Exclusive Interview with Saxon Shore's Matt Doty

After realizing an upcoming album from Saxon Shore possibly set to hit stores sometime this year (hopefully) and an incredible news on their song Marked With The Knowledge being featured in a series of SONY HD commercials, we got all excited about it and decided to dig for more information.

We managed to get in touch with one of the founding members of Saxon Shore, Matthew Doty to answer a couple of our 'curiosity' questions.


ut: Can you tell us who is your favorite idol and why so?

Matt: I don’t have any idols, but there are a few people I would say I look up to that have helped and inspired me along the way in this little adventure. Kurt Cobain, Dave Fridmann and my dad.

ut: Name us three of your all-time favorite songs.

Matt:
Talking Heads – This Must Be the Place (Naïve Melody)
Manual – Midnight Is Where The Day Begins
Warren G - Regulate

ut: Can you define the best moment on-stage that you have experienced?

Matt: I think the most rewarding show so far, as far as seeing a lot of hard work pay off, was our last show in Tokyo. Was one of our biggest shows, and definitely the biggest where people were actually there to see us. Megaport Festival in Taiwan was also felt the same way. There are a lot of good moments on our tours in the US I could mention, but those are usually good in a funny way. Like, our drummer gets really frustrated or drunk and ends up using his hi-hat stand as a drum stick midway through the last song. Caveman style.

ut: Now, define the most embarrassing moment that you have experienced on-stage.

Matt: Our former drummer (not steve) getting really frustrated/drunk and using his hi-hat stand as a drum stick midway through the last song. Caveman style.

ut: Aside from your equipments, what is the most important thing that you must bring along with you on-stage?

Matt: I think that’s all we bring with us onstage. We usually text message the setlist before the show, so I guess my cell phone.

ut: What shoes do you prefer to wear when you go on-stage?

Matt: No preference. Whatever I’m wearing that day.

ut: Of all the records Saxon Shore have released so far, which one do you like the most?

Matt: Depends on my mood. My favorite song that we’ve recorded so far is “Silence Lends A Face To The Soul”. A lot of the songs on the new album might take its place though.

ut: What's it like to be Saxon Shore? I really like to know.

Matt: Well, lately its a little stressful. New record coming out, no label to pay for it, a lot of members with wives and mortgages now, ridiculous gas prices, etc. So if any fans we might have don’t see us on the road supporting this new record, don’t take it personal.


ut: Tell us about your first gig.

Matt: It was at Broadway Joe’s in Buffalo, NY. We were only a 3 piece at the time and I was super nervous about the whole thing. All went well though and the very next day I went home, quit my job, dropped out of school, and acquired a taste for miller high life/ramen noodles. Not really.

ut: Saxon Shore was featured in a series of Sony HD commercials. Who picked the song?

Matt: SONY came to us with that. We didn’t pick it. We just went along with it.

ut: Talk about your side project with Oliver Chapoy, any future plans for Brightest Feathers that you want to share with us? Maybe releasing an album?

Matt: Maybe at some point. We have a bunch of songs going, but we’re both kind of busy right now so remixes are easier than making an entire album.

ut: Do you guys (Saxon Shore) hang out together when you're not 'Saxon Shore'?

Matt: Kind of. Steve and Oliver live in brooklyn, so they hang out together. I DJ at Royal Oak up in brooklyn once or twice a month so I see them when I’m up there. Willis and I have a pretty similar interest in music/social life so we hang out at least once a week usually. I do some freelance jobs at the place Matt Stone works so I’ll see him depending on how busy things are. And Stone and Willis have been friends for a long time and make music under the name “Soporus”.

ut: We love that 'unnamed demo' posted on MySpace. What's that called?

Matt: Don’t have a name for it yet.

ut: Mind giving us a snippet on the upcoming release, please?

Matt: Nope sorry. Its not mixed yet. We’ll be glad to leak things once they sound good.

ut: Before ending this interview, any advises for fans who want to form a band one day?

Matt: Use contracts.


Much thanks to Matt Doty for sparing a moment with us. Let's now hope everything goes on smoothly on their side and the new album to release on schedule. In the meantime, check out their MySpace for further updates.