MP3 Song
Sanctuary
THE SONG
A powerful, gritty tune with a great hook and good guitar work.
THE CD
"This cd has a raw sound overall and it rocks with catchy tunes throughout."
BandRadio
Contact Info
Web site:
Mrs. Grundy
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
|
"Basically I wanted it to sound like a gig at some hole-in-the-wall club, or a rehearsal in a garage. You don’t have pristine production in those situations – you’ve got buzzing amps, guitars going out of tune, mistakes," says the mastermind behind Mrs. Grundy, 28-year-old Guitar World transcriber Matt Scharfglass of the band's debut CD, Your
Stinky Candy. "If you’ve got good songs and a good performance, that’s what counts. Nobody ever leaves a record store saying, ‘It’s a great CD; too bad there wasn’t
enough reverb on the guitar track in the third song. Otherwise I would have bought it!’"
Getting that gritty live band sound wasn’t easy, considering the fact that Mrs. Grundy consists of only two people: Matt (songwriter, producer, bassist, guitarist) and God Street Wine keyboardist Pete Levin (drums and vocals).
Why such a pared-down approach? "The only decent guitar players in New York want to play fusion. They think rock and roll is simplistic. They also have this attitude that because I’m really a bass player I don’t know how to write songs, so they get precious and try to rewrite ‘em for you. I figured I’ll just hack my way through it myself."
Your Stinky Candy is a collection of 12 songs ranging from the upbeat, punky "Sanctuary", the funk-tinged "Monte Carlo" and "One In Nine" (about Matt’s mother’s battle with breast cancer), to the tender ballad "Fall" and the simmering "Break".
There’s even a jazz-inflected mandolin solo on "Matzohballs". "It’s all I know how to play on that instrument besides the intro to ‘And We Danced’ by the Hooters," says Matt.
Born on Long Island to musical parents, Matt began his musical studies at age 6 with piano, quickly moving on to French horn, classical bass, electric bass, guitar and
mandolin. A professional musician for the last ten years, he’s played it all: classical, punk, speed-metal, cabaret, funk, folk, straight-ahead rock (including an ill-fated stint with Ronnie Spector), jazz, reggae and gospel. He has studied with modern jazz great Joe Lovano and recently contributed stand-up bass tracks for the debut CD of the NYC swing band The Blue Saracens. In addition to his transcribing gig with Guitar World, Matt has written two instructional books and continues to perform in the tri-state area with various artists.
Inviting Pete Levin to take the frontman slot was an obvious choice. "We’ve been friends for a few years. He’s been the drummer on many gigs I’ve been on, and his feel is perfect. No flash, just a real strong pulse and a heavy bass drum. I love playing bass when he’s drumming. And as far as his singing, it’s like he’s talking to you. None of this overwrought tortured crap." An incredible all-around musician, Pete has toured the world with Musclefunk, John McEnroe (yes, that one), and the rap artist Snow. He’s also an accomplished songwriter who plays around the NYC area in his very
limited downtime either as a solo artist or with another of his bands, Chase – when he’s not on the road or in the studio with God Street Wine.
Mostly recorded in Matt’s apartment, Your Stinky Candy shatters the notion that major-label quality comes from ridiculously inflated budgets, fancy studios and slick
production. If guitars, a sense of humor, and melodies that stick like gum from a New York sidewalk to a shoe in mid-August are your cup of tea, you owe it to yourself to
say hi to the Missus.
|
