John Matthias

Born in England, Matthias first earned acclaim through his input on other performers’ projects, only launching an individual career in the opening years of the twenty-first century. Early exposure to the Beatles and the Smiths prompted him to perform with groups, among them the little-known Jackdaw Music. By the mid-nineties his violin work had turned him into a sought-after session player, heard on Radiohead’s The Bends, the Wishplants’ Coma, Matthew Herbert’s Bodily Functions, and Lunatic Calm’s Breaking Point. After settling in Bristol, Avon in 1998, the unhurried character of his new surroundings began to color his writing. That shift surfaced on his debut solo album, Smalltown, Shining, released three years later; there he set the violin aside to concentrate on vocals, guitar, and production. The pop folk record drew critical praise for recalling Neil Young’s calmer passages.