This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Eckerd chapter.
If you’ve walked through campus and heard the faint chords of a banjo traveling in the wind, do not fear. Though you may believe you are in a remake of ”Deliverance,” it’s just the sweet tunes of Matt Also Adam permeating your ears. The band is comprised of the dynamic duo, Sophomore Adam Harr and Junior Matt Walker, who play everything from a leslie organ to a banjo in their repertoire of songs. You might have heard them play at Kappa Karnival or been fortunate enough to hear them at 4 a.m. in the Beta hallways, anywhere you hear them you can’t deny the intoxicating melodies of Eckerd’s own Matt Also Adam.
How did you form the band?
M: We played an open mic night at the Pub last year, playing covers. We both played music so we thought it would fun to play together.
A: I bought a banjo and we started formulating a song. We wrote our first song, ‘Atom Bomb,’ that was when we first realized our creative potential. We thought, ‘we can do this’ and formed the band. Matt wrote the lyrics for ‘Gone for Good’, I wrote the melody. All of our songs are completely 50/50.
M: I wrote the lyrics for the first song, ‘Gone for Good,’ and then the second one ‘Atom Bomb’ was a collaborative effort.
A: ‘Atom Bomb’ was a validation of our true love and creative meshing.
How would you describe your sound to people who have never heard you before?
M: I’d go to folk, but we are inspired by a lot of different music
A: Part modern folk, organic would be the most important part of our music. We hope that stays constant. A little bit of bluegrass, as far as genres go.
What inspires you? Broken hearts, dead dogs?
Matt: It’s pretty random.
Adam: We found that a lot of our songs deals with desperation of some kind.
M: I like to think of stories, like gone for good, is about a guy who’s mother dies and the song tells the story about his struggle with that loss.
A: There is nothing we can do to coax a song; it’s completely spontaneous. Usually someone has an idea and that’s what we build off of.
Who is your favorite groupie?
Matt: All of them.
Adam: My mom.
Do you plan on pursuing a musical career after Eckerd? Where do you see the band in 5 years?
A: Yes, definitely. In 5 years hopefully we’ll have 2 albums worth of music. This year we plan on having an album’s worth of music out. If we continue to go in a positive direction, I can see in a few years being joined by others to better represent what we recorded on the albums. For now we are going to continue to write and record music, using Garageband to produce our own music.
If you had to explain your band in three words, what would they be?
A: Matt Also Adam
M: Fun, ripe, plaid
A: Natural, visceral, plaid
Be honest, did you start the band just to get laid?
A: No. [laughs] Banjo? I do get a lot of compliments for the banjo, probably because it’s more unique.
M: No.
Have you ever made someone squeal like a pig?
A: No comment.
If you could be stranded on an aquaglide in Frenchman’s Creek with anyone, dead or alive, who would it be?
A: Jerry Garcia, I think he means more than just music. Most people think of him as a guitarist of a hippy band, but I think he’s more than that. He’s smart and would be an interesting person to talk to. To me, he is more than what he is publicly known for.
M: Edward Abbey, he was the author of “Desert Solitaire.” He was like Thoreau but better. He was a park ranger in Utah and would just stay out there in an old trailer and write. It would be interesting to talk to him.
Where is your favorite place to play on campus?
M: We like to meander a lot now that we have straps. There are really good acoustics in the outside hallways in the traditional dorms. So mostly outside Beta or Gamma.
M: I would personally like to play with Andrew Bird. I love violin and he plays it really well, and I think it would add a lot ambiance. He whistles good too.
A: Probably Mike Gordon, the bassist from Fish. His baselines and melodies are really unique and they add a totally new character to a song.
You can catch them at their next show September 30th in Ybor at the Orpheum or visit their Facebook page!