Matt Surfin’ & Friends is the project of New Orleans musician, producer, and part-time pizza delivery guy Matt Seferian. Born in D.C. and raised in Houston, Seferian moved to New Orleans in 2011 and threw himself headlong into the city’s famously robust music scene. Almost immediately, Seferian and his friends found themselves playing a vital role in the New Orleans DIY music scene, booking bands and throwing innumerable house shows, as well as touring nationally with the bands Donovan Wolfington and Pope.
“What I love about music is the act of creating with other people,” says Seferian, “becoming intimate as friends, and the bond that forms between musicians. It’s the best feeling in the world. I started this band because I wanted more of that. For me, it was all about celebrating my musical community and connecting with the people I love.”
Seferian envisioned Matt Surfin’ & Friends as a malleable collective, a sort of collaborative anti-band comprised of various members of the New Orleans music community that could change and take shape as needed. It would be a band for friends, by friends He began writing songs in earnest, and for each one he had specific musicians in mind. Seferian’s fellow New Orleans pals appear on every song (along with a few folks from other cities), with more than a dozen musicians contributing, including members of Ratboys, Sharks’ Teeth, Video Age, and Bent Denim. The self-titled record was recorded over a year by Seferian at his old warehouse studio and completed at The Palace. A true passion project, Seferian put everything he had into the self-titled record, and he brought out the best in his peers.
Just as Seferian put the finishing touches on the mixes, the record was almost lost for good when a break-in occurred at the studio. “It was unbelievable,” says Seferian. “They took my computer, all my backups, everything. I was devastated.” But Seferian is not the kind of person to get down for too long. After viewing security footage, he recognized the thief’s shoes as belonging to a neighbor. Seferian and Saladis followed the neighbor to a stash house, where over $30k in purloined gear was stored. Within a few days, Seferian had his record back, and the whole experience just made the record even more meaningful to him.
“I wanted to make music that was full of gratitude,” says Seferian, “to be an uplifting aspect in people’s lives. Life is tough, but it’s tougher for other people, you know? I got my problems, and I’m trying to figure shit out, but I’m not a sad person, and I don’t want to be sad. I just want to make people feel good.”
Matt Surfin’ & Friends have announced their self-titled LP will be out 5/17 on Community Records. Glide is thrilled to premiere the track “Loser” along with its respective video below, a crash course in DIY rock that combines the essence of indie stalwarts Nada Surf and Built to Spill.
“This song is about feeling like the loser no matter what,” says Seferian. “From feeling that way in personal relationships and in society to feeling inadequate as a musician. It’s a song of “what if’s” if that makes sense haha. The homies who killed it and are featured on this track are Julia Steiner, Nick Corson, Alex Skalany, Tyler Scurlock, and Hunter Keene. I can go into more detail of how it all went down recording wise if you want too. Julia is in Ratboys, Nick is in video age/the convenience, Alex is in pope/ new holland, Tyler is sharks teeth, and Hunter played in pudge and now lawn.”
