest some destiny.” The last song of the CD proclaims, “We’re not yet the tired husks of men / Our hands are still young, and our fingers need blisters.” He knows he has time to grow, but he feels a sense of urgency. This is just a sampling of the lyrical content, every song has memorable phrasing and meaningful substance.

The words on paper are powerful enough, but hearing them sung fervently adds additional weight that resonates with his listener. From beginning to end, this CD works as a whole and seamlessly flows with solo acoustic musing and a full-out band sound. This is not the kind of CD you hear just one song, you get the gist of its strength. Every track emphasizes different instruments creating a cohesive but diverse approach. Recently I saw Wildebeest at a show and heard him play his new songs, He was mesmerizing. I could barely recognize some of the older songs he played. They were new again, inspired by a more bluesy direction. His voice moans, howls, groans, and occasionally yodels. The guitar playing was more subtle. I wasn’t disappointed. I left, saying to myself that I just saw a music legend in the making. Home and Time EP 2005 Motion and Language LP 2005 Full-length vinyl will be done soon.