Matt Bayles wasn’t groomed to be a rock star. “I’m one of the college kids who’s made something of themselves as opposed to those people who frown on a proper education.” he laughs. “It wasn’t life or death for me, but I had to get a proper college education. It was a family expectation. I’m glad I did it—absolutely glad I did it.” Despite having grown up with a piano playing mother, and an uncle who, “…plays like, fiddle, and plays, you know, finger-style acoustic guitar, and is a freak.” The life of a rock star simply wasn’t on his radar.
Of course, that wasn’t for lack of interest, says Bayles of his youthful musical aspirations, “I started going to hardcore shows when I was thirteen, fourteen, and put a record out when I was fifteen that was reviewed on the same page as Nirvana’s Bleach in Maximum Rock-in-roll Magazine. My name is on it and everything, I still have it.” He continues with wonder, “I didn’t know Nirvana then. But a couple of years later I pulled out the issue and I was like, “Oh man, Nirvana is reviewed on the same page?””
Despite an early brush with fame, further aspirations would remain on the back burner. That is, until college. Explains Bayles, “Once I started getting into the recording thing, it just felt right. You sort of meander and then you hit on something. It was very clear to me that when I found it, it was by far the most interesting thing that I’d considered as a career.” Of course, his parents were more concerned about the nuts and bolts. “My family’s very career oriented.” Bayles continues. “When I told them they were like, “Well I guess. If you want to do it…I don’t know if you can make any money at it.” And I was like, “I don’t know either.”…So I worked my ass off.”
It appears Bayles’ posterior was well-sacrificed. Producer/engineer on a wide rage of projects including hard-core act Mastodon, Waxwing, Polar Bear Club and Ladyfinger. He’s had enough of a career to make even the most doubting parents breath a sigh of relief. However, the public still probably knows him best for a more high profile gig: a founding member of rock-outfit Minus the Bear.
Bayles sets the scene. “I started meeting those guys in ’96…five or six. And didn’t start the band until 2001.” Bayles stuck with his bandmates until 2006 when Mastodon and his full-time career as a producer came calling. He continues, “I told them probably eleven months before I quit that if I got the opportunity to do the major label record for Mastadon that I had to take it.” It came down to a matter of career clarity. “I also knew that my calling wasn’t to be a musician.” says Bayles of the transition. “Or, it wasn’t something I was going to do for the thirty years of my life.”
Despite his departure, Bayles and Minus the Bear remained on good terms—Bayles returning to produce 2007’s Planet of Ice. However, despite his many successes, Bayles strives to keep an even head about the wild-ride that is the music industry. “I don’t read press, like, whether it’s a band I produce, a band that I am in…if it’s positive, it’s usually overblown in a positive way. If it’s negative, I over blow it…if that makes sense. I don’t need to be deflated; I don’t need to be inflated. I work hard, I try my best for every record, sometimes they’re awesome and successful, and sometimes they’re awesome and not successful… And I can’t allow myself to get too high or two low, based on that.”
Instead, Bayles chooses to focus on what brought him into the business in the first place—his love of music. “I try really hard to enjoy a record without critiquing that bass sound or that snare sound or that harmony is out of tune. I find that shifts away the enjoyment of music. If I sit down and really critically listen to records that I love, I’ll be able to tear them apart. You know, in this environment or if I really pay attention in my car, it’s like a collection of performances instead of individual performances within a song verses just listening to it as a whole. And if I do that, I’ll stop enjoying music. You know, and I don’t want to.”
Even while keeping up a work schedule that constantly forces him to dissect music, Bayles still strives to keep searching for new things. “. I think you’ve just got to keep your mind open and keep asking—I keep asking my friends “what are you listening to? Send me some stuff.” Because a couple of them are just always out there, seeking out new stuff. And they’re really helpful in that regard.”
However, sometimes new music chooses you. Bayles recounts a strange introduction to his first pick of the week, Sleepy Eyes of Death—a band that Bayles describes as “Daft Punk meets Sigur Ros.” “One of the guys in this band installed the alarm in this place. Bizarre coincidence. They reached out to me about working on this record. We just moved in here and I called up ADT and said, “Ah I need an alarm estimate.” And the guy that showed up was the other drummer in the band. Literary in the span of two days I’d never meet any of them and they reached out to me. And we were scheduling sessions and they showed up. It was bizarre.” Bizarre…or fate?
Be sure to check out Sleepy Eyes of Death along with Bayle’s other pick of the week, Canon Canyon.
Photos by Laura Totten
Written by Laura Studarus
Matt Bayles, Seattle based producer/engineer whose credits include Minus the Bear, Isis, Sound Garden, Pearl Jam. Matt is one of our favorite producers.
