Email
Print
FeedMar 13, 2013 08:26 AM WV Sound
Keeping a beat in the Mountain State
Logan County Band Stands Out
Photo Courtesy of Meet Me in the Matinee
In Logan County, Nathan Bush taps away, doing his best to subvert expectations. As the drummer of four-piece rock outfit Meet Me in the Matinee (MMITM), he’s proud to say his band sounds nothing like the popular country hits commonly consumed throughout the region—not that he doesn’t enjoy them. He simply sees a need for something new. And with influences like Jawbreaker, Cursive, and Jimmy Eat World, Nathan, along with Caleb Luther, Christopher Workman, and Josh Brown, feels MMITM is just the band to fill the void.
Meet Me in the Matinee formed in 2008 and has released a number of demos as well as a full-length album, Real or Fantasy. The band recorded the full-length over a period of nine months. The finished piece hosts 10 songs, and the sound riffs on the members’ cited inspirations, with tracks that range from melodic to heavy with lyrics that call upon those classic tropes of early adulthood.
But in Logan County, the music scene is small, Nathan says. Sam’s Bar and Grill is the epicenter of live music in Logan. A straight-laced venue, this little tavern does the job. Nathan can name four other local bands other than MMITM (one of them is debatably from Lincoln County), and it’s standard to travel at least an hour away to perform for a crowd. “There used to be a music scene here,” Nathan says. “But we caught the tail end of that. Now it’s just kind of flat.” Still, the band has cut something of its own in Logan, and Nathan almost enjoys the intimacy of it. In their own little world, Meet Me in the Matinee is both the obscure indie rock project and an attention-grabbing rock ‘n’ roll behemoth. They’ve traveled to Nashville, but they can still headline at Sam’s on a Friday night, supplying locals with an unfamiliar brand of music.
The band is working on a new EP for summer 2013, and will perform on WWVU-FM’s West Virginia music spotlight show, Morgantown Sound, on April 15, 2013. The performance can be heard live at u92.wvu.edu. Real or Fantasy is also available for free on Bandcamp.
We need more cowbell. Seriously, this is a great local group who is worth a listen.
I ABSOLUTELY love MMITM. A great group of talented guys who deserve to be heard!