This week’s in-studio radio guest performed two songs during Local Spins on WYCE, which also debuted tracks by I Believe in Julio, Norty, Watching for Foxes, May Erlewine and more. (Podcast, video)
Matt Plessner decided he wanted to make a career as a musician “about two seconds” after picking up a guitar for the first time at age 10.
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The youngster set aside the violin and cello, began writing songs as a teenager and recorded his first album in 2006 as a student at Principia College in the St. Louis area.
Now, the Grand Rapids singer-songwriter and Illinois native who performs frequently at venues across West Michigan is preparing to release his fifth studio album, “Forest Blue,” after recording the project at Joel Ferguson’s Planet Sunday Studios in Rockford.
“I try not to repeat myself. The last album (2013’s “A Forever Recovery”) was more of an acoustic rock album,” he said of the new recording that spans indie-folk and rock. “This one’s a little bit more stripped down, a little bit moodier, a little bit darker. If you know my music, you kind of know what to expect lyrically and musically, and that’s all there but with a little more experimentation I guess.”
PODCAST: Local Spins on WYCE with Matt Plessner
Plessner showcased a pair of songs from his new album during this week’s edition of Local Spins on WYCE, performing “This is the Music” and “Don’t Speak of Poetry” in the studio. Listen to the full radio podcast here, with a video below.
The new album gets released on July 26 and Plessner plays a CD-release show at 7 p.m. July 29 at The Hideout Brewing Co., 3113 Plaza Dr. NE. Rachel White (who’s also releasing her debut EP) and some special guests also will perform.
It’s the latest step in the 10-year career of a singer-songwriter who’s honed his craft while being influenced by the likes of The Counting Crows, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, John Mellencamp, Gordon Lightfoot, Smashing Pumpkins and Nirvana.
When recording the new album, he said, “I went in there with more of a sense of what I wanted to do.”
He also intends to continue playing in the Grand Rapids area while growing the audience for his shows, where he often mixes in popular covers with his own material.
“They want to sing along to ‘Wonder Wall,’ they want to sing along to ‘Horse With No Name,” or whatever, but I always throw in my originals because that is my wheelhouse,” he said.
While he frequently plays solo, Plessner also aims to perform more frequently with a full band.
Get more information about Plessner – who also operates a DJ service – and listen to his music online here.
The 96th edition of Local Spins on WYCE also featured the premiere of songs by I Believe in Julio, Bigfoot Buffalo, Bismarck (this week’s musician’s pick), Norty, Westrin & Mowry, Jeremy Ensley, Watching for Foxes and May Erlewine.
VIDEO: Matt Plessner, “This is the Music” (Local Spins on WYCE)
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