Exclusive Interview with Matthew Curry

I was lucky to catch up with Matthew Curry, band leader of "Matthew Curry and the Fury". I am really liking what I'm hearing from this kid and his band. They are extremely tight, his guitar tone is really rich, his playing is fluid and original and his vocals just feel right.

Bman: I was checking out your sound and you really have it going! How long have you been playing?

Matthew:I got my first guitar (a little Walmart one) when I was 4. I took some lessons when I was a little older, but mostly I'm self-taught.

Bman: Yeah. It sounds like you were born with that thing in your hands. It's just great when you find a natural talent and also someone who is original. Do you come from a musical family... I mean... you have a very mature sound for such a young guy!

Matthew: I got the guitar bug from my dad. He played guitar, listened to lots of music like Stevie Ray and Eric Clapton.

Bman: Well, a big thanks to dad one for having the thought to buy you a guitar and second for liking cool music! I'm a bit of a guitar player myself and I love your guitar sound/tone. Tell me about your rig.

Matthew: As far as guitars I mainly use a Custom Shop Eric Clapton Blackie Fender Stratocaster and for amps I mainly use a 1971 Fender Bandmaster Reverb head through a 4x12 cab but for the bigger shows I use the Fender Bandmaster and a Peavey Classic 30 head rigged through 2 different cabs.

Bman: I really like the Clapton Blackie Custom Shop Strat. It really has a nice feel and the boost switch has a great scoop. It definitely has it's own sound. I'm also a real Fender "tube" fan myself (but then almost every circuit out there came from the old Fenders). I have a few guitars with humbuckers but the single coil guitars through the old Fender amps just sound so creamy! My preference is for the Super through 10's but that's just me. I have an old Hiwatt when I really want to juice. Who have been your primary guitar influences? What are you listening to?

Matthew: My favorites are Bryan Lee, Albert Collins, and Joe Bonamassa. I like to listen to lots of different things to keep expanding. I like experimenting with different sounds and techniques.

Bman: I know what you're saying. They're all great performers. If you have checked out the blog much I listen to everything from the Skip James to King Crimson but of course my main deal is the blues. There's a lot of good stuff out there! I find the more exposure you have to different sounds the more your sound becomes your own. You're obviously doing a great job. I also think that you have a great voice. Is there someone in particular that you first emulated or is this just what came out?

Matthew: The Keyboard player from my old band taught me how to sing at first and from there I kind of found my own voice.


Bman: That's great. I know that a lot of great singers started out copying someone and ended up with their own voice but a lot of people just have it in them. I mean like, who did Aretha Franklin listen to? Joe Bonamassa has really worked on his voice over the past few years. It's a lot more polished than it was when I first started to follow him. I don't know that he needed to, but I'm sure it will help his career because the bigger you get the more critical people seem to get.

I know that you just released a cd. How is that being received?

Matthew: We are getting some awesome press and airtime from the CD. Our fans especially love the title track. We just got great reviews in Blues Blast and the Indie Music Reviewer.

Bman: I'm really happy to hear that. You have a really great start and the right spark may ignite you. Are you writing your own songs or are they collaborations?

Matthew: Mostly they're my own. Sometimes I work with the band to find the right groove or add certain lines. I like taking ideas and expanding them as far as they will go. I love the blues and like to take the progressions just a little further.

Bman: Spoken like a true blues man. I'm real excited about what I hear and look forward to hearing more from you soon! Please keep me informed with gigs and studio work.

Great job and thanks for your time.
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