{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"The Bandwich Tapes","title":"Matthew Stevens: Sound, Feel, and Becoming More Yourself","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":2914,"description":"On this episode of The Bandwich Tapes, I sit down with guitarist, composer, and producer Matthew Stevens for a conversation about identity, collaboration, and the kind of artistic clarity that only seems to come through real-life change. I’ve been a fan of Matthew’s playing for a long time, so getting to talk with him about his new self-titled record felt especially meaningful.\nWe start with the album itself, and one of the first things I ask him is why this record carries his name. Matthew shares that the years leading up to it brought major shifts, moving from New York to Boston, beginning to teach at Berklee, going through divorce, and eventually finding a new sense of grounding in his personal life. What comes through clearly is that this album feels like his most complete expression of himself so far. It’s not self-titled as a branding move. It’s self-titled because it sounds like who he is now.\nWe also talk in depth about collaboration, how Matthew brought in trusted co-producers Josh Johnson and Eric Doob, and how their presence helped him let go of control in a healthy way. That thread runs through the whole conversation: surrounding yourself with people you trust, writing with specific musicians in mind, and allowing the music to become a real conversation. We get into the sound of the record too, its grounding rhythm section, the feel of tracks like “Take Heart”, and the way so much of the album was captured live in the room over just a few days.\nOne of my favorite parts of this conversation is hearing Matthew talk about influence, producing, and teaching. We talk about working with heroes like Jeff Parker and Terri Lyne Carrington, producing the beautiful Doc Watson tribute project, and what it’s like to return to Berklee now as a faculty member after being deeply shaped by that school as a student. We also get into the pressures younger musicians face now, especially around social media and self-promotion—and Matthew offers a really grounded...","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/QFMW95OurXh2a844O5x8rpuQjWhIarFc6PJ32ALtlII/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS84ZjFm/MmEyY2I5NjliZDJi/NjYwN2E1ZjYwZGEy/NDMyZS5wbmc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}