As a person who loves exploring indie bands and local Michigan musicians, ending finals week (actually, day!) always has to do something with music. When I heard a Ypsi singer-songwriter Matt Jones was going to be performing at The Ark, I immediately put it on the agenda of my night (that continues into the next day, and Star Wars!!!!!)
Matt Jones seems to have a dry sense of humor but a very colorful childhood. His blog reads “MJ was raised by a combination of circus music and doo-wop,with a healthy dose of ragtime thrown in. His music has been known to suffer from colitis. The Reconstruction is his own assemblage, and sometimes, disassemblage. The core: Colette Alexander: cello, and Misty Lyn: vox.”
His music is deep yet beautiful. As Rachael Buttons describes his latest album, The Deep Enders, she says “Matt Jones writes haunting songs. February songs. Songs that get under my skin and seep into my short stories. Songs that remind me of the rust belt and the south, of ice chunks floating in Great Lakes and men in jeans haloed by cigarette smoke, and silhouettes leaning against brick walls at night. He has a voice like Elliott Smith. He plays ragtime piano, and he writes lyrics that make me wonder why he isn’t more famous.”
I am excited to feel the music get under my skin. Feel the goosebumps taking over my body and having my head feel dizzy with the resonating emotion in every word. As a writer, I want his music to make me make stories and see places I haven’t been to. If I find my “jam” (in more colloquial terms, but utterly disrespectful to this kind of beautiful music) after this night, or probably songs to nurse a broken heart or lay in bed and have a fantastic story created for me, just by me – I will say this will be the best end to my semester!
- Doors Open: 7:30 pm
- Show Starts: 8:00 pm
- Ticket Price: $15
Link to the event: http://www.theark.org/shows-events/2015/dec/17/matt-jones-reconstruction
