MATT BACKER PRESS REVIEWS

guitarist, songwriter



	SOMEONE'S GOT TO DO IT..... Musician Magazine review for "The Impulse Man" On the back of the American airplay success of the track 'Virtual Song' from his critically acclaimed debut "Is That All ?", session guitar fave Matt Backer has put out his long awaited second album , "The Impulse Man". With the new release he continues to mine the same rich musical seam, all your favourite pop and rock guitar licks, songs with effortlessly catchy hooks and soaring harmonies, and lyrics that are an extension of his laconic and self-deprecating character. Like a hip Nick Hornby he guides us through the minefield of contradictions inherent in being a middle-aged rocker. However unlike Hornby, who appropriates vehicles such as football or popular music to mediate his mid-life angst, Backer is the real deal; he is a walking encyclopedia of popular music guitar styles, and whether your idea of axe heaven encompasses George Harrison, Ernie Isley and Marc Bolan, then this record delivers on both a sonic and musical level. Highlights include the opening cut "Cold War", a hilarious paean to the late sixties/early seventies that somehow manages to sew together Teflon frying pans, Idi Amin and Captain Kirk into a Hendrix/Free style rockout. The title track is a poke at the balladeering "weltschmerz" of acts such as the Verve but manages to combine sarcasm with real sentiment. However, my favourite of a strong bunch is "Falling In Love With Myself", an comic powerpop sideswipe at contemporary celebrity culture with more just a hint of faux-self-awareness and Brian Wilson harmonies to boot ! If you are male, have recently considered buying either a motorbike or an electric guitar, dye your hair or are in denial about hail loss, and have been in a "stable" relationship for a long time, then this album may work out cheaper than therapy. Turn it up, put your foot down and you'll zip down that mid-life Ventura highway without (hardly) feeling the pain. © Adrian York
MOJO review for "The Impulse Man" "As an in-demand session guitarist of 20 odd years (for everyone from Steve Earle to Shirley Bassey), Backer could have expected to have long lost touch with whatever made him want to pick up a guitar in the first place. Yet on his second solo offering his feverish love of all things whammy and twangy persists among the chunkiest riffs and licks you wish you'd learned to play, wrapped around songs replete with fat choruses and wry humour. More, he's lost much of the mid-life angst that characterised 2002's "Is That All" and instead sings joyously about falling in love with himself again. A step closer to his goal - to make the best album of 1975 - it's proof that the precious intricacies of retro guitar - driven pop should not be left in the hands of amateurs and children." © Chris Ingham The Session Guitarist Matt Backer, in his thirties is a session guitarist or a 'guitar for hire'. He's from New Orleans and now lives in London with his wife and two children. Aren't you always the new boy, never the musician who enjoys the shared experience, intimacy, in-jokes, and lets face it, fame and money, of members of a succesful band? Possibly, but I'm used to it. I used to be a supply teacher. I like the challenge of novelty. And, certainly in London, there's a club feel among musicians so you get the in-jokes plus the shared feeling of being embattled, being in a dying profession that's being replaced by computers. I don't mind not being a famous guitarist in a famous band- I'd rather be a rich guitarist behind the scenes. I know a lot of celebrities and it's not a lot of fun. I get a lot of the perks and none of the problems. I can wander round Dublin while Robbie Williams has to stay imprisoned in his hotel. Were you working with him? I often work with ABC who you might remember from the Eighties. We did a stadium tour opening for Robbie Williams. There were 40,000 people going mad, singing along to the songs. What of the lack of creativity that surely must bother you? I get hired for now for what I can bring. People know I can contribute a certain thing to a project. I might not write the songs, but I do for my solo work -I've recently recorded my eagerly un-awaited solo album 'Is That All?'. Who else do you play for? The in-house band for The Brian Conley Show and a television series with Harry Hill. And I'm- literally- going to Hell, in Norway with Sarah Jane Morris. Why not the-relatively-secure life of one band? The original plan was to have a band and a girl in every port, but I met a girl and now I've got a band in every port!. No. It was something I always wanted to do as a kid, play in a band. I had one at school but we all went off in various directions. I went to Berkley College in Boston. When I was at Warwick University I played in bands and all over The Midlands. I've got eclectic tastes and musical abilities so it's probably better I'm not stuck in one band. A colleague was once talking to George Harrison who told him he was lucky to play with lots of different people in different styles. My colleague was gobsmacked- Harrison implied he felt stifled and wanted to branch out! You've worked with a lot of comedians. Has that been fun? Yes. On Harry Hill's new show we all had to wear bald wigs and glasses and dress up like Harry. That wasn't comprimising your artistic integrity, indeed dignity? No we saw the funny side and that's why they hired us. And at the end-of- series party I ended up dancing with Christine Hamilton. The great thing is meeting so many different people and your preconceptions go out the window. Neil Hamilton is very dry, sharp, articulate and well-read. © Candida Crewe The Times Magazine - Saturday, September 28th, 2002 Photographer © Kalli Nazim
*"Matt Backer is one of those artists that you'll probably never have heard of, but will have certainly heard.* For the past 20 odd years he has plied his trade as a guitar-for-hire all over the world, touring and recording with luminaries ranging from Steve Earle to Cher via Joe Cocker and Donny Osmond (!). His playing and compositions have graced Buffy The Vampire Slayer, the Four Weddings & A Funeral soundtrack and recent ads for Grolsch beer. So it was high time he released a solo album. Is That All? (out now on Warmfuzz) is an excellent debut collection: quirky, '60s-inflected pop-rock, replete with harder, bluesy edges. As a live performer Backer is a personable vocalist and effortlessly skilful axeman. You never know, you might even bump into one of his regular employers, Sarah-Jane Morris or Julian Lennon." © Joe Cushley Mojo, Feb 2002 "Having had his resourceful six string grace the work of everyone from Sinead O'Connor and Matthew Sweet to Steve Earle and Shirley Bassey, Backer steps centre stage with a janglesome record full of wise, chunky guitar and the sort of songs that can only come with experience and a massive record collection. The lyrics reflect a certain mid-life ennui, if not panic (Golden Boy, Is That All ?, Landlocked all drip with disappointment), but the vitality of the playing and the sheer depth of Backer's facility provide the necessary uplift. Shame he didn't believe in his singing more to really let rip, but there are a couple of songs here (the defiant, tremendous Fountain of Youth and classic Americana-pop of Everything Is Not Enough) that in the throat of a grizzled, pissed off old legend would be magnificent." © Chris Ingham