Along with being named one of The Rolling Stone’s “10 Artists to Watch” singer-songwriter Matt White’s first single “Best Days” has been featured on The Hills, One Tree Hill, and Shrek the Third. He’s joined GAP’s “Vote For ____” campaign along side Bill Maher and Kristen Bell— urging Americans to vote for what’s important to them. For Matt, it’s love.
After playing a show at the Casbah on October 16, we caught up with him downtown.
Q: How are you liking San Diego?
"We are loving San Diego. We’ve been here for about a day. We played the Casbah last night, it was a really good crowd. I love the radio down here. I like STAR and SOPHIE, they play really good music."
Q: Did you get to spend some time at the beach, get some ocean inspiration?
"We didn’t…but the Marriot was really kind of inspiring. (Laughs) Joking…but it’s cool, we don’t usually get to spend much time in the cities but here we got to spend a couple days so it was cool. "
Q: As an emerging artist I’m sure you’re getting compared to a lot of people…who’s your favorite person to be likened to?
"My favorite person to get compared to is Bruce Springsteen…but I don’t even know how that happens. Like him I’m from New Jersey, and with musicians coming out of New Jersey there’s always some kind of allusion to Bruce Springsteen. I mean it’s a very different kind of music…but we did have the same producer."
Q: So if you could go on tour with anyone…?
"Bruce Springsteen."
Q. What’s the most played band on your iPod?
"I’d have to go with Coldplay. I’m a big fan of Viva La Vida. It’s a good one."
Q. What’s going on with your T-Shirt, Vote for Love?
"We teamed up with the GAP to do this great campaign kind of engaging people to get out there and vote for something. It’s not necessarily political but you know people are creating shirts and doing all these things. We have this great website. Bill Maher is on it doing these little skits and these little films. It’s a cool thing to be a part of- Gap is very rock and roll."
Q: So you chose to vote for love?
"I chose love. It’s my single, but also I do vote for love no matter what."
