by Kent McIntire
– Columnist —
Murder FM is a deep, dark, hard hitting rock band that will leave you wanting more. A lot of the same is said about a lot of bands. However, after speaking with Murder FM front man, Norman Matthew, it’s perfectly clear he wants Murder FM to be the biggest band in the world, but he won’t do it at the sacrifice of the music, the business, or his bandmates. Call him “Norman,” “The Gnar” or “Gnarman” (on Twitter). He’s an artist, musician, businessman, teacher, and 6 months ago took on the biggest responsibility of his life – he’s a new dad! Check this out …
HRH: I’m talking with Norman Matthew of Murder FM on the heels of the Dirt Fest show in Michigan. Obviously you guys made it home safe. How was Dirt Fest for you?
Norman: Dude! It was awesome! It was everything I expected it to be and then some. We had a blast.
HRH: Did you guys do another show after that or did you guys get home and try to relax a little bit?
Norman: We dead headed to Texas because I am trying to finish this record for the band and I am also producing a couple other bands at the same time. So, jack of all trades, master of none. Just trying to get it done, man. And trying to get ready for the run with Rob Zombie, Fozzy, and Avatar, and just a lot of really killer stuff going on.
HRH: What’s going on with the new album? Tell us a little bit about that.
Norman: It’s heavy, man! Heavy arena rock. It’s made for arenas. It’s hard heavy arena rock. That’s the best way I can explain it. Beau Hill who mixed the record has a great history of building big bands back in the day; Ratt, Alice Cooper, Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan, Warrant. I mean, you name it. A lot of big bands that came out of the arena era, he touched. He finished this record and what he’s done with it, it’s just huge. We had a release, but it was supposed to be September 2014, but we everything just kind of got bigger for the band as things started going that we just had to regroup and figure out the best way to do it. It’s a great problem to have, but I don’t know if we are going to make the September 16th release that we had in mind. Just because the fact of the buzz that the band was getting and we needed to treat it properly because that’s what we wanted. Know what I mean?
HRH: Now, as if that wasn’t enough, you guys are starting to put down the foundation of a new album, right?
Norman: Yeah! I’ve had a record done for a while now for the band. We’ve already got a second one in the tank because I’ve got a studio called The Sound Foundation where I run a lot of artists out of. I mean I just have everything at my disposal as far as a producer, and a writer. So, I’m also kind of able to maneuver when the inspiration hits – I get on it. And our band has a beautiful working relationship that I’ll get the music going and demo and they bring it to life. So, I have the least egotistical band members in the world. It’s amazing because it helps to create. We’re all on the same page wanting to go the same place and wanting to do the same thing. It’s never really a matter of “…It’s my idea…” or “… it’s my song…” or “…it’s this…” Dude, we just GO!
HRH: Who does most of the writing? Is it you or is it more of a collaborative effort?
Norman: No. I do most of the writing
HRH: When do you sleep?
Norman: Never! (laughs) Like I said, I’m producing bands. There’s also an artist development school that I have. And then I have a 6 month old little boy. On top of that, I just don’t sleep, man! That’s not an option for the next few years.
HRH: Is that your only child?
Norman: Yes.
HRH: Being on the road all the time myself, that doesn’t make it any easier to be away, right?
Norman: No. And he’s the coolest little thing I’ve ever seen in my life. It makes it even worse.
HRH: It keeps you grounded though!
Norman: It does! When he was born it was one of those weird … I hear people talk about it all the time and never thought it would be a thing and then it did the same thing to me that I had heard. Now, all the things that I thought mattered just don’t even equate to what’s happening in my life right now. All the times that I thought that we had to have the biggest show or the best ‘this’ or the coolest amp. It’ just like “whatever dude!”
HRH: You’re not number one anymore!
Norman: Yeah. It’s the coolest feeling and it’s really helped focus me on keeping what’s important in place. He has really helped me focus in the weirdest ways, he doesn’t even know it. It’s really helped me up my game in the music as well, though. Because now it’s like I’m not necessarily fighting for the… as much as we want to be the biggest band. I know I do and I’m not shy about it at all. It’s also kind of like ‘you know, I’m a little more psyched on my son having a father that left a legacy behind. To me, that’s even cooler.
HRH: Is there a piece of you that wants him to take the same path or…
Norman: I don’t know that I will. I just want him to have something that he can be proud of or to look at, you know… “my dad said he wanted to do that and he went out and did it” and whatever maybe he wants, I want him to feel that same way. Go out and do what I want to do. I just want him to leave something behind that always makes him feel like he can do it.
HRH: Over the years you guys have played with some big names: Halestorm, Gemini Syndrome, Drowning Pool… All fantastic bands. Who’s your favorite?
Norman: Man! (sigh) That’s hard, because sometimes I kind of don’t want to meet people in bands because I don’t want to ruin it for me. Once you meet someone you’re like “WOW! I can’t believe I spent money and time … wow … you’re a terrible person.” I had a lot of fun opening for Young Guns. We did radio festivals with them. They’re from the UK and I heard about them when we went out to the UK on our first tour out there and I just really fell in love with those dudes musically because they were doing something I was really in to. It was melodic heavy rock, you know. It wasn’t screaming and it wasn’t yelling. It wasn’t a bunch of nonsense. No disrespect to anyone that does that. I mean, it was just like “WHOA!” It was something I could really identify with. This is something that I’m like “YEAH! You’re speaking my language, dude!” That was really cool to be a part of.
HRH: If you could jam with somebody, either solo or with your band Murder FM – dead or alive – who would it be?
Norman: You know… I would probably want to write a song (everyone is going to think I’m crazy for this) with Axl Rose.
HRH: Really?
Norman: (chuckle) Yeah! I would love for him to sing it and I’ll just lay in the back and do my thing. Also, Trent Reznor or do a song with Dave Gahan of Depeche Mode.
HRH: It’s funny to hear you say Depeche Mode. I miss that electronic techno rock sound.
Norman: Me too, man! I grew up at a beautiful time. My parents loved music, so, you’ve got the 70’s thing going on in the house. We also had the 80’s going on. When I was hitting maybe almost junior high, there was Nine Inch Nails, The Cure, Depeche Mode. The Cure was a huge influence on me lyrically because hearing all the 80’s and 70’s stuff, I was like well, 70’s stuff made no sense to me. I didn’t do drugs and it freaked me out. I used to tell my mom I’m a little worried because I was a chunky kid when I was little and I’m like “I’m not going to look good in yellow spandex. I don’t smoke, drink, or do drugs. Still don’t. What am I going to write songs about, Mom?” So, when The Cure came out, and Depeche Mode came out and Nine Inch Nails, I was kind of like … KISS made me want to be on stage and be a showman, Guns-N-Roses showed me what it was like to be raw and have some teeth and still be really creative at it at the same time. Then Nine Inch Nails, Depeche Mode, The Cure just put the dark side stamp on it for me. So, I was like “YES!” So, I kind of rolled all those things up together to make what we’re doing with Murder FM.
HRH: What’s next for Murder FM?
Norman: Well, September sees us on the road a lot. We’ve got a slough of dates with Fozzy, WWE wrestler Chris Jericho, and Avatar – which they’re not a new band, but they’re new to me and I’m way into these dudes and Rob Zombie which is going to be off the hook.
HRH: Looking at your website, you guys have been on the road for 2 years, damn near solid?
Norman: Yeah. It feels like forever. I think the only time we’ve ever stopped is to continue working on the record; trying to get that done. Have a baby. Go back on the road. That’s what it’s been for us. And the real hold up between our first release and to now has just been that we have been lucky enough to have been invited out with so many great bands. It’s like you can’t have those opportunities – unfortunately you cannot be in 2 places at once. So, sometimes it really holds you back when you’re wanting to finish the record or you’re wanting to do your thing. The cool thing about that is that we were able to grow musically as a band live. Even though I do a majority of the writing and the thing is that I write the way we play as a band and the way we move as a band and as a machine. So I cater to my band members and their style. So, we were able to really, really develop as a band the way some bands might have shot out of the gate too fast, shot themselves in the foot and never had the chance to really become the band they could be. For us, we were really able to, at least for me, I was able to wrap my head around what Murder FM was going to become. So, the material got a lot better when I started to see all the ways that I could make the band better. So, that’s the big hold up for anyone that’s ever curious why there is like a 3 year gap. I like to tell people: “Well, we’re trying the next “Hysteria” Def Leppard record or “Chinese Democracy”!” (laughs)
HRH: Joe Elliot’s voice – it never ages.
Norman: Isn’t that crazy? I mean … As the years go by, the proof is always in the pudding. No matter what! You can say whatever about a band and this and this. When they stand the test of time, that’s just the way it is. You’re just going to have to deal with it. Know what I mean?? (laughs)
HRH: At what point does Norman Matthew look in the mirror and say: “Damn it. We made it!”
Norman: I used to think it was when we made money and when we were the biggest, most famous band in the world. Now? Not so much, man! Made It has changed my mind through the years because I was signed to Capital Records at a young age. It was a sign of the time and the industry model . Before “made it” used to mean money for me and now it’s more like we’ve already made it in a lot of ways. I have stood the test of time starting out very young and still 12 years later I’m still doing it and relevant. I was like 15 when I did my first release and my first record. A lot of people don’t know that. I started my thing young, man. I was playing with jazz players when I was 12 and 13 and to still be able to do it 12 years later, having kid, being on the road, having been around the world twice. Playing my music practically on the north pole by going to Finland, Korea, South America, having 2 top 10 videos in Europe. Having a song on “Rock Band 3”. Again, doing it my way. Never at any point in time did a producer sit me down or a record label sit me down and say “… this is what you’re going to do”, “… this is the kind of music you’re going to play”, “…this is how we’re going to sell it”. I went for the slow build rather than the sprint because I always wanted to do it on my terms. In the long run, it gave me some business acumen. It taught me about the business. It taught me about the production side. It taught me about the booking side. It taught me about the marketing side. It made me stronger and to me, I’ve made it. Because now I’m pretty much invincible. (chuckle) An educated musician is going to be the musician that survives this day and age.
HRH: So many bands go hard and just crash.
Norman: Yeah! We didn’t want to do that. I had a slew of contact when Murder FM first came out because of my previous band, Never Enough, and the band before that on Capital. But, I didn’t want to use them because I knew it was going to take a little time before we got to where we wanted to be. Now, I’m pulling every punch possible. Back then, it was like ‘let’s grow’. We’re still in our infancy. Let’s earn our wings and lets dig the ditch a little bit. Let’s have a little respect for each other. We’ve earned this and we’ve done this and we’re going to make it happen.
HRH: Congratulations to you and the band. Settle down, you’ve got a baby at home and he’s going to be 13 like my oldest in the blink of an eye!
Norman: I look forward to all of it. So, to me, I’ve already made it!! Now it’s just a matter of stretching it out. (laughs)
HRH: Anything else you want to tell your fans??
Norman: We’re going to kill it in 2014, 2015. We’ve got a killer new website up www.murderfmmusic.com, so you should definitely go check it out and spread the evil for us! Thank you all for believing in our band. As cliché as it sounds, fan engagement is more than anything ever. We wouldn’t be where we are because the size of the band and the things we’ve had to go through. We would not have made the splash we’ve made in this business. Especially in this time in the industry and the new age if it wasn’t for our fans. Man, we recognize it and we see it. We wouldn’t be anywhere without everybody. So, THANK YOU.
HRH: Norman Matthew … Murder FM … Great talking to you, brother!
Norman: You too, man!!
Visit the band online: www.murderfmmusic.com
