Matt Kurz is a busy man. He’s the lead singer of the Matt Kurz One. And also the bassist, guitarist and keyboardist. Kurz sings scratchy, intense punk funk songs with a fiery slant reminiscent of The Who and James Brown.
He’ll be playing at The Atlantic on Saturday at 10 p.m. Tickets are $6.
Wouldn’t it just be easier to be in a band and not have to do everything?
Bands can be a real drag. I was in a couple bands that did really well, but right at the payoff period they disbanded for what I found to be really, really dumb reasons--considering the amount of work we had put in to get to that point. I’ve always been interested in being a one-man band, and since I turned 17 I’ve been in nine or 10 incarnations of what I am today.
How did you get started?
I lived in Richmond, Va., for a year, and that year was pretty sad and amazing at the same time. I didn’t know anyone or have any friends, so I pretty much just locked myself in the attic of the house I was living in, and that’s where I taught myself to play the bass with my foot and stuff like that.
Did you have an epiphany moment when you figured out you could tape drumsticks to the head of your guitar and play the keyboard?
Pretty much everything I figured out how to do was complete, stupid coincidence. First, I started bashing the headstock of the guitar on a keyboard set to drum noises -- that’s how I played the cymbal. I figured out I could bash a high hat instead, but I started chipping my guitar, so I taped a drumstick to it. Eight months later it occurred to me, ‘Hey dummy, you can play notes instead of cymbal noises (on the keyboard)!”
What about playing the bass with your foot?
I was playing guitar one day, and I laid the bass down precariously on the floor in front of me. I happened to look down, and the bass was just where it is when I play it now (at shows). I was like, “No way,” and I just started hitting my foot on it and it worked.
And the sock, necessary or not?
You just don’t want blisters and calluses on the underside of your big toe, and it also keeps my foot warm. There are so many good reasons for the sock.
Is there a reason you don’t use effects pedals or pre-recorded tracks when you play live?
To me that kinda feels like cheating. If I fell back on those things I might not have ever achieved my goal of being a full one-man band that I set for myself when I was 14. Also, I’m one of those people that if I touch small electronics, they explode and freak out.
What do you say to people who automatically assume you’re doing some kind of gimmick?
That kinda stuff drives me. If there weren’t as many naysayers I’d probably be a lot less active. I love that it’s a fight. I love turning the crowd.
Is this your life’s work? Is there a legacy you want to leave behind?
Life’s work is not a bad way to describe what I’m doing. I’m barely getting by on this thing, but it’s worth it to me. When I’m eating Ramen noodles and worrying about my dishwashing job at home, the kinda solace I give myself is that, like, 14-year-old Matt Kurz would be stoked about what I’m up to right now. The idea was never to make a million dollars or sell out stadiums. The idea was, ‘I’m going to be able to do that one day.’ And I am able to do that, so as far as that’s concerned, I am satiated.
