Matt Kennon – Love is Stronger

By starrymag | August 21, 2019

By: Jamie Steinberg

 

 

Q) How would you describe your sound?

I think my sound would be kind of a conglomerate mix of classic rock and all the music that kind of influenced me or shaped my life, if you will. So, I guess I’ve developed my own style from all the music that I like; for example like Journey, Tim McGraw, Tracy Lawrence, Travis Tritt and Lynyrd Skynyrd. There’s a little bit of all that in there.

Q) Who are some of your musical influences?

A) Well, I just mentioned some of them but you know even Skid Row, Motley Crue, White Snake, Earl Thomas Conly, Daryl Singletary and Keith Whitley. Everything in between.

Q) Talk about the story behind your new song “Love is Stronger.”

A) That’s a long story. That song is a song that came to me out of nowhere. A lot of things in my life just come out of nowhere. But it really was because I had been so not knowing kind of which direction to go for a long time and I just kept doing music yet not music that really identified my style and what I’m known for. So, when I found “Love Is Stronger,” which was late one night on Facebook, I reached out to the writer who I knew and he told me, “I’d love for you to cut this song, your voice would kill it.” I’m like, “Okay, let me see if I can sing it first. And, so, I sent the song out. I know it was a true story, Mike told me he wrote it by himself right after having dinner with a lady and her daughter. He went straight home and wrote this song. And I think that’s where the best ones come from, just true life, real stories – really quick. Okay, so that’s where “Love Is Stronger” came from.

Q) What do you think it is about the song that fans connect to?

A) I think it’s such a generic message, like we don’t really identify so much in the song what the person may be going through. But if you check out the video, we did put out examples of about five or six different things. So, I think everybody will be able to take something away from it whether it be getting over loss of loved one, relationship, whatever. Maybe getting out of something bad.

Q) How does the video for the track play into the message behind it?

A) The video was something that took a little while for us to come up with the treatment. We thought about maybe just doing the opioid epidemic or doing just the military. And the fact the we were able to get the writers for the video and everybody to create this story within this one family and it’s not out of the realm of possibility. Everything in this video is a series of events in a relationship and it ended up being the military. Then it ended up being PTSD, alcoholism and drug addiction. Then, childhood illness with the little girl getting cancer, leukemia. To overdosing, the mom losing her mind, contemplating suicide, but she kept hope throughout the whole thing and at the end of the day it all worked out.

Q) What is your songwriting process? Do you need music before you can create lyrics? 

A) Usually, yeah, I get inspired more by music, really a lot on piano and heavy guitars and stuff. So, that kind of drives me and whatever I feel from what I’m hearing and seeing is kind of what I write about. But you’ve got to have an idea. Lots of times I’ll sit down and I’ll grab my phone at 3 o’clock in the morning. I’ll wake up and have something on my mind and I’ll record it. Sometimes they wake me up, songs do. There’s no telling how much money I’ve lost because I was too lazy to get up out of the bed and go write it.

Q) How much of hand do you have in the production of your music?

A) I’ve actually co-produced just about everything I’ve ever done. On my debut album James Stroud allowed me to co-produce the record. I’ve been working with a guy named Chip Martin for nineteen years, going on twenty and for the last fifteen years. He and I co-produced everything, even “The Call.” Once I’ve done a lot of the co-productions and been involved in the creative process, then you know I’ve been able to land producers like Colin and James Stroud and then now Paul Worley. We just did an acoustic at my buddy’s house of “Love Is Stronger” and Paul solely produced it.

Q) What can fans expect from a live Matt Kennon performance?

A) We’ve been talking about that. We’re thinking smoke machines and pyrotechnics…You know, just the kind of show I’ve wanted to see. Maybe some laser lights. So, we’re developing a new show. We’ve been doing a lot of singer-songwriter stuff and a lot of acoustic unplugged stuff so it’s really a different kind of show between that and a full band. So, I think you’re gonna see more full band stuff. You’re gonna see us get back to some places we haven’t been to in a while. We’ve got new music, new video, new merchandise and we can’t wait to get out there.

Q) Will there be a full EP or album coming out in the near future?

A) That’s what I don’t know. I’ve always done full albums or at least an EP once a year, sometimes an album and an EP. This is just a single and we have another song we can follow it with. We’re just trying to get a gauge on the market if it’s a singles market or if you do a double side or a three or four song EP or an album. But I would venture to say, kind of what we did with this new best stuff CD, we took the top selling songs over the last ten years and we’ve got those eighteen on one CD and then we added the two new songs. I like doing it like that, then it gives the songs several opportunities to reach people. You put it out as a single, then on an EP then you put it on a record.

Q) Where are some of your favorite places to perform and what makes those locations so significant to you? 

A) Well, one recently was Seaside Heights, New Jersey. It was really cool. It was this boardwalk that went for a couple miles. There were all these restaurants, bars, stores and shops. You had this beautiful coastline and you had this amusement park that went out over the ocean like a picturesque video location. I was out there with Bryan White. He’s got a new song called “It Must Be Love” and we arranged for him to go back and shoot the video there. It should be coming out soon. I like Montana. I’ve been to California a ton, probably my favorite state. But Alabama’s been my number one state I’ve played. Being on Bama Jam Records back in the day, I was kind of an Alabama boy, if you will.

Q) Who would you most like to collaborate with on a song in the future?

A) You know, my manager and I have been talking about that. We actually want to do a ten-song album, like of these classic songs and maybe…I’ve done this with Jamey Jameson before – I collaborated with him and he’s no longer with us. He was the lead singer with Survivor. I sang “The Search Is Over” and he sang it with me in certain parts. So, we want to do that whether it be like Mark Slaughter from Slaughter. He’s played guitar on a ton of my stuff and we’ve released some of that. You know, like the drummer from Tesla or Tom Keifer and the guys from Night Ranger. They’re all here in Nashville, so I think it would be cool to collaborate with some of those guys. But as far as doing a duet or something I don’t know. You never know maybe Daryl Worley. Been talking about doing some shows with Craig Campbell, so you never know.

Q) What album/band are you currently listening to and why do you dig them? 

A) I’ve been listening to some Pat Green stuff. I’ve been listening to myself. [laughs] I like Hair Nation on Sirius XM. And I’ve just recently discovered and starting to become okay with the music I listen to may not be the kind of music I make.

Q) You are a part of social media. Why is that such an important way for you to connect with your fans?

 A) I never really wanted to engage a whole lot in social media. It takes so much time, but it’s really the only way you can engage your fans right now. I’m starting to enjoy it, finding new things to do. Like yesterday was the first time I ever did Facebook Live. I’m one of those people I would rather record it so if there’s a mistake not put it out there, but with Facebook Live there’s no getting it back. But I think it’s important and it’s ever-changing. Facebook’s hot but so was Myspace when I started and now it’s No Space. Like Instagram, I’m building that one right now where it has been the focus on Facebook. So, it will be interesting to see what’s next.

Q) What would you like to say to everyone who is a fan and supporter of you and your work?

A) We do it because of you. Without you we are nothing. Y’all are the ones that keep gas in the tank and how we make a living, but you also inspire us to make new music, write new songs – especially the stories. So, keep those coming and see y’all on the road real soon. Y’all take care and God bless.