Interview with Black Sunshine vocalist Matt Reardon

Vocalist Matt Reardon of the band Black Sunshine spoke with me recently about the band’s self-titled debut release. Black Sunshine is Rock and Roll the way it is meant to be played; it is gritty and unpretentious with a heavy dose of southern rock thrown in for good measure. The band has a lot of big things planned for this summer including a stint on the ever popular summer festival. Lollapalooza. Here is how the conversation went.

How are you Matt?
Matt: I have had a bit of a topsy turvey morning because we just got offered a Papa Roach and Chevelle tour that will start next Monday morning so what I thought my schedule was is quite the opposite now.

Wow Congratulations. That is a pretty big gig.
Matt: Those are huge bands and we are getting big offers so I am not complaining at all.

Now that your brand new self titled CD is complete how do you feel about it and are you satisfied with the outcome?
Matt: Absolutely yes 110 percent.

I know you worked with Bob Marlette a very well respected producer. What was it like working with him?
Matt: At first when I was living over in Germany I heard the Saliva album and I liked the production. Then I heard the Shinedown album and the guys at Chrysalis helped me contact him. We had a meeting but I do not think we were quite ready at that point. I had about twenty five songs finished and demoed and I kept beating down his door sending him song after song. I went over to his house one day and played him “Once In My Life” and “Burn To Shine” and he said I was ready. I moved out there and lived right next to him and we began pre-production. He is a super nice guy and he really knows how to get the best out of you.

Did he push you unexpected directions?
Matt: He made one alteration to “Once In My Life” which turned a good song into a great song. There were not a whole lot of other changes. Probably the biggest thing he did was his ability to change the melodies that I had already pre-programmed. By trying things with a 3rd harmony or a 5th harmony. I was not even thinking like that and it really made the choruses more banging.

How long did it take to record the record?
Matt: Off and on for like three months. It was an easy process. Once the drums went down and some of the guitars went down it was mostly him and I. He played bass on most of the stuff. We just spent a lot of time playing with tones and textures. We had a really good time and we had to work around his schedule, which was part of the deal he made with us being a new band. He was working on a song with Filter and working on a soundtrack.

You guys all write together?
Matt: During the time of the writing I was bouncing around the world as a pro athlete. One of the guitar players that has left the band joined Miley Cyrus and he is a writer for Disney but that is who I wrote “Hell Yeah” and “Cannonball” with. We were just like chilling out with acoustics on the couch and it was just the two of us. There were 45 songs written that we had to pick from for the record. We have almost already written the second album and we feel happy with what we have. In times like these dude, to pull this shit off it’s crazy. If we were to sit there and try to play the local scene, and I have done it before, it would not work. You have to handle the business end of things first to make sure everything is lined up right. Otherwise you are going to get lost in the pack of six thousand other bands that sound the same. I am just being honest I don’t mean to be non-artistic but that is the fucking truth of it.

Are there any tracks that are personal favorites or that have good stories behind them?
Matt: “Tears” is without a doubt the most personal track on the album and deals with the tragic death of my sister’s son at the tender age of 19. He was more like a little brother to me and every night I sing this song he is with me. I missed him by minutes at his apartment the day he drove off and was killed and the “what if” question is forever etched in my mind.

“Once in my Life” is a song written loosely in third person but also a letter from me to a long time friend of mine who passed away in a tragic skiing accident. At the time we were laying him to rest right around the day after one of our friends who was in town for the funeral had a near death experience and severely broke her neck

“Burn to Shine” started out with one line. “Some times you’ve got to Burn to Shine” and has been something I’ve kind of lived by… some of the best things people have accomplished in life have come from just saying fuck it and throwing caution to the wind… throw a big hale Mary pass and see where it gets you. I had been in and out of hospitals for a few years off and on and was super determined to defy what all the doctors said was not possible. This song became my anthem.

How long is the tour for?
Matt: It is only 7 dates and then we have a small break. Then I will fly and do some acoustic sets for radio stations. We have been offered quite a few different tours but it looks like something with Hinder might work out the best.

I think that would be a great match.
Matt: Yeah I think it would be a great match.

What songs do you get the best audience response to?
Matt: “Tears” and “Burn To Shine.”

What as been the most memorable moment of your career so far?
Matt: Opening for Alice In Chains to thousands and thousands of people. One of our biggest radio markets is Fort Meyers, Florida and everyone knew the words to “Once In My Life.”

That must have been great?
Matt: It was a dream come true. Especially when we pulled out on the bus and heard it on the radio. You work your ass off for these moments when you sit down to write the song and then finally the people respond to it. That is one of the best feelings ever.

Any closing words?
Matt: Please buy CDs and don’t burn them. I just ask some respect from the fans in order to keep music alive. It is going to die if we don’t. There are no cool record shops anymore. I just hope people respect how much work goes into the making of a record. We respect you shelling out your hard earned dollar to buy the CD.  [ END ]