SXSW Interviews: CMAT
One of the great things about SXSW, and perhaps one of the most important looking at this year’s festival, is that there are bands coming from overseas, who may or may not make it back…so use this as your chance. One such artist is CMAT, the Irish pop sensation, aiming to makes waves by coming to Austin this year. Check out the interview below, and be sure to bring cowboy garb if you show up!
ATH: Whats the name of the band/group? Where are you from?
CMAT: My name is CMAT, and i am an international pop sensation from Dublin in Ireland.
ATH: Describe your groups sound.
CMAT: My sound is a cosmic gumbo of Alternative Country and classic 70’s pop.
ATH: What was your most recent release? Any planned releases for 2022?
CMAT: I just released my album, If My Wife New I’d Be Dead, on the 4th of March 2022. It’s the greatest album of all time.
ATH: Everyones been focused on the negative aspects of the last few years? What are a few good things that came about for you as an individual or the band as a whole during the last two pandemic-stricken years?
CMAT: I was able to write and record my album in a very short amount of time due to the isolation that came with Covid. Spending time by yourself is good for songwriting and also so is eating.
ATH: Why play SXSW? Whats the draw for the band? What about this festival will bring you to Austin?
CMAT: I want to be in Austin Texas for two reasons: 1) I am a very big fan of Daniel Johnston 2) I want to go thrift shopping and load up on cowboy garb.
ATH: Lets say your band has booked an official showcase at a pop up venue somewhere in the middle of 6th street. The lineup features thrash metal, hip-hop, spoken word, and you. The sound is horrible, the lineup is not your style, and the crowd is growing antsy. How would your band deal with such a situation?
CMAT: If a crowd gets hostile with me I will simply return the hostility. I am a popstar, not a diplomat, and I am well capable of causing ego death via quick psychological assessment and verbal assault. With great power comes great responsibility so I will only use those skills when absolutely necessary. But I’ve done it before and I’ll do it again!
ATH: There are tons of bands coming into town, but if you could create your own perfect festival, who would you have playing? Would it have a sick name? Where would it take place?
CMAT: Perfect festival would be me, Cate Le Bon, John Grant, and somehow, Tinashe, all just holding hands on stage and vocal droning for 6 hours straight. It would happen in Vancouver and I’d call it ‘Girls Night Out’.
ATH: What has everyone in the band been listening to, or, what plays in the tour van/car/bus?
CMAT: The song Blue Water by Sally Oldfield, exclusively.
ATH: Theres been a lot of discussion about Spotify and streaming and all that these last few monthswhere does the band stand? Whats your solution?
CMAT: I love Spotify as a user so I don’t think I have any right to complain about it as an artist. If I listen to an album a certain number of times on streaming then Iwill go out and buy the vinyl. That’s because I’m now in a financial position to do so, but I used to be really broke and Spotify, etc. was a godsend.
ATH: The band gets to create their own food truck to take on the road. Whats it called, and what are you serving?
CMAT: It’s called ‘Spud’nt It Be Nice?’ and i sell jacket potatoes and Irish boxty while dressed up like Brian Wilson.