http://www.viewmag.com/viewstory.php?storyid=7141Hamilton Music Notes - OCT.1, 2009
By Ric Taylor
MATT PAXTON BRINGS IT BACK HOME
Matt
Paxton’s first release on Drinking Cap Records “Hand Drawn Maps”
introduced the young reticent singer/songwriter locally and to campus
radio nationally but the musician had greater aspirations. When some
local musical veterans began to take note, Paxton would slowly lose his
reserve and start to build a network of like–minded musician friends
and fans that would eventually snowball into his own label and an
already critically lauded collection of songs. Back Home in the
Village, recorded at Vibewrangler Studio with producers Michael Keire
and Glen Marshall, showcases Paxton’s attention to detail in
songwriting and a pensive, heartfelt approach to performance. This
week, the Hamiltonian returns from a move to explore what the world
outside Hamilton has to offer and he brings his official CD release
party back home to the village where it all started.
“It was
really cool for me to see and hear dudes like Tom Wilson, Bob Lanois,
Marshall and Keire promote my songwriting,” recalls Paxton. “I look up
to those guys a lot and appreciate their kind words and encouragement
because it has certainly helped. Growing up in Hamilton has taught me a
lot about hustling. I grew up listening to all of Tom Wilson’s projects
and was inspired by his hard work. No one in this country hustles more
successfully than Tom Wilson does. Tom Wilson taught me to completely
throw myself into my passion and art. He told me nobody gives a shit
about what you do more than you do. I dig that and will always remember
that.”
Paxton’s taken the advice and grown up considerably in
the last three years. He’s honed the songwriting and hustling skills
and the Down By The Point collective/label of musicians, artists, and
photographers he started is growing exponentially. While this winter
Paxton will have songs featured on Country Music Television’s The Show
and AuxTV’s Mastertracks, his main focus will be touring to let people
know about this new collection of songs. But while he’s set to be on
the road for quite some time, it’s Hamilton that will always be on his
mind.
“We picked ten songs that seemed to have a certain
thread,” muses Paxton. “I like to think of them as acts and scenes from
the play called Back Home in the Village — all with introductions,
reoccurring imagery, characters that haunt each track, and familiar
settings. It is a pensive album that I had to complete and get off my
chest. It’s all about experiences born right here in Hamilton. It
paints days and nights spent in this city, some good, some bad and some
in between. It is my way of documenting my time here in Hamilton. Most
of this album was written when I was living downtown in Hess Village.
The sounds and stories on the record were born in the doorway of that
burnt down building on the corner of King and Hess.
With guests
including Tim Gibbons, Bill Dillon, Carl Jennings, Tone Valcic and
Aaron Goldstein and more, Back Home In The Village showcases both the
full band as well as the solo voice and guitar versions of Paxton. For
his homecoming, the show will have a small potential list of guest
performers to keep the focus on the songs themselves.
“The album
has been up on iTunes since January,” says Paxton. “I have been
experimenting with digital distribution and figuring out what methods
work best. But now I am ready to physically release the album the old
fashioned way. From there I plan to tour, record another album and also
put out Back Home in the Village on vinyl. I think those Bill Dillon
licks off of the album will sound even better on your dusty old record
player.
“For the CD release, I will be playing a very pensive set
mostly solo with minimal accompaniment. I usually show up at events
like this with my best men armed to the teeth but I decided to leave
The Smoked Out City Band at the bar this time and truly focus on the
storytelling that is the key to this album.
“I spend most of my
time making my way back to Hamilton,” adds Paxton. “I did recently move
to Toronto to pursue my passion in art, photography and design so that
I can bring it all back home and tie that passion into operating Down
By The Point Records and music. It was also about time for me to expand
my songwriting outside of my hometown and gain inspiration from diverse
cultures, while making a lot of new contacts. I am always coming back
to Hamilton to hang where I feel most comfortable in the world.”
Matt
Paxton plays this Thursday October 1 at the Casbah with Dylan Hudecki
and Dan Delaplante. The doors for the licensed/all ages event open at 8pm and $10 gets you in with a copy of Paxton’s new CD. For more
details click on
http://www.myspace.com/downbythepointrecords