Q&A: Mat Kearney

He's made the rounds on 88.5 WXPN, and now Mat Kearney's coming to you. Well, close. He'll play at Camden's Tweeter Center on September 2 with Sheryl Crow and John Mayer. He perfected his sound, which is singer/songwriter with heavy doses of spoken word, in Nashville before finally accepting a record deal. You can listen to his album Nothing Left to Lose at www.matkearney.com, or buy the whole damn thing on iTunes for only $6.99.

Did it make you nervous to turn down record deals so you could develop as a singer and songwriter?
I was more nervous to sign with someone. My fear of commitment might have been the thing that kept me out of a bad record deal. I guess that I knew I was on my way somewhere. I didn't quite know where I was headed but I was pretty sure that I would find the label I needed to be with. I was content to wait because I could tell that I was getting better at what I did as time passed.

What's the inspiration for "Girl America"?
"Girl America" is one of the oldest songs on the record. I wrote it right when I moved to Nashville. It's a song that deals with the strange state our country is in, and with being someone young who has been handed that strange country.

Have you always incorporated spoken word in your music?
I was an English major in college. I wrote a lot of poetry and prose. That's really how I ended up writing - by putting my poetry to music. It has been around since my first songs.

How did the environment of Nashville affect your sound?
Nashville has been the home of so many great songwriters. You constantly live in the shadow of some of the best to ever write songs. I have spent hours listening to Johnny Cash and Emmylou Harris records.

Who were your first inspirations?
I remember hearing Paul Simon's Graceland record from the back of my mom's Volkswagen van. That and Michael Jackson's Thriller.

Who are you digging right now?
I have been listening to Cash's new record. It's eerie to hear him sing about his own death. I also have been returning to some of my favorite Springsteen records lately. Neko Case's newest record has also stood out to me.

What's your favorite thing about Philadelphia?
My favorite thing about Philadelphia is the people. Supposedly Philadelphians are hard and gruff, but I've found them to be very representative of the city of brotherly love. I love to play in Philly.

Image via BN.com.