The Goodbye Waltz aka Front Porch Fiddlin’ by Matt Wyatt & Justin Branum

CD review by Donna Eckberg, take one

Picture two young fellas playin’ old time music on the porch with rain plunking on the tin roof. A serene scene? Not exactly. On The Goodbye Waltz Matt Wyatt presents high energy fiddle backed by Justin Branum’s strong rhythm guitar. Matt has played with many well-known artists and appeared at the Grand Ole Opry and the Ryman Auditorium. Now that he’s finished his schooling in Nashville, TN, Matt can concentrate on the business of making music. He can be found at the family business, Wyatt fiddle shop, LC, where he & Justin handle sales and instruction duties. Matt comes from a family of old time fiddlers and learned his craft from some of the best in Missouri, Texas and beyond. He still travels across the state from Independence, MO to play contra dances in St. Louis because he feels that is where it all started. The old time music tradition began with fiddlers playing for dancers, one feeding off the other, creating this incredible energy. Matt’s feet pound the stage as the dancers pound the floor following the caller’s instructions. Musicians still serve an important function in the community, creating an activity that brings people together to socialize and relieve themselves of the hardship of daily living.

Old time fiddle tunes, reels, waltzes, even some bluesy swing make up the CD’s song list. The title cut, “The Goodbye Waltz” is the sole original composition by Matt and a tribute to a girlfriend left behind in Nashville, TN. He calls it his first song “with words” and perhaps his next release will include those words. Many of the tunes are traditional melodies. I was thrilled to find Matt’s interpretation of “Marmaduke’s Hornpipe” in the mix because it always kicks up a storm of energy and excitement at the dances. Several of the tunes I’ve not found in others’ repertoires. “Hell Amongst the Moonshiners” with its dynamic ascending & descending strings of notes is deserving of its alternate name “Indian See Saw.” This is a chance to focus on a young talent in our midst as he stretches out into other areas. The bluegrass tune, “Carol County Blues,” becomes a delightful swinging boogie after a few notes are removed and a tempo change. Matt’s take on a Norman Soloman remake of Peter Ostruschko’s, “Little Mandolin Man,” also known as “McAllister’s Reel,” converted to fiddle is a lively ragtime one-step. An occasional guffaw by Matt punctuates the recordings with the informal ambiance of live old time music. And now you can take it home with you! Occasionally you can hear Matt Wyatt and his group live at the Childgrove contra dance at the Monday Club in Webster Groves. (see schedule pg 3) Or go to www.fiddlesong.com to read more about these dynamic musicians and order your copy of the CD.

The Goodbye Waltz, take two

by Ted Steele

Different fiddlers have very different sounds. Some fiddlers are soft and melodic, some are exciting and “all over the place,” some have that scratchy sound, and some sound like they’re trying to saw their instrument in half. To my ear, Matt Wyatt’s fiddling swings. He has a dynamic, lyrical quality to his fiddling that just makes you want to dance. Fortunately for those of us who love dancing to his fiddling at contra dances, that swinging quality shines through on this fun new CD. This is definitely not a studio recording! As the liner notes say, these tunes were recorded when “We were on Justin’s front porch, under a tin roof, and it was raining.” Each track sounds just like that—two guys having fun fiddlin’ and strummin’ and whoopin’ it up on the front porch. There are a lot of tracks on this CD—18 in all. But each is rather short, averaging about 2 minutes each. Even that contributes to the fun pace of listening. It just keeps movin’ along. Matt’s foot-tapping provides a nice percussive quality and his occasional infectious laugh punctuates a number of tracks, just as it does when he’s playing for a dance.

There are a number of familiar tunes on this album. Cotton Eyed Joe, Tom & Jerry, Dusty Miller and Smith’s Reel are just a few. Matt’s interpretation of Leather Britches is a highlight. It’s a lively, swirling, swinging rendition that is typical Matt Wyatt. And he shows off some fun fingering on a favorite old standard, Marmaduke’s Hornpipe. His recording of Nashville Waltz swings with that “makes you wanna dance” quality, while The Waltz You Saved for Me and the title track of The Goodbye Waltz slow the pace a bit with a sweet, romantic quality. All in all, this is a diverse, fun, and welcomed CD from an exciting, young Missouri fiddler. For those of us who have enjoyed Matt’s music for years and have wanted to hear more of him, this album is a real treat. It was worth the wait!

Back