You may not recognize Matt North by name, but there is a pretty, pretty good chance you’ve seen his face. North has acted in numerous roles, one of the most notable starring in seven episodes of Curb Your Enthusiasm as Jason Alexander’s William Morris agent. Besides his work in film and TV, North is also an accomplished session drummer in Nashville, the city he now calls home. But on February 21st the drummer will step into the spotlight as a singer-songwriter with the release of his self-produced debut solo album Above Ground Fools (Round Badge Records).
The album’s ten original tunes touch on subjects like doomed romance, the death of newsworthy news, male jealousy, legal battles, and other upbeat tales of personal failure, all of them true and stemming from personal experience. To make Above Ground Fools happen, Matt enlisted the skills of a handful of Nashville A-listers including bassist Chris Donohue (Elvis Costello, Emmylou Harris), guitarist Stuart Mathis (Lucinda Williams, Wallflowers), keyboardist Michael Webb (Sturgill Simpson, Chris Stapleton), Michael McAdam (Steve Earle), Billy Livsey (Brendan Benson), Christopher Wild, and The Nashville Horns.
Today we are excited to premiere the new video for rootsy rocker “No Hard Feelings” right here on Glide Magazine. The video features North and his band performing the song in a dive bar, which complements the soaring organ and the defiant, care-free attitude of the song.
Matt North offers up the story behind the video for “No Hard Feelings”
“I was encouraged to shoot this video by an unlikely secret weapon: my mother-in-law, Shelley Green. In the 1970s, Shelley was a record exec in Los Angeles for MCA, Warner Brothers, and Dot Records. She was Elton John’s point person when he first came to America and worked for The Who when they were on MCA. When I first met my wife as a struggling drummer in L.A., she had this photo on her wall of her Mom with Keith Moon that felt like a potential omen for being in the right place. So yeah, once my album was done, who was first person I sent it to? My mother-in-law. Shelley worked with bands to pick radio singles, she pitched videos to MTV in the early 80s, and this song was one of her picks. I don’t know a songwriter out there who can brag about strategizing career moves over power-lunches with his mother-in-law, but at my age, it’s kinda punk rock, no?”
LISTEN:
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Matt North releases Above Ground Fools on Round Badge Records February 21. For more music and info visit mattnorth.net.
