Quiet Color

by eliza czander

As I sit down at a weathered picnic table to talk to Matt Costa, I realize I may have to wait in line for a while. There are a couple of people with notepads and cameras standing by, a fidgety girl of about 15, and swarms of publicists and managers making sure I don’t take up to much of his time. Don’t get me wrong, Matt’s a laid back guy. He seems to sort of take everything as it comes without hesitation. Someone brings him over his lunch, some steak and veggies covered in plastic wrap on a paper plate. While in mid conversation with a kid to his right about skateboarding, he starts to dig into his food. He smiles and tells me that this is usually how he gets things done, a few things all at the same time.

MR. PITIFUL BY MATT COSTA:

Just as we’re about to begin the interview, the young girl who’s been standing idly by, wearing the definition of the word crush across her face, finally sees an in. She sits down next to Matt, as he now talks to another kid who’s wandered over about some dvd he just bought. He puts down his plastic knife and fork, really getting into the plot of the movie, and I am instantly lost in his scattered description. The girl shifts and coyly asks if she can have a picture with him. Mid-bite, he obliges, and she thanks him for “letting her sit next to him.” He smiles, seemingly clueless of the girl’s admiration. Standing about 6′4 and certainly more geek than sheik, it goes to show that even a soft-spoken singer songwriter can have tween groupies. His publicist comes over and asks if his lunch is okay. “Peas and carrots,” he says. “Great combination.” And we finally begin the interview.

Quiet Color: Well…it’s about time.

Matt Costa: I know, I know. Sorry about that.

QC: So, how’s your current tour going? How long have you been on the road now?

MC: I’ve been touring for about a year now, and today is the last day of our current tour. In about 2 weeks we’ll start a new tour with Oasis and will be on the road with them for a little bit.

QC: Nice, where have you been thus far that you can name as your favorite in terms of the festival circuit?

MC: Um, The Sasquatch Festival in the gorge was cool.

QC: Oh yeah? I hear great things about that festival.

MC: That place, yeah, that place is always awesome.

QC: Have you gotten a chance to hang with any bands or artists that you’re a fan of while doing these festivals?

MC: I saw Yoko Ono at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. That was pretty great.

QC: Yeah, that’s definitely pretty cool.

MC: Yeah, I didn’t get to hang with her or anything, but we were at the same place at the same time. That’s something, right?

QC: Sure, but how about any bands or musicians you like or are friends with that you get to see and catch up with backstage?

MC: We’ve done some shows with Neil Halstead recently. I’m a big fan of his music and we’re actually on the same label now, so we get to hang with him a lot which is great. Also, the Rogue Wave guys are great and I really like their music a lot. We get to cross paths occasionally. But, especially with people that you haven’t seen in a while, it’s cool to see them at these things and catch up and all that.

FALL LINE/SUNSHINE – MATT COSTA & JACK JOHNSON:

QC: What’s been the best city you’ve played in? Maybe best crowd, best venue?

MC: Ummm…

QC: Ahem, gotta be New York, right?

MC: Right, yeah, of course. Um, Williamsburg. No, but seriously, I like playing in Toronto a lot. Toronto’s got some really good venues. The crowd’s always pretty cool too.

QC: How about your hometown?

MC: Socal? I grew up in Huntington so yeah, that’s always great too.

QC: I’m sure you miss home. Do you ever get to bring family or close friends on the road with you when you tour?

MC: My band is really like my family. I mean, I’ve known them forever. Most of the guys, we’ve been together for maybe five or six years. So, yeah, it’s great being on the road with them.

QC: Have you always known this is what you wanted to do?

MC: Well, I’ve always played music, I’ve always wanted to play music. I guess, I think I’m just lucky that I get to do it more now. You know, music, it’s like meditating.

And with that, one of Matt’s people interrupts us to let him know he’s late for a signing. He tells me we can talk more when he’s done if I want, but I think, for now anyway, I’ll go check out some more music. Practice my, um, meditation.

…

Matt Costa Skateboarding in 2000