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by Collin Quick Amidst the lawn of Bowman Park at DePauw University sits a crowd of college students; some on lawn chairs, some on blankets, and some on the grass itself. It’s a cool, overcast April Saturday as Matt Nathanson and Matt Fish take the makeshift slab of concrete stage that overlooks Bowman Pond and play their first of two shows in one day. Fish opens up his case, takes his cello out, tunes up and begins to play, never even thinking that he will be stepping off the tour in less than two weeks. Born in Iowa and currently residing in Los Angeles, Fish earned his Bachelor of Science in Music at Indiana University in 1994. From there, he moved to L.A. to see where he could go with his music. In 1996, he met singer-songwriter Matt Nathanson after a show and was asked by Nathanson to play on his upcoming album. From there, a friendship was born. “We have been friends for nine years,” says Nathanson sitting in his dressing room in Atherton Center at Butler University where the duo played their second show of the day. “We get along better than anybody on tour and we never get mad at each other.” “I think what I am going to miss the most,” Fish says while sitting outside in the light drizzling rain, “is performing night after night, without a doubt.” He goes on to clarify that he’s not leaving for good either. “I have always been interested in composing and writing my own music,” he adds. “The fans know I will be back for them.” “It’s an impulse,” Fish says. “Like when you need a cheeseburger, something in you says ’I need a cheeseburger.’ I have had an impulse now for several years to write and score music for films and I need to make time to make that happen.” “If people want to do other things, I can not hold them back,” says Nathanson smiling. “Fish and I have a great connection on the stage and the fans can see that.” “Fish brings the love to the stage,” comments 20-year-old Tammy Wegener, a Central Michigan University student who, with her two friends Justin Warber and Laura Sund, traveled over four hours to see “The Matt’s,” as fans call them, in action one last time. “You can’t beat two free concerts and the fact that it’s one of Fish’s last shows adds to it,” says Warber. The timing is perfect for the duo to take a break as well. While Fish is stepping off the tour, Nathanson, who released his Universal Records debut album Beneath These Fireworks in October (though sixth album overall), is in the process of picking members for his band that will be touring early summer in support of Sister Hazel and then later in the summer Nathanson and his newly formed band will join the Howie Day/O.A.R. tour. “When you have the right players, it elevates the music,” Nathanson points out. “I’m bummed that Fish is leaving. The kid is the shit and I would love to play with him for the rest of my life,” says Nathanson, “but you can not make someone do something if it is not their trip.” “I think Matt Nathanson is fantastic,” Fish says while pulling his hoodie over his head to cover himself from the rain. “I would go out on tour with him forever, but touring is difficult and it’s a hard job. It takes a lot of time and concentration.” One of the many reasons fans come to the shows is because of the blend of music. “A guy on stage with just a guitar is boring,” says Nathanson. “I wanted someone who could add energy, melody and dimension. I think the cello is the perfect accompaniment for an acoustic guitar and having it really kicks ass.” “The cello adds a beautiful layer of sound to the guitar,” Sonya Adams, Matt Nathanson’s tour manager, says. “I have only been out with the guys for 12 days now, but I love what I hear.” Fish loves the fact that Nathanson plays a 12-string guitar as well. “The 12-string is much cooler and a lot of people can not play it with as much strength and power that Matt plays with and, because it’s a much bigger instrument and requires more force, he plays it and hits it really hard, so it’s a sound that you never hear,” comments Fish. “Matt pounds the shit out of his guitar.” Some fans, however, are a bit skeptical about Fish stepping off the tour for a while. “The problem with being a musician is that people do not like change,” Nathanson points out. “A lot of people did not like when Howie [Day] got his band. If you want a band, you get a fucking band.” “Kids are going to think ‘It’s not as cool without Fish’ but dude, get over yourself,” says Nathanson. “Parents divorce, your girlfriend leaves you. Deal with change.” “Whenever Matt needs me, be it for a concert, for a talk show or anything, I’ll be there and he knows that,” Fish says. “We have fun onstage and part of that fun is the two of us interacting. When we did ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live’ last month we were nervous at first but then it hit us that this is just basically another concert. So we calmed down and relaxed and just went out there and had a blast.” “The way I like to put it is that Matt and I are doing a Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds thing,” Fish adds. “Dave goes out on summer tours and then from time to time does small acoustic tours with Tim.” Nathanson agrees. “We are still going to do smaller college tours with just the two of us.” Fish adds that the Matthews/Reynolds live acoustic album Live at Luther College is amazing. “I would love to do a live album like that, but I don’t know if we could get all the licensing rights seeing as Matt does so many covers from the eighties,” Fish says laughing aloud.


Just because you don’t live in Gainesville, Florida shouldn’t mean you don’t know The Chris McCarty Band. Dreaming in Stereo is their first official release, drawing tracks from their 2 smaller previously released discs, Naked and What’s Going Down, as well as providing some fresh new material. The band fits in with the emerging genre of popish acoustic singer-songwriters like Jason Mraz and maroon5, only they bring a heartfelt energy that easily distinguishes them from all the others. The CD brings back a whole new feeling to music – having fun. The lyrics have a true passion behind them, dealing mainly with believing and love. If Julius’ bongo playing on “Blown Away” or Greg’s pulsating drums on “Stuck” doesn’t have you tapping your foot up and down, a pulse-check may be in order. Chris’ voice is fresh in a generation of so-called-divas and computer-enhanced vocals. Rather than having musicians who are there merely to add harmony to a song, his words stand above other singers on its own. But if you have some badass musicians like his brother Phil on the bass guitar or Greg Riddle providing some amazing fills in the background, the result truly seems to be a dream in stereo. The only thing the album falls short of is time, which, when the end of the album ends, will only have you wondering when the rest is coming. -Matthew Fisher