Matthew Gray. Source: Carmen Holt

For the past few months, when he wasn’t working with Bee’s Fifth Collective, or fronting two bands (Matthew and the Arrogant Sea and Writer, respectively), or booking for Dan’s Silverleaf, Matthew Gray has co-headed the programming team for NX35.

And on Jan. 31, the folks at DayBowBow.net broke the news: Matthew and the Arrogant Sea will join Midlake on their West coast jaunt starting March 1. Thing is, the bands won’t return until the 13th, the Saturday Midlake will share a stage with The Flaming Lips. Shows in Denver and Lawrence, Kansas will keep Gray and the rest out of Denton during NX35’s first two days of programming.

But a preview of MATAS’ latest record, You Can’t Tame a Wild Rabbit, suggests any separation anxiety will be worth it for the maturing project. Gray slipped us the song “Jack Russel Kilt,” a track from the forthcoming record that seems to fly nose-first out of all these months of creative incubation. It’s available below for you too, friends, but only until Friday.

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On Friday, the singer/songwriter chatted with us about the record, the upcoming tour, and how he’s solving this Rubik’s cube of responsibility from now ’till NX35’s go time.

Andy Odom: First off, Matthew, how are you feeling? I hear you’ve been sick lately.

Matthew Gray: I’m feeling better. I lost my voice for a while, and that was pretty rough.  I’m doing better today, though.  It was pretty hellacious to go to the [Meme Gallery] opening last night.  I was planning on staying in bed, but I needed to be there.  Then, I had a last minute rehearsal with the band that lasted four hours.

AO: Was that rehearsal part of gearing up for your upcoming tour with Midlake?

MG: Yeah. And four hours is pretty short for us.

AO: So, how did this tour come about?

MG: It’s been talked about for some time, and we just finally got the offer.  We love Midlake, and we’re all fans of theirs, and they’ve been our biggest supporters.  It was something we all really wanted to do. To tour is amazing, but to go with a big group of your buddies and play, there’s nothing better than that.

AO: And you’ll have a new Matthew and the Arrogant Sea album to support as well, correct?

MG:  Yes, we haven’t announced a release date yet, but it’s coming soon. It’s called You Can’t Tame a Wild Rabbit, and it’s the most ambitious thing we’ve done.

AO: Where did you guys record?

MG:  Retrofit studios, right off of the Square.  I produced it with Rob Gungor [OK Sweetheart], and it’s definitely more focused.  I don’t want to say it’s a departure from our sound, but there’s a lot of growth with this album.

AO: You say it’s ambitious, but also focused? Explain.

MG: Yes, it’s very focused, very driven.  You’re not going to expect it.  There are a couple of songs that are what everyone wants to hear from a pop aspect, but then we go into the darker stuff as well.

AO:  I take it the tour won’t interfere with your duties for NX35?

MG: No, not at all.  I will be finished.  And I hate that I’m going to miss the first couple of days of NX35, because I’m so invested in it and I believe in it so strongly.  But it’s such a great team effort, and everyone is picking up the slack for when I can’t be there because it’s an amazing opportunity for us.

We also have a DC9 [At Night] taping on February 17, and it’s something really special that’s never been done for DC9. We’re encouraging everyone to come in costume or wear face paint.  We’ll be announcing the address later.

Andy Odom is a writer for MyDentonMusic. He plays bass for The Hope Trust, another band appearing at NX35.

Lyndsay Milne contributed to this post. Blame her if something puts a twist in your panties.

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