Born and raised in Greenwich Village, singer-songwriter and keyboardist Matt Glickman has always looked for creative ways to add texture and depth to his music. He draws from a diverse range of sonic influences that include classical music, “some of the odd time signatures of the Grateful Dead and Yes,” and Americana music. He says the melodies he creates have been heavily influenced by listening to a significant amount of Billy Joel in his formative years. His keen interest in a variety of works of literature, including spell books and folklore, also aided him as a songwriter.
Glickman is a recent graduate of Berklee College of Music, where he studied under the guidance of Dave Limina, who’s gigged with Chuck Berry and others. He also studied with John Medeski, a veteran jazz-influenced keyboard player and composer that’s played with Medeski Martin & Wood, during a master class and workshop outside of Berklee. Glickman’s eclectic influences have helped him become a prominent member of the New England jamband scene. He has contributed to a variety of projects, and has been an integral part of multiple high-profile projects, including Buddahfly and Zach Nugent of Melvin Seals & JGB. His credits also include curating Grateful Dead founder Phil Lesh’s widely viewed 81st birthday livestream and collaborations with members of the Yardbirds including appearing on the band’s new album Family Tree II.
On his debut live album Live from Starks, which is out on Friday, Glickman’s wealth of experience and eclectic influences are readily evident. The album was produced, mixed, and mastered by Nadav Shapira, who plays bass for the popular jamband psychedelic ensemble Ripe.
“I enjoy the pop sensibilities he brought to the mix,” says Glickman. “I like the fusion of styles this creates because I’m always wanting to create as much of a musical melting pot as possible.”
Highlights include a 20-minute solo-acoustic rendition of Phil Lesh’s “Unbroken Chain,” and vocal contributions by Darby Sabin, best known for her collaborations with multi-instrumentalist Oteil Burbridge (Dead & Company, The Allman Brothers, etc) and Grateful Dead keyboardist Tom Constanten. Some of his lyrics address the mental health challenges faced during the album’s creation.
For his video entry for Water Tower Sessions, Glickman decided to find inspiration once again from Boston, specifically the Boston Center of the Arts. The venue was featuring the play Love in an Elevator which was created by Boston playwright Richard Ravosa. Glickman was fascinated by the creativity that went into the scenery of the set and decided to use it as a backdrop to further give atmosphere to his music.
“I chose this location because a playwright was putting on an abstract play there and I thought the scenery of the set could make for an interesting fusion with my music,” he says. “I was playing in front of an ‘elevator of love’.”
“Boston is unique to me because it was where I picked up a lot of what I know musically at Berklee. It’s where I made a lot of musical friends and memories.”
For the session, Glickman performed his songs He says the latter two were written on the same day while the former took him “a bit longer and went through a lot of revision.”
In addition to being part of his live album, Glickman picked the three songs because the “messages in [the songs] stand out…in their urges of changing in society and mindset.”
“I enjoyed playing them for the session,” he says. “It provides different versions from those to be on the record that I hope people will enjoy.”
Scummy Water Tower recently caught up with Glickman to talk about why it was time to release a live album, his eclectic influences, being part of the area’s jamband scene and collaborating with The Yardbirds.
You’re releasing your debut live album. Why was it time for such a record, and what were you looking to achieve with the album? What do you like about your performance at Starks?
After years in the New England jam scene, I thought it was time to put out an original conglomerate of my own musical inspirations in a raw live setting to give an honest taste of what I’m about. I have spent a lot of time at Harry Brown’s Farm, the festival venue in Starks where I recorded the performance. I can really relate to the environment there.
In what ways were you able to relate to the environment at Harry Brown’s Farm?
I have been going there for years to play festivals and it has always felt like an awesome safe space for me to express myself.
The album features a 20-minute version of Phil Lesh’s “Unbroken Chain.” Can you talk about your connection with the song? What was it like getting to put your own spin on it and work with some music legends?
I love how unique the writing in “Unbroken Chain” is. I can also connect to the nature theme woven into the lyrics. Putting my own spin on the song is what I have always wanted to do and feels great. Collaborating with musicians who I look up to has guided me on my own journey of injecting new ideas into jamband standards.
What do you like most about playing acoustically?
Playing solo gives me freedom to improvise with timing and harmony in ways that would be hard to do with a band.
You studied music in college, and you also have an eclectic taste in literature and music. How have those things and experiences aided you playing music today and how do they show up on this album?
I reference a spell book on one of the songs on the live record, which has been influenced by a dive into 13th century literature. I try to diversify my music listening to add unique flavors to the sonic landscapes I create when improvising.
You’ve been involved a lot with the jam band scene in the New England region. How has that experience most benefited you and what do you like about jamband type music?
I love that the jam scene has a focus on community and holds a strong fan base for my favorite band [The Grateful Dead]. I also love the freedom to improvise, not just musically but as a person…to be yourself. I think experiencing these freedoms of the scene’s culture has improved who I am as a musician and a person.
How has meeting musicians in the jamband scene in the New England jamband scene helped increase your interest in jamband music?
Meeting fans of the band who are also musicians with their own creative endeavors has made it easier to get into playing Jamband style music.
You’ve collaborated with The Yardbirds in the studio. How did that come about and what does it mean to collaborate with that band?
Working with this veteran act has increased my playing ability. A friend of mine who I was gigging with knew their producer and the opportunity arose where the band was looking for keyboards for a potential upcoming release.
Joshua is co-founder of Scummy Water Tower. He’s freelanced for a variety of newspapers, magazines, and websites, including: Rolling Stone, The Boston Globe, Chicago Sun-Times, Guitar World, MTV News, Grammy.com, Chicago Magazine, Milwaukee Magazine, MKE Lifestyle, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, A.V. Club, SPIN, Alternative Press, Under the Radar, Paste, PopMatters, American Songwriter, and Relix. You can email him at josh@scummywatertower.com.
