Little TVs by Matt Lenny & The Breakdown

The creation of this album was a lifeline and an outlet for all 4 of us during the difficult, unprecedented year of 2020. Unlike our normal process of rehearsals and studio time as a group, 5 of these 6 tunes were written, arranged, and recorded without us all ever being in the same room together. There are a lot of days when I hate what the internet and computers have done to our society, but it's truly amazing that we were able to make a record like this in our homes.

If you've been taking this pandemic seriously, you can probably relate to the sense of isolation and the almost palpable nostalgia for simple gatherings and good times gone past. This EP is, in some senses, our "quarantunes" EP, but it's also a meditation on human connection: the ways a simple friendship can make all the difference, the ways we're too afraid to pursue it, the ways we fail each other completely.

Finally, we want to dedicate the last track, "Fountain of Youth" to the one and only Mark "Mouse" Brunner. Mouse was a friend of the band, an incredible musician, and a fabulous recording engineer with a spirit and a sense of humor that uplifted anyone around him. We recorded this song in his studio back in 2014 and just never got around to releasing it properly.

Recording your own music is sorta like giving yourself a haircut: you never quite have a clear perspective on what you're doing. We'd all gathered at Mouse's studio, gotten sounds, and were all set to record. We counted off and did one take of "Fountain of Youth". We got done and I remember saying, "I think we can do better than that." Mouse laughed out loud and yelled out, "You're f**king crazy! There is no possible way you can rock harder than that!"

Reader, he was correct. We did a few more takes and none of them had the spirit of that first take. I hope I've done it justice in the final mix, but we were all together in a place and time. In one room. Making music and making fun of each other. No masks, no real cares for a few hours. Making something uniquely human and never to be repeated exactly the same again. Hanging out. Rocking out. (A silly thing on paper, but it sure as hell has meant a lot to my life.)

Moments like that sure do feel far away right now, but we'll get there again. It'll never be exactly the same, but what ever is?

R.I.P., Mouse. This one's for you and for anyone and everyone else missing someone or something they love. Laptops and phones are great, but all these "Little TVs" don't quite make up for the real thing...

Inspired by a chance encounter with country legend Steve Earle, who showed him that a single chord can often have more power than anything else, Michigan-based guitarist and songwriter Matt Lenny writes songs that fall on the rock & roll side of Americana.

mattlenny.com
Facebook