Matteo Bellisario

What about the music?

 

Ever since I was young music was always a part of my life. Long before I started playing music I listened to record albums in my room. I still remember pestering my mother for a Kiss album at the store when I was about 8 years old. I remember my older step brother in the 70s making me sing that catchy Kiss anthem in the basement of our house, "I wanna rock and roll all night, and party every day." Although my taste in music has changed over the years, my music collection has grown and it now contains everything from Jazz, Blues, Country, Gospel, Classical, etc.  In my early 20s I picked up my first guitar and started playing. Ever since that day I never viewed music quite the same.

 

Over the years I have had the priviledge of playing in some great bands, with some great players and I recorded an album full of original songs with a band called Eli Jeremiah about 11 years ago in Charlotte, NC. After that project ended I ended up moving south, I quit playing music in public and played only for my own pleasure. Recently I had a rekindling of sorts and I decided to write and record my own music once again. I have had many ideas in my head that I wanted to record and the result of these ideas is the record, 'Dark Times'.

 

The influences on my music have been many, but I will name a few of the most influencial of them. As they say, every musician is an imitator to an extent and most musicans get their ideas from their favorite musicians. First off, I would never have attempted to sing or write a song if wasn't for Bob Dylan. I am not shy of naming him as the most influencial musician in my life. There are also many others including, Rory Gallagher, Bruce Springsteen, Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, Johnny Cash, Eric Clapton, Elvis Presley, The Beatles and many of the great bluesmen such as Buddy Guy, Robert Cray, Robert Johnson, Son House, and many others. The country sound of Johnny Cash and Jazz giants such as Miles Davis, Charlie Parker, John Coltrane and Wes Montgomery are also favorites. Later in life I began to also appreciate Classical music, Gregorian and Eastern Orthodox chant. I think that each of these influences somehow shows up in my music at one time or another.

 

This album, 'Dark Times' is a painting of the world as it stands today in my mind. Although I am not a pessimist by any means, the world in general today has a dark tint to it as we see reality become inverted by those in high places. Truth is no longer in fashion and lies are now exorted as virtue. I have very strong religious beliefs and they show up in a very bold manner in my lyrics. Be that as it may, I do not intend to explain the meaning to the lyrics of my songs. They are indeed only songs, and sometimes they are just what they are. They can mean whatever you want them to mean. It is my intention that you enjoy the music for what it is and if it makes the 4 or 5 minutes you are listening to them better than the prior 5 minutes, then that is good. If not, well.... I wrote them for myself. If you want to come along for the ride that is great, if not, well... I have always enjoyed singing a song by myself riding along in the dark. May God bless and keep you always.

 

Matteo Bellisario 2015