Openly gay singer Matt Alber made quite the first impression with his initial CD, Hide Nothing, thanks to the ballad "At the End of the World," which featured a video showing two men dancing in a barbershop.
Now he's out with the album Constant Crows, which features more gorgeous songs, ranging from a duet with his brother, Bryce, to a cover of a Madonna song ("Take A Bow"). During a lively conversation, Alber talked about Madonna, his new CD, the Scrooge & Marley movie soundtrack—and public nudity.
Windy City Times: Is this the lovely Matt?
Matt Alber: Well, it's Matt. [Both laugh.] I was enraptured watching a video that I shot with four cello players here at the Conservatory of Music. It's actually lovely here. How's it in Chicago?
WCT: I think a lot of people are still in the afterglow of the Madonna concert.
Matt Alber: Oh, my gosh! That must've been amazing.
WCT: She puts on quite a show. Have you seen her in concert?
Matt Alber: I have never seen her in concert. It's never worked out when I can actually go.
WCT: Well, maybe one day you two will get to meet.
Matt Alber: I don't know if I'll ever get to meet her, but she's listened to me sing one song so I can die happy. [Note: A press release about Alber quotes Madonna saying of him, "That was so sweet. I want to listen to him again."]
WCT: And that's the perfect segue to your new CD. The cover of her song is impressive, but I'm wondering why you chose that particular song.
Matt Alber: Thanks! My first Madonna record was Bedtime Stories, so I fell in love with her smoky, sexy voice, and I really loved that arrangement with those beautiful strings. Plus, the whole bullfighting video [for "Take A Bow"] really burned into my brain.
WCT: Are there any other songs of hers you'd want to cover, such as "Like A Virgin?"
Matt Alber: [Laughs] I don't know if I can pull that one off. I basically thought I should tackle one, and that's it. I was nervous about covering "Take A Bow."
WCT: I'm also curious about the title of this new CD. How'd that come about?
Matt Alber: Well, I was living on an island [in Washington state] prior to making that record. It was the first time in a long time that I lived in a place that had all four seasons. I was just amazed! All the fields show up, there are deer that come and go, and daffodils sprung up. I was looking out the bedroom window where my studio was, and I could hear these crows—and they were the only things that seemed to hang around the entire year. There is the sound of them crowing at the end of the song "Tightrope."
WCT: Yes, I heard them. Are you still in Washington state?
Matt Alber: Well, I was on Vashon Island, but I just relocated to the Bay Area so I'm here in San Francisco. I'm talking with you from Walnut Creek.
I'm coming back. I moved here right out of college and lived here for seven years. I love it here; it's really nice to be back.
WCT: San Francisco is interesting for a lot of reasons—including allowing public nudity.
Matt Alber: Yes; there are about four guys in the Castro who take full advantage of it. I love it. You think it's going to be a big, shocking thing—but there are just a couple glances and you go get your Starbucks. I think you should see it for yourself. I'll take you around.
WCT: Well, we'll see. Back to the CD, there's a song on here you sing with your brother ["Brother Moon"]?
Matt Alber: Oh, my brother—Bryce Alber—is amazing, and I've dreamed for a long time about singing with him. I wanted to do a duet with him on my first record but my label said "no," which is one of the reasons we broke up. But this time around I have [total control] about what goes on the record, so I invited my brother to come up to Seattle. He had the beginnings of the song worked out on the guitar, kind of a simple melody, and we wrote and recorded the song together.
We picked three memories of growing up together and we sewed those into the song. Now, we have a duet. He also has a solo record coming out soon; his stage name is Lou Jane.
WCT: Being a singer-songwriter, which is tougher: coming up with the lyrics or the melody?
Matt Alber: Oh, I would say the lyrics are the toughest part. I can sit down with an instrument and come up with a chord progression pretty readily—but I really wrestle with each word.
WCT: How does this album differ thematically from Hide Nothing?
Matt Alber: The first one I look at as a collection of experiments. I had never made recordings before and they were a bunch of songs. Since then, I have made music my job, being out on stage with just a guitar and piano for the last two years solid. I would say the first record as a mixed bag; this record actually feels like the first cohesive album, as it was recorded in two months. It took me two years to finish that first album, song by song by song.
WCT: Even with all the gorgeous songs on Constant Crows, "End of the World" will probably be one of your signature songs. Who came up with the idea for the video?
Matt Alber: Oh, I love singing that song. As for the video, my friend Robin Scovill came up with it. He's a director in Los Angeles and a longtime friend of mine. We came up with the concept together; we were taking a walk in L.A., and we strolled past a barbershop. Robin fell in love with the place, and after a couple of arm-wrestling conversations with Jerry—who owns the shop, and who's the barber in the video—we convinced him to let us move into his shop for a day.
Most of the story came from Robin. I said, "Hey, I wrote the song but you're the director. Why don't you run with it?" He came up with the businessman from the '60s would get his shoes shined, and Jerry would play matchmaker. I will be forever grateful to Robin and his team.
WCT: And you're a Grammy winner, correct?
Matt Alber: Well, I'm part of one. When I moved to San Francisco, I joined a group called Chanticleer. Two of our records won Grammys, so I'm one-twelfth of each of the awards. [Laughs]
WCT: One-twelfth is far better than none at all, in my eyes. Now, you'll be in Chicago Oct. 11 to take part in the Legacy Walk dedication ceremony. How'd that come about?
Matt Alber: My good friend Paul Highfield [was on the board for this project] to create the first outdoor walking museum for LGBT icons. So he's been working on for years, and I'm honored to get to sing at this event.
WCT: And you have another Chicago connection—you're on the movie soundtrack to Scrooge & Marley [the upcoming gay-themed movie that was filmed locally].
Matt Alber: Yes—oh, my gosh! I didn't know anyone knew about that. That was really cool. Another friend of mine, Norm Cratty, connected me with the people behind the movie.
WCT: And this will be your first soundtrack song?
Matt Alber: It will be the second time. "End of the World" appears in a movie called The New Twenty, an independent film that came out a couple years ago. The song [on this soundtrack] is a cover of The Roches' "Star of Wonder."
WCT: With all these Chicago connections, you're going to have to move here next.
Matt Alber: Well, I do spend a fair amount of time in Chicago for a couple of reasons. One, it's the place where I had my first sold-out show. I was, like, "Wow. Maybe I can do this thing for a living." Also, all you guys are sexy; everybody is really handsome.
WCT: Well, on behalf of the city, thanks. Lastly, what's on your iPod?
Matt Alber: My brother's music is good; he's also the front man of a group called Tijuana Tears [http://tijuanatears.bandcamp.com]. They're brand-new but they're taking off like a rocket ship.
A friend turned me on to a musician who's passed away: Kenny Rankin. Kenny was known for his vocal jazz, and he played guitar pretty well. He did a cover of "Blackbird" that the Beatles loved so much they asked him to attend their induction into the Hall of Fame. Also, I listening to a lot of Mel Torme and Chet Baker right now. I'm performing Torme's and Baker's songs in Provincetown in a couple weeks; it's a one-night-only show on Oct. 7.
Find out more about Alber at www.MattAlber.com .
