Ard Matthews on First Offerings

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Ard Matthews's first solo album, First Offerings, was recently released. He answers some questions about the album, the way forward and the anthem incident ...

Good day, Ard, how're things?  

Very good, thank you. 🙂

I was at the album launch of First Offerings at Aces and Spades in Cape Town ... the place was quite packed! What were your expectations going into the gig in terms of how you wanted to present your new solo stuff first up and how people would respond to it?  

To be honest, I did not have any expectations. I usually try to minimise these things so that I do not get too hung up on any outcome.

This is your first solo effort, away from the Just Jinjer crew. Did you approach the project differently from how you would have if it had been a Just Jinjer album, as far as songwriting and conceptualising were concerned? How did this process compare with Just Jinjer projects in terms of preparation and execution?  

Well, there was no pre-production on this album. As the songs grew more and more I just aimed towards finishing them in the state they were already in, many of them still from demo form. 

If I'm not mistaken, John Ellis of (the former) Tree63 was the guitarist on stage at Aces and Spades. How did this collaboration come about?

He was indeed. Still is the guitarist for my live band called Ard Matthews Affair. I was having lunch with him one day and was telling him how I was busy forming a new band around my solo project. He told me he would be super keen. Initially I didn't believe him, but he convinced me and here he is still almost half a year down the road already!

I've listened to the album a few times now and I find myself wondering what you feel the evolution regarding the move from the Just Jinjer tunes to the solo tunes are. What can you tell me about this?  

It wasn't so much an evolution as much as it was a gesture or challenge to myself to do one album by myself. I had always pretty much written most of the songs, so when my new batch was ready I decided I wanted to see if I could do the whole thing. It was quite self-indulgent, but I figured after 16 years of being a faithful band member I owed it to myself to try.

Terribly sorry, but I do have to ask you about this ... It's been about a year since the anthem incident. Do people still confront you about this? Looking back, what is your recollection or analysis of how this happened?

I don't get confronted too much about it, but I am very aware that people often want to talk about it. I always try and encourage them not to duck ‘n dive around it, even if it is just out of courtesy. Fact is: it happened; no amount of silence will ever change that. I remain devastated to this day and the healing process is taking excruciatingly longer than I had ever dreamt. It remains the darkest day of my life, simply because of how much I love this country. 

You've spent some time overseas performing and touring. What does the future hold in this regard for Ard Matthews as a solo project?

The future is impossible to predict. For now I am just trying to get these songs to be played on local radio. Aside from all that I am very in touch and at peace with my present and am extremely blessed to be able to do what I do. Anything that happens from here on out is just icing on the cake!

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