Florida’s rising star Matthew Lowry spoke with TGEFM as we lead up to the 15 September release of his new record Flamingo County. Lowry had just released the music video for “All My Friends Are Selling Out” when he chose to speak with us as part of our Roll of the Dice interview series.
Thank you so much for agreeing to this interview and congrats on the upcoming release of Flamingo County. What can you tell me about yourself and the record itself?
My name is Matthew Lowry, and I’m a singer/songwriter/band leader who mainly plays piano and guitar. I have been playing music since I started my piano lessons at 5 years old, but rock is what has my heart.
Musically this album is kind of a showcase of a lot of my influences and the things that bring me joy musically. Whether it’s a dirty rock riff, a huge chorus, or some little fun chord progression that puts a smile on my face, I just wrote a bunch of songs I loved and then kind of arranged them together in this journey.
“Flamingo County is a state of mind.” is the mantra I had about this album. That was something I just kept saying to myself and the people around me. But everyone that was making the album with me knew me on a personal level. So when I would say that, I would share with them what I meant.
Before and while I was writing these songs, I was going through a huge shift in my mentality and life. What does it feel like to wake up one day and realize that, not only are you not the person you used to be, but that you are actively seeking to forge forward in a new direction? I’m talking about a direction that is not to please everyone else in the world, but to bring myself to a place where I can actually be myself. A state of mind that reminds me “hey, this is the world you want to be in, this is mentality you want to have, this is the love you want to share.” That’s what this album is to me. A statement on where I was in those years and the place I want to move forward from.
I knew when we were in the heart of making the album that if anyone was stuck on something, I wanted those words to be ringing in their heads…and damn if that didn’t happen. As I listen back to this album with pride and accomplishment, I really feel like my team and I were really able to sink into that Flamingo County state of mind. Just being in the moment, whether in the studio or live on stage, and just allowing that presence to let you be you and bring joy to yourself and subsequently the people around you.
What album or band or significant singles made you go “Yeah, this is what I want to do” Not just an influence but who or what was the catalyst?
There were a couple for me. When I was in late elementary school and writing songs for the first time on piano, there was this singer/songwriter that played piano named Michael W Smith. In the church world I grew up in, he was huge. I had a few of his albums and got his live tour video “Change Your World” as a gift. He had the full band, the guitar solos, the horn line, but it was also super sing along poppy too. 10 year old Matthew was a biiiiig fan.
Teenage Matthew who was playing guitar and finally getting to write rock songs would tell you that Foo Fighters, Blink 182, Something Corporate, and Fall Out Boy were all doing shit that I knew I absolutely felt in my soul was what I had to do and wanted to do and needed to do. And I was just writing songs all the time. If you listen to the EP I made in high school with a bunch of my songs, you definitely heard a splash of those artists in there. Then my college band was driving rock and roll with some pop punk feel. More of what I really loved to write.
After that the bands I played in seriously through my 20s I was not getting to write the songs. I was writing my parts and helping arrange the songs, but I wasn’t writing my stuff from my heart. When I was just writing songs because i wanted to write them after I had left all those bands and was just wanting to do more, these are what came out, and I think you can feel the influences from all those areas / times in my life.
One of our obligatory questions in these interviews also tends to be the one I have found most important on a personal level. Who are some bands on your radar that TGEFM readers may not know about, but you think they should?
I am such a huge Origami Angel fan, and it is a joy to see them live every time I get the chance. Pool Kids are fantastic and I have really loved their last couple of releases.
I have stumbled onto this artist Cory Hanson and his new album Western Cum these last few weeks, and holy shit that man writes great music, and plays some mean guitar.
Phaeleh is my favorite electronic artist and one of my most listened to artists period. Been so consistent for so many years.
As far as my Florida homies, I gotta shout out Nervous Pulp from Pensacola, FL as the coolest and most unique act in FL. Backstep put out a fantastic EP this year. My dudes in Futureself are going to drop some solid stuff soon. Dagger bring the noise. GAS FL are the shit. I could go on forever.
Now that we’ve got Flamingo County on its way, what’s next for Matthew Lowry?
Just trying to get out there and spread the good word about this album and play shows whenever we can. It’s honestly such a privilege to still be out there playing live and doing it with my best friends. A lot of people don’t get the chance to do this as long as I have, and every day is a gift.
And I am already feeling the creative juices flowing, so I guarantee the more we play, the more we will be writing as well. The band has really solidified itself over the last few years, and I think we are all going to really enjoy building on what we brought with Flamingo County. I feel a lot more dirty rock and roll too.
Was there anything I missed that you’d like to share or dive deeper into with our readers?
I just want to say thanks so much for listening, and I really appreciate you all checking out the singles and the videos. As any growing artist will tell you, if you like what you hear, please share it with your friends and help it grow.
It means the world to us to have a community around what we do both live and in the studio. Come out to shows and support your local artists and touring artists. Put your phone away and feel alive in a room full of people there to feel the same things you feel. Live in the moment and with that Flamingo County state of mind.
See you soon
Roll of the Dice is a short interview format with a variable amount of questions. A pair of dice is rolled and the total, between 2 and 12, is the amount of questions we can ask. All questions are given to the interviewee(s) at once, and no follow-ups are allowed. The interview may be lightly edited for content and clarity.
Bad Dad (occasionally called Ed) has been on the periphery of the punk and punk-adjacent scene for over twenty years. While many contributors to this site have musical experience and talent, Ed’s musical claim to fame comes from his time in arguably the most punk rock Blockbuster Video district in NJ where he worked alongside members of Blanks 77, Best Hit TV and Brian Fallon. He is more than just an awful father to his 2 daughters, he is also a dreadful husband, a subpar writer, a terrible dresser and has a severe deficiency in all things talent… but hey, at least he’s self-aware, amirite?
Check out the pathetic attempts at photography on his insta at https://www.instagram.com/bad_dad_photography/
