Matthew Curry was so drawn to the guitar as a child growing up in Bloomington, Illinois, that his parents sometimes forced him to leave his bedroom to go outside and play with friends. The obsession grew after he got his first electric guitar and started trying to replicate the music of Jimi Hendrix, ZZ Top, and Stevie Ray Vaughan.
“I was obsessed with it,” said Curry, whose first guitar was a miniature one made by First Act. “I would play in the mornings before school and all afternoon and evening after I got home from school.”
All that practice would make Curry’s music heroes proud – the 29-year-old can shred on his instrument and has a penchant for writing durable, catchy songs. He has been recording and playing music live for more than a decade, which includes time playing music in bars as a child. Curry has toured with the likes of Journey, the Doobie Brothers, Peter Frampton, and Steve Miller, a musician he is good friends with.
The sounds of Lynyrd Skynyrd, James Taylor, The Beatles, Albert Collins, Roy Clark, and many other musicians sparked Curry’s interest in music at a young age thanks to his dad, Paul, who played music constantly in the house and in his truck. On many evenings, Paul, who passed away in 2012 of a brain aneurism, would strum his acoustic guitar while sitting on the recliner.
Getting used to his First Act guitar took time for Curry, who is left-handed. Initially, he turned the instrument upside down to try and play it that way.
“My dad tried to get me to play right-handed, but it just didn’t feel right,” said Curry, who now lives near Nashville. “Thankfully, he was musically aware enough to flip the strings for me. He pretty much started teaching me chords and songs right away.”
Curry will return to his Illinois roots in June when he plays a string of shows in Urbana, Shelbyville, Peoria, Normal, and Monticello. He said playing music in Illinois feels like performing for a bunch of friends as the band and its fans feed off each other’s energy.
“I still see people who’ve been following the band and my career ever since I was 9 and 10 years old playing around in bars, doing cover tunes,” Curry said. “It’s a humbling thought that my music is still important to them after all these years.”
Here’s more from Curry, who will be at Rose Bowl Tavern on June 20th at 8 p.m.
Smile Politely: Tell me about your background and your life growing up in Bloomington.
Matthew Curry: Aside from the music, my childhood and upbringing were very normal. My parents, Patti and Paul Curry, were wonderful, and I’m lucky to have had my twin brother, Andrew, to grow up with as well. We grew up doing all the normal stuff like playing Little League Baseball and hanging out with all the other neighborhood kids. My parents loved the outdoors, so we were always on the Mackinaw River or Middle Fork River canoeing, going on camping trips, and fishing, things that are still a huge part of my life.
SP: Your Shine On EP from 2016 sounds bombastic and energetic. What was your songwriting and headspace like back then compared to now?
Curry: I feel like artists are constantly being inspired by new things and wanting to try new things musically, lyrically, and production-wise. My inspirations and the things I was trying to achieve sonically then were different from what I’m trying to achieve now, and I’m sure it will be a never-ending process of changing and growing. That’s the wonderful thing about music and art in general: There are no right or wrong ways to approach it. I think the only thing I can do as a songwriter and musician is stay true to what speaks to me in the moment.
SP: I imagine there are some crowd-pleasing songs from your 2019 album, Open Road, including the title track and “On My Way.” What songs from that album get the crowd going when you play them live?
Curry: Certainly “Open Road.” It’s a high-energy tune with a hooky guitar and vocal melody and an interesting drum groove. And it’s one of my favorites to play live. When we tour the Midwest, specifically in Central Illinois, folks really love “The Great Midwest.” The song has lots of references to things many Midwestern people can relate to, especially the folks around Central Illinois.
SP: The song “Illusion of Hope” on Open Road is beautiful but also a tearjerker. What is it about?
Curry: Lyrically it’s more of a fictional generalization of “times being hard in the big city”. I remember when I was writing it with Greg Neville, and talking about production techniques with our drummer, Francis Valentino, we had this idea of trying to make it into an arena rock-type song. We even went as far as using a loop for the conga track, which we had never done, and put roto toms on the second verse, sending it into that 1980s to 1990s arena-rock territory.
The entire making of that album was such a blast. It was the first record that I really held the reins on being “head producer,” not to undersell everyone else’s role in making it. Our drummer and co-producer of that album, Francis, is a genius with engineering and always brings a ton of amazing musical ideas to the table. And Tim Brickner laid down some killer bass parts. Mike Nellas and Erik Nelson played extremely complimentary keyboard and organ parts as well.
SP: What deep thoughts do you have after years of playing your music on the road?
Curry: One thing I always say these days is to just ‘live in the moment’. Soak it all in, enjoy it, and feel grateful to be doing it. You never know when it could end. You have to take the good with the bad. It’s not always a glamorous life. There are many times you’re riding high on the wave, and other times you’re just trying to keep your head above water. So, anymore, I’ve decided to enjoy every minute of it and try not to be down about it when things don’t go right. And be thankful for the wonderful memories that come with it.
SP: Tell me about your past times playing music in Champaign-Urbana.
Curry: I have a ton of memories of playing music in Champaign-Urbana! It was a huge part of my youth and musical upbringing, and I’m forever thankful for the musicians in that area who took me under their wing. People like Dave Lindsey, Dean Waldon, Randy Smith, Tom Foutch, and Ken Stanley. I used to be at a bar called Memphis on Main in what felt like almost every weekend, when I was probably 9 to 11 or 12, playing with Dave Lindsey and his power trio or playing with a southern rock band called Renegade. Other times I’d be spending weeks at a time at Dean Waldon’s home studio, recording some of the first original tunes I’d ever written.
SP: Your single from last year, “Barely Livin’,” seems to show you at a crossroads in your music career. Do you plan on making music for the long haul?
Curry: “Barely Livin’” is a song I mostly wrote during the tail end of the lockdowns. It was certainly a “crossroads” moment for many of us who do this professionally, I think. But the song is also a message of unity, meaning there could be something going wrong in your life, and although you feel like it’s only happening to you, odds are it’s also happening to thousands of other people. Coming out of Covid, the band has been busier than we have in many years. The touring has been so constant that it feels like the last two and a half years have completely run into each other.
And yes, I’m absolutely in this for the long haul. I’ve had many chances in the past to change paths and I simply can’t. I always tell folks I’m not qualified to do anything else!
SP: Is there a new album on the horizon?
Curry: Absolutely – expect a new album very soon! And definitely another single or two in the very near future. I’ve got at least an album and a half worth of material banked up and ready to go. Lately the songs I’ve been writing cater more toward my original interest in writing: big heavy guitar riffs and catchy vocal melodies. This next one will without a doubt be a full-on rock and roll album and somewhat getting back into my bluesier and southern rock-type roots. I feel like the music, songwriting, and singing are always developing, and I think this new album will reflect that.
Matthew Curry
Rose Bowl Tavern
106 N Race St
Urbana
Th June 20th, 8 p.m.
$10 – $15 suggested donation