People to See Editor - Lisa Garcia Matthew Fowler

By Lisa Garcia People to See Editor

Musician Matthew Fowler

“It was the first time in my life I had to try and explain what God meant to me and what spiritually moved me,” says Florida-born and raised singer and songwriter Matthew Fowler about the impetus of his new song “Going Nowhere.” It is the third single from his upcoming album The Grief We Gave Our Mother, out September 10th via Signature Sounds. “I wrote this song about a girl who lived across the street from me. We had known each other for a long time and dated for a brief period, but ultimately broke it off over differences in faith,” Fowler Recalls. “The frankness and honesty of that conversation stuck with me and gnawed at me for years until I wrote about it.” With Fowler’s signature poetic spin on everyday topics, the resulting song rolls off his tongue with an earnest spirit, surrounded by luscious harmonies and a swirling organ. Fowler sings the refrain—“I held you even though you don’t believe in me sometimes / Kissed me even though I don’t believe in Jesus Christ / But I feel God inside the songs I hear sometimes”—before a surprisingly groovy second verse arrives with the help of drums and a perfectly placed Mellotron flute accompaniment. Ahead of the release of The Grief We Gave Our Mother, American Songwriter premiered “Been A Lover,” saying it sounds as honest and fervent as the song’s origin story. The relaxed roll of acoustic guitar and churning drums make this listening experience super easy. It is a meditation on the tribulations of adulthood and change. Written over the course of the past several years, The Grief We Gave Our Mother is indeed a profoundly personal work of self-discovery and introspection, but more than that, it’s an ode to growing up and chasing dreams. The result is a record that’s at once bold and timid, hopeful and anxious, world-weary and naïve, an honest, revelatory collection all about putting one foot in front of the other and forging a life of purpose, passion, and meaning. “This record is the sound of me finding myself and my place in the world,” Fowler reflects. “It’s about real moments and real stories and real people.”

9/12 - Williamstown, MA - The Barn (w/Double Diamond) 9/13 - Southbury, CT - House Show 9/14 - Woodbury, CT - Woodbury Brewing Company (w/Dan Rodriguez) 9/15 - New York City, NY - Rockwood Music Hall 9/16 - Saratoga Springs, NY - Caffe Lena 9/17 - Cambridge, MA - Club Passim 9/18 - South Egremont, MA - The Egremont Barn 9/19 - Easthampton, MA - Arcadia Folk Festival 9/21 - Norfolk, VA - Kobros Coffee 9/25 - Nashville, TN - AMERICANAFEST