The Brooklyn power pop duo Matt & Kim don’t put on concerts, they put on parties. Their high energy keyboards and dance style rhythms make one thing clear: standing around is not an option. For this coming Tuesday’s show, the Badger Herald talked with vocalist and keyboardist Matt Johnson. Kim was not available for the interview. Hopefully, she was too busy making sick beats for us to dance to.
Their upcoming show at The Majestic is one of the first stops on their tour to promote their new album Sidewalks, coming out out Nov. 2. Johnson said they have been busy up until the tour began, explaining, “We’ve had a super hectic schedule recording the album and shooting videos. Plus, we’ve been taking care of things at home.”
Johnson remarked on how he was enjoying the tour so far, “This is my damn vacation! Give me a fruity drink please. We just left New York two days ago. I love playing shows. Sleeping in and performing every night. It’s going to be a very cool next few months.”
Like most indie bands, the main support for Matt & Kim started online. When asked about how social media has affected their career Johnson was eager to detail how digital media helped expand their fan base.
“It’s always been helpful. The first thing we did after we made our demo was make a Myspace page. Of course that was the craze a few years ago,” Johnson said. “It’s crazy because 15 years ago if you wanted to connect to people on a global scale you had to be Christina Aguilera or someone… anyway, now all you need is a Myspace and boom!”
Johnson also talked about all the digital collaborations happening between the band, the fans and other artists. “I like how involved everyone can get these days. People can just decide to make a video about us and then we share it with others. It opens up connections so that everyone can be a part of the bigger picture.”
Along with fan interaction on studio albums, the pair also crave audience interaction at their shows.
“Okay, if you’ve gone to a rock show and it’s been like standing around or bobbing your head then that’s okay,” Johnson said.
“But at our shows it’s all about getting wild and having fun and not worrying about it. It’s more of a party then a concert.”
Achieving this party vibe is simple, according to Johnson.
“On an album you want a lot of details. But at a show, you just want to strip it down to a beat and a melody. It’s loud and sweaty and you’re probably drunk. You don’t want to be a filter, you just want the raw element.”
Make sure to get to The Majestic early Tuesday because they’ll be previewing their new album Sidewalks on the theater’s speakers as soon as the doors open at 7:30. The show begins at 8:30 and tickets are $18 at the door.
