Mat d. and the Profane Saints: Press/Reviews

Gather all you sinners and saints
Mat d. and the Profane Saints play first SC gig in seven months
By JESSE CLAEYS | 10.23.08


Musician Mat d. writes one song a week.

The Sioux Cityan is recording about two albums a year.

He’s now armed with a new disc.

What’s next? His first local gig in seven months.

“I’ve been busy, just not here,” Mat d., who answers to Matthew de Riso off the stage, said.

Mat, sometimes with his three-piece backing band The Profane Saints, has been busy performing gigs around the Midwest over the summer, turning up for sets at music festivals everywhere from Sioux Falls to Hawarden. That’s not mentioning he and the Profane Saints managed to record a new CD.

“I think we’ve really refined our sound. This is the happiest I’ve been with the group,” he said.

So what makes Mat d. happy? Rock music.

Mat said the band’s latest release, “Merciful 66,” builds on the distinct Americana roots sound the group has been developing since forming in 2006.

“We still have that outlaw country feel, but we have a more focused direction.”

Direction, courtesy of Bob Dylan, is what made this band a reality.

Mat d. was a Bible College graduate who wanted to be a minister once upon a time. The Colorado native moved to Sioux City to be part of a church here. And though still serious about his faith, the young musician’s Epiphany came at a Dylan concert at Sioux City’s Orpheum Theatre, where he learned to worship at the altar of roots rock.

Unfamiliar with Dylan at the time beyond obviously having heard many of his songs over the years, Mat was given a free ticket to the concert and couldn’t pass up the opportunity to see a genuine music icon.

It transformed him. Dead was Mat the punk garage rocker. His new heroes included the Rolling Stones, Tom Petty, Steve Earle, John Prine and Johnny Cash n and somewhat younger guys like Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds.

His songs started coming from everywhere. But like many a country song, he stuck mostly to the age-old themes n life, death, love, sex, God and the Devil.

“The songs speak for themselves. I just let them come out of me. Another part of it is the band’s interpretations of the songs.”

Mat writes all his own material, but its up to drummer Jeff Deignan, bass player Bob Birch and guitarist Kurt Mullins to interpret and put more life into the songs.

“Right now it seems we’re moving more to the rock side of roots rock rather than the roots.”

Like all other albums, “Merciful 66” was produced by Mullins in his home studio. Recording took an unexpected turn when Mat’s father fell ill and unexpectedly passed away. This caused Mat to rethink the songs slated for “Merciful 66.” He felt like writing about the experience and bumped a few tracks for newer, more introspective tunes.

“I did this as a memorial to my dad. It’s a much more somber album than I’ve released in the past. It’s very mellow, but for the most part just came out as a very nice moody folk album."

MERCY ME, A NEW MAT D. CD -

t’s a big weekend for Sioux City roots rocker Mat d.

Aside from performing for three straight days at the Sioux River Folk Festival near Canton, S.D., he’s also celebrating the release of his latest CD “Merciful 66.” Things, though, have changed. While themes of women, hard living, lost love and spiritual entanglements are found on the new disc, the album is more somber and introspective than his past releases.

Mat has good reason for it. The album, produced by collaborator and Profane Saints guitarist Kurt Mullins, is dedicated to the memory of Mat’s dad who passed away in early 2008. “Following my father’s death the tone of the album changed dramatically. Much of the material I had prepared for the CD no longer seemed to represent what I was feeling, so we shelved several of the songs and I went about working on music that became very cathartic for me,” Mat d. says.

If you can’t wait to hear the follow-up to Mat’s critically-acclaimed “Gasoline Rattle” album, you best head to Canton this weekend. It will be a while before Sioux City music fans can get their hands on a copy or hear the tunes live. Following a shake-up of musicians, Mat’s backing band, The Profane Saints, is in the midst of reforming with some new members. The full group will not play in Sioux City until an Oct. 25 date at The Chesterfield.

As for the CD, it will not be available for purchase (aside from at live gigs) until next month when it goes up on cdbaby.net. iTunes users will have to wait until September for that site to offer the tracks. Mat did say he’s landed a distribution deal that will take “Merciful 66″ to audiences around the nation and world in the near future.

There is one option to hear the new tracks. Visit Mat’s myspace page at www.myspace.com/matderiso for a listen.

More fans 'hooked' by folk festival's appeal
Big crowds, appreciative acts part of annual rhythm at Newton Hills State Park
Peter Harriman • pharrima@argusleader.com • August 3, 2008


NEWTON HILLS STATE PARK - A rich vein of American music deals with accommodating hard times, and in 1984 the Sioux River Folk Festival found itself acting out a song.

For three years, it had blossomed in Chautauqua Park in Canton.

"The fourth year, there was a flood. It sucked up our stage and twisted it," festival co-founder Gaynor Johnson remembered. The festival went looking for a new home and two years later landed at Newton Hills.


It was a forced relocation but a truly fortunate one. This weekend, somewhere around 1,300 music fans are expected to haul lawn chairs and blankets to the grass in front of a rustic stage framed by the park's woods and enjoy diverse folk music at a Newton Hills hoedown.

"People come here once, and they're hooked. They keep coming back. It's like Christmas," said Tom Weisbecker, South Dakota Friends of Traditional Music co-president.

It might be a biased opinion from the head of the group that puts on the festival, except that Jon Wiener and Kylie Nystrom of Sioux Falls were illustrating just what he said.

Wiener found his way to the festival last year and talked Nystrom into accompanying him this year. After a day and a half of listening to music, she said she is as hooked as he is.

"Absolutely. I'll be back every year," she said. "It's one more good thing to do at Newton Hills."

Performers were taken with the setting, and with the knowledgeable crowd, as well.

"It's a great setting," said Clyde Teel, patriarch of The Teels, a Sioux Falls band. "The people here seem to kind of get it. A lot of places you can play acoustic music and they don't get it."

But the subtle flourishes of musicianship that The Teels delivered all were appreciated, Teel said.

Another up-and-coming Sioux Falls musician, Mat d., earned a 15-minute spot on the stage last year by winning a campground contest at the festival. This year, he is back as one of the headliners.

His edgy lyrics were delivered in a driving, abrupt rhythm reminiscent of Bruce Springsteen.

"It's an honor to share the stage with so many great acts," he said. Playing at the event felt like being in the midst of family, he added. "The crowd is really accepting."

The organizers are kicking around ideas for the 30th anniversary next year, Johnson and Weisbecker said. But this year, as most years, the lineup of performers relies heavily on Johnson's uncanny ability to identify blossoming young musicians, such as Mat d., or high-quality but undervalued local performers such as The Teels, Weisbecker said.

"We call him our entertainment guru," he said of Johnson.

The guru was sprawled back in a lawn chair off to the side of the stage Saturday, wearing a blissful smile below his dark glasses. Weisbecker, sitting next to him part of the time, knows the feeling.

"I'm like a little kid at Christmas," he said. "I try not to speed when I'm driving down from Sioux Falls. I can't wait to get here

Gather all ye Sinners and Saints - Mat d. and the Profane Saints return after a 5 month abscence.

Roots rocker Mat d. has decided how to wear his facial hair Saturday night.

“I’m going to remain devilish and goateed,” the 33-year-old crooner said.

He may look a little out of place at The Chesterfield.

On the same night marking Mat d.’s return to a Sioux City stage after a five-month absence, the club is also hosting a Moustache March competition. To review, acclaimed Americana roots rock on stage, many moustaches in the audience.

“I haven’t played there since our October 20th performance,” Mat d., aka Matthew de Riso, said. “We’ve spent the time recording.”

Originally scheduled to be released this weekend, the next 12 to 14 song album from Mat d. and Profane Saints has been pushed back to a summer release. Why?

“It has to sound good, sound right,” the singer/songwriter/guitar player said simply.

The band has good reason to take its time polishing the next record. Eyes are on the group, ears eagerly waiting. Mat d.’s last release “Gasoline Rattle,” a 2007 acoustic solo album originally intended as a demo, was met with critical acclaim.

“Let’s see,” Mat d. said before drawing a breath. “It was played on satellite radio, featured on NPR in the month of December and won an album of the year award.

“It was surprising to me because this was just my demo, something to help me get solo acoustic gigs. I wasn’t out to produce anything like it. It just came out as an honest, gritty, three-chord album. I think people loved it because it was different from the folk they were used to hearing.”

Fans of the band can thank Bob Dylan. Mat d., a bible college graduate who wanted to be a minister once upon a time, stumbled upon roots rock when he attended a Dylan concert at Sioux City’s Orpheum Theatre. Unfamiliar with Dylan at the time beyond having heard many of his songs over the years, the show transformed the musician. Dead was Mat the punk garage rocker. His new heroes included Tom Petty, Steve Earle, John Prine and Johnny Cash n and somewhat younger guys like Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds.

“I think of myself as a folk guy now. The attraction to it is I’m taking that singer/songwriter style and putting it to more of an irreverent rock band. It’s a true sound, a rock sound.”

But there’s a heavy dose of Americana and folk in the rock put out by Mat d., Kurt Mullins (bass), Kelli Johnson (vocals, guitar) and Jeff Deignan (drums). It shows in the songwriting, the stories of sinners seeking redemption, drugstore mermaids, vagabonds, dreamers, bikini bull riders and remorseful killers. Even Woody Guthrie made it into one of his ballads. Dark topics. Not so dark music. Hillbilly blues.

Once the new album is released this summer, the band plans to support it with a wide range of gigs. Some will be as the full band that produces a driving sound with an attitude to support Mat d.’s sometimes whimsical, wandering lyrics that always pack a punch and a swagger. Others as a solo act, with the goateed, sideburn-sprouting Mat d. out on his own trying to break into larger regional markets in the Midwest.

Mat d. said the Saturday show will feature a variety of new material and some solo tunes from Profane Saint Kelli Johnson. Don’t expect a new sound, though.

“I want to say we’re doing some new things, but we’re just sticking to roots rock, that Americana sound.

“If I were led to do something different, I’d do it. I let the songs speak for themselves and this is what they want to sound like.”

Next week offers musical double-dip
Friday, February 29, 2008

Music fans will have opportunities to enjoy a pair of concerts on back-to-back nights, Friday and Saturday, March 7-8 as Martin Arthur hosts Fran Snyder for a house concert, and Shaky Tree Coffee clears its stage for Mat d.
The Spencer House Concert Series will host Snyder in concert at 8 p.m. Friday, March 7, at Martin Arthur's residence, 323 E. 4th St., Spencer.

Snyder's "pop-rock with a groove" will be something of a departure from the usual - that is, more folk-oriented - house concert fare. His musical influences include Peter Gabriel, the Indigo Girls, Sarah McLachlan, Queen, and Stevie Wonder.

Emerging as a new,critically acclaimed songwriter and performer in the folk music scene, Mat d. has entertained Midwestern audiences with his gritty approach to old time country and acoustic blues to create a dark signature sound best described as hard luck Americana. He was originally scheduled to play the Shaky Tree last month but the concert had to be postponed with the passing of his father.





Snyder can command a crowd with just a microphone and his acoustic guitar.

Armed with great original songs, surprising cover tunes, and more than a handful of humor, he knows how to connect with even the most informal audience. Snyder has played colleges, clubs, and mainstages all over the United States, touring extensively as a solo act, as well as part of the "acoustic hip-hop duo" Six Strings and Vinyl. On the mainstage, he has opened for many of his heroes, including Shawn Mullins, Shawn Colvin, Don Henley, Peter Stuart, Dan Fogelberg, Cowboy Junkies, and Boz Scaggs.

Snyder was voted "Best Solo Act" and "Best Overall Performer" from the mid to late 1990s in Jam Magazine and Creative Loafing, and ASCAP has awarded him their "Special Pop Music Award" for four years running. In 1998 he ventured into the NACA (National Association of Campus Activities) Tour, instantly being named the number one music act at his first NACA Conference. He has since toured and performed in 35 states, garnering a long-awaited and much-deserved national following.

In addition to being a performer, Snyder is one of three people behind "Concerts In Your Home," a Web-based meeting place for house concert presenters and performers (www.concertsinyourhome.com).


Mat d's lyrical themes focus on life from the darker side of the tracks with a raw sense of wit combined with a faint if not tarnished silver lining. Jim Pipkin of HickoryWind.org, who picked Mat d's album "Gasoline Rattle" as one of the top four CD's of 2007, wrote, "Mat reminds me of a young Steve Earle with a better set of pipes...Mat's songs are funny, crusty, dirty glimpses into an America out beyond the strip malls. The subjects of his songs flash by like memories of a road trip, with recurring themes of faith, cynicism, and finding what love the world throws at us."

Mat has also cruised into 2008 with some 2007 accolades. Folk Rising, a community of musicians and acoustic music enthusiasts based in Sioux Falls, S.D. dedicated to helping the folk music scene reach new heights, named Mat's album "Gasoline Rattle" album of the year in 2007. Gary Kappenman, head of A&R for the organization said the record "combines the best of old acoustic roots/folk/country blues music with leading edge Americana blues and a hard driving gospel flavor. My favorite lyric is from his 'Bound for Glory' track which provides hope in the depths of despair with 'Baby, this train is still bound for glory, despite all of our rambling ways'".

Mat d. won the Friends of Traditional Music (FOTM)'s Sioux River Folk Festival campground contest last summer at Newton Hills in Canton, S.D. and will be performing at this year's Sioux River Folk Festival on Aug. 13. His music continues to turn the heads of audiences both young and old with his unmistakable voice and a modern, yet traditionally rooted songwriting style. Dark and compelling, somber and bittersweet, Mat's music not only haunts the soul - but inspires it.

As its name implies, the Spencer House Concert Series presents concerts in the intimate setting of a private living room. Doors will open at 7:30 p.m. There are no tickets to buy, but a donation of $10--$15 per person is suggested, with all proceeds going to the artists. Some snacks and beverages are provided, but guests are encouraged to bring a beverage of their choice and a snack to share.

Shaky Tree will be serving from its regular food and beverage menu.

Mat d. is a singer/songwriter from Sioux City, Iowa who may be best known as lead singer for the band Mat d. and the Profane Saints. The songs he posted in Open Mic are more acoustic, with strong storytelling and a powerful point of view. Our friend Jim Pipkin says about Mat d., "Do yourself a big favor, trundle over to matdandtheprofanesaints.com and meet this strange dude for yourself. Give his tunes a listen. Buy some stuff. And if you are ever trapped in Iowa, near a honky-tonk called Sweet Fanny's, roll on in and shake his hand for me between sets. But under no circumstances should you introduce him to your sister."

Four CDs I'll Put on Top of the Stack for 2007


I hear a lotta Americana music. Perhaps because of this I have become jaded, but my "Best Of" list this year is four discs, not ten. Only one of these is in the formal archives with the grownup label releases. The others are just edgy brilliant Americana singer/songwriters out there gigging on a shoestring, being for the most part ignored by the AMA until they can find a big enough investor.

Number One - Vinnie James - Songs for the Long Journey - Recorded in a British policeman's garage in Glasgow, Scotland, featuring among other things a stellar bit of piping by a member of the Strathclyde Police Pipe Band. I played a pre-release copy of these songs to a private party of friends last year. The guests included a record promoter, a multi-Grammy winner, a recording engineer, a Kung Fu master, and an independent studio owner. All of them were absolutely, honestly, and completely blown away by the quality, depth, and lyrical flow of every single song on this recording. Since then the Washington Post, Los Angeles Times and Sacramento Bee have jumped on the bandwagon. I think Vinnie's music is where the Folk road of Americana has always been headed. He just got there first. Listen for yourself. Vinnie James

Number Two - Mat d. Gasoline Rattle - Released in a bar called Sweet Fanny's, a Sioux City hangout whose crowd would eat most of the Americana posers out there today alive. Mat's songs are funny, crusty, dirty glimpses into an America out beyond the strip malls. All writers hate to be categorized or compared, but in some ways Mat reminds me of a young Steve Earle, with a more powerful set of pipes. The subjects of his songs flash by like memories of a road trip, with recurring themes of faith, cynicism, and finding what love the world throws at us. One lyric describing a lover hit me, from the tune Midway Babylon: "The years they had not been too kind, but a ramblin' boy like me don't mind." Don't take my word for it, go and hear this guy! Mat d. and the Profane Saints

Dave Insley's Careless Smokers - Here With You Tonight - former farmer,whitewater rafter, and first-ascent mountain climber Dave has now moved to Austin and gotten serious. Dave has an open, unaffected, COUNTRY feel to his music that comes through as honest as sunshine. No affected drawls here, just good tunes from the heart of a decent guy on a long road. See y'all at the Yucca Tap Room next time you pass thru town, Dave, and you know it will be just as crowded as ever.
Dave Insley

Number Four - Buddy Miller - Universal United House of Prayer - Buddy is kinda the official sideman of the AMA, sort of a ubiquitous presence, and this recording proves why. His tune Worry Too Much just has it all together in my opinion, as if Buddy needs my opinion on anything he does. Don't Wait is a smoking little rockabilly side trip with some fine lyrics, I dare ya to sit still when ya hear it. Buddy will be touring with Emmylou Harris, Patty Griffin, and Shawn Colvin early next year. That should be one fine show to see. Buddy Miller

About a year ago, I mentioned the band that a friend of mine from junior high and high school is fronting. At the time of that writing, they had an EP out that was a diamond in the rough. It was enjoyable and I looked forward to them refining their craft and seeing where things would go.

Well, I just listened through the new one that came in the mail today and I have to say that Mat and crew have taken that rough chunk of coal, cut and polished it and the resulting EP: Brand New Faith is a much more mature release in nearly every way a collection of music can be.

The song structures are more complex and Mat, while still doing some of that cruising-along-monotone that appropriately drives the song "This Truck Makes More $$$ After Midnight", he is also exploring much more of his tonal and dynamic range on "Bound for Glory".

The EP and the music overall are in that Americana/Roots Rock/Alt Country/Grit/Honky Tonk/Blues Rock/Whatever genre that has been growing over the last few years. The themes tap into some of that same mythology and themes that something like HBO's Carnivale explores. Many of the bits are familiar, including the vocabulary of faith, but with that gritty twist that makes it interesting.

Here's the band's own description of the album:

Voodoo curses, Doomsday Preachers and Truck Stop Transsexuals cross paths. A killer travels down highway 61 only to put his faith in a statue of Jesus while searching for the next 'good time.' A pin-up queen gives her soul to God and breaks the devil’s heart. An outlaw trucker rolls down the back roads of lost love and sin, pulled between the powers of heaven and hell. When you find the Ghosts of Redemption and the long lost lover known as Damnation rolled up like a cowboy's cigarette on the wrong side of the tracks…you’ve found a Brand New Faith.

Overall, it reminds me of bits of Ray Wylie Hubbard and The Legendary Shack Shakers, but unique in its own way. That's a good thing.

If you want to give it a preview, you can hear all of the songs on the band's page. And, if you like what you hear or just want to support independent music from the Midwest, you can pick up the album from CDBaby.

Bluegrass to blues at summer concert series

By JESSE CLAEYS | 06.07.07


The fountain will be alive again with the sounds of summer music, the Roth Fountain that is.

Located on Historic Fourth Street near the intersection of Fourth and Virginia streets, Roth Fountain will be the backdrop for the second annual summer concert series, Fridays on the Promenade.

“The committee is really excited and looking forward to a much bigger season than last year,” said FOTP committee member Brent Stockton.

For the 2007 series the lineup of musical offerings has been expanded to eight concerts, each featuring a band from a variety of genres. Bluegrass, reggae, rock, blues and more are represented this year.

And, according to organizers, each concert is a steal at $2.

“The lineup is great and it’s such a great opportunity to see a band for $2. Take Blueground Undergrass for example, you’d pay $15 to see them at a club,” Stockton, who handled the concert series booking, said.

Blueground Undergrass, which is an alternative bluegrass band popular on the festival circuit, is expected to be one of the highlights of this year’s summer series, which begins on June 8 with the Blue Island Tribe, a reggae and rock style group from Cedar Falls, Iowa. All shows start at 6 p.m. and end at 8 p.m.

The series continues nearly every other Friday evening until Sept. 14. The Josh Davis Band performs June 22 and the Kris Lager Band from Lincoln will be the headliner July 6. Blueground Undergrass hits the stage July 20.

The month of August will feature three bands. Blues singer Liz Mandville Greeson sings Aug. 3, Clay McClinton Aug. 17 and the only local band this season, Mat d. and the Profane Saints, will entertain Aug. 31.

Completing the summer concert series Sept.14 will be Studebaker John and the Hawks.

Stockton said the guidelines used for booking the concert series were simple.

“No. 1, we wanted good-time, family-friendly music. Second, we wanted to present a variety of styles.”

The idea behind FOTP was born in late 2005 when a party was held at the Roth Fountain for a dedication ceremony. At that event, live music and people filled the pedestrian area around the brick fountain that stands as a memorial to Sioux City’s past as a major livestock hub.

Those involved with the fountain envisioned more gatherings around it and eventually formed a committee to plan the 2006 season of FOTP.

The event was based on a concert series held annually for the past 21 years in the Des Moines, Iowa, area. “Clive After Five” regularly draws thousands of music fans to a park Fridays after the work day is over. To date the event has raised over $300,000 for charities.

FOTP supports charities by enlisting their help with staffing the event. A portion of the evening’s earnings are then donated to the volunteer groups.

The concept for FOTP is to provide Siouxlanders something to do right after work on Fridays. The hope of committee members is that work groups and friends will gather for the concerts and then frequent the many establishments located in the historic district.

Alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages will be available at all concerts and food will be available at select shows.

“This concert series and the low admission price of $2 is all possible because of sponsorships from local businesses who have stepped up and supported this event,” said FOTP committee member Dee Polak.

Sept. 14 Studebaker John & the Hawks

The blazing guitar and harmonica of Studebaker John concludes this year’s concert series. All original steamy blues marks a live performance from this band. As a songwriter and musician, Studebaker John has emerged as a major creative force in the world of blues today.

June 8 Blue Island Tribe

This reggae/rock band has gained a huge regional buzz during the past six years from constant touring and an explosive live show. The band’s unique sound has all the making for a good time.

June 22 The Josh Davis Band

A simple roots rock band that falls just on the country side of rock. Signed to Authentic Records (the Iowa label started by members of The Nadas), Josh has made a name for himself opening for acts all across the Hawkeye State, including Dwight Yoakum, Dexter Freebish and Charlie Robison.

July 6 The Kris Lager Band

The sounds of this group are grounded in good ol’ American music from blues to rock to country to zydeco. The ingredients vary from powerful vocals, screaming guitar, howling organ, crying lap steel, driving funky beats and punchy bass lines. Success for this band means parlaying an extensive knowledge of bluegrass with major elements of jazz and Southern rock.

July 20 Blueground Undergrass

More grass on the way with this group, whose members create unique listening experience rooted in the essentials of a great American genre. Its “wall of twang” sound pleases the whole spectrum of fans from hippies to rockers.

Aug. 3 Liz Mandville Greeson

Hailing from Chicago, Lizz Mandville Greeson brings a powerful, four-octave voice and creativity as a producer, arranger, guitarist and song writer to the stage.

Aug. 17 Clay McClinton

Initially only known as Delbert McClinton’s kid, Clay and his band have been making waves on their own merits with an electric sound born in Texas. On stage the group mixes honky tonk with Delta blues and soulful rock. Clay’s music introduces alternative country to contemporary blues and the two genres become fast friends.

Aug. 31 Mat d. & the Profane Saints

Mat d. calls Sioux City home and his lyrics read like a trashy western from the town’s distant past. He’s performed at nearly every area venue you can think of, attracting fans with his driving roots rock that incorporates folk, blues and alternative country. The group is currently working a new CD, “Drive Thru Romance.”

The details

What: Second annual Fridays on the Promenade concert series

When: 6 to 8 p.m., June 8 -- Sept. 14

Where: Roth Fountain, Fourth and Virginia streets. In case of rain, concerts will be moved inside of the Sioux City Convention Center.

Cost: $2 at the gate

Mat D. And The Profane Saints are a workingman's roots-rock band that could have only come from somewhere in the midwest (or maybe Tallahasse, Fl.). The list of characters named in "Shine On Me" include "trannies at the truckstop," "devil's in the laundromat," "lesbians with tattoos," and "ugly chicks with beer guts." This is Larry The Cable Guy if he had a rock band that only played beer and shot joints just off the interstate.



P.S. Nine Bullets today post of the same band prompted me to publish this half finished saved draft. You beat me this time Nine Bullets...I guess.

Mat d. and the Profane Saints "Brand New Faith" EP
Since I last wrote about Mat. D and the Profane Saints, the boys have been steadily playing shows and have even managed to cut a 5 song EP to help hold everyone over ’til a new full length comes out. While recording their last release, Small Town Burning, the Profane Saints were splitting time with other bands. The side projects have fallen, and the result is a more clearly defined focus and direction. For the uninitiated, I’ll let Mat D. describe the band’s music in his own words:

My music is not in anyway evangelical or Christian so to speak. It’s about age old themes. God, the devil, Sin, Salvation, Hard Luck Losers, Freaks, Junkies, Ramblers and the like. It’s just a theme. Much of the earliest american music reflects these topics. Be you believer, skeptic or ye of no faith, we just want you to enjoy the music. That’s all. We won’t be performing at any churches anytime soon, not that we have a problem with any of them, it’s just not us. If your interested in hearing God Rock, visit your local Christian bookstore. If you’re looking for some original roots rock and americana Profane and Saintly-then you’ve come to the right address. My music is all about the duality of man. The good and the bad, The sinful and the holy, The saved and the damned. That’s it.

Four of the five tracks are available on their myspace profile...

Singer VS Singer
Two local musicians share stage, let us judge them
By JESSE CLAEYS | 05.24.07



Meet Mat d. and Kelly Quinn.

Each man calls Sioux City home and spends many weekend nights performing in area bars and clubs. Each man plays in a band named after him (Mat d. and the Profane Saints and The Kelly Quinn Band, respectively). Each band was also voted as one of Sioux City’s best groups in the 2007 Weekender Siouxland’s Choice Awards.

So it’s fitting the two men and their bands will be sharing the stage Saturday night at The Chesterfield. But just what separates these two local crooners? Here we pick their brains to find out.

Name: Kelly Quinn (vocals/guitar)

Bandmembers: Eric Smith (bass), Scott Tott (drums), Bob Snodgrass (guitar)

Style: “Personally, ghetto. Musically, acoustic rock and/or roll.”

Musical history: “I’ve been playing guitar for about 13 years. I started out being the show at drunken high school/college partys. My first band was a hard rock band I played guitar in, writing original music along with covering s**t like the Deftones, Helmet, Rage Against the Machine, Tool, etc. I guess what’s different about me is I had insane anxiety about singing in front of people until about two or three years ago. The reason I started singing is because the singer of the band I was in at the time quit and I was sick of playing in a f**king garage. I still get nervous occasionally, but a steady medication of beer makes me better.”

Key musical influences: “The Seattle “Grunge” scene, Nelson, Jeff Buckley, Tool, “Seals” of Seals and Croft, Jack Johnson, Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan, C & C Music Factory, Danny, Donnie, Joe, Jon, and Jordan (Need I say anymore?)”

Best concert you’ve seen: “Tool at Lallopolluza 1997! It was the best because I just turned 18, I was in the desert, and I was polluted in more ways then three!”

Best alcoholic beverage to accompany your music: “Since we just recently got sponsored by Coors Light, it would definitely be Coors Light. Thanks Nate L. Oh wait...Jager Bombs, too.”

Craziest thing you’ve seen while performing on stage: “Our drummer Scott. Seriously.”

Pre-concert ritual: “The band tends to make fun of each other for several minutes prior to our first song.

If your band was an animal what kind would it be? “A nine-toed sloth because we are lazy and our bass player only has nine toes.”

What is most likely to be your cause of death? “Broken drum stick in the jugular (thanks Scott).”

Name: Mat d. (vocals/guitar)

Bandmembers: Jeff Deignan (drums), Kurt Mullins (bass), Kelli Johnson (guitar/vocals)

Style: Roots Rock, Americana and Alt. Country

Musical history: The group became a full-fledged band in December 2006 when former band mates Jeff Deignan, Kurt Mullins and Mat d. decided to regroup after a brief hiatus from working together and recruited guitarist and additional vocalist Kelli Johnson. The Profane Saints have been making a name for themselves since early 2007 and have become voting members of the Americana Music Association in Nashville as well having opened for Bloodshot Recording Artists the Bottle Rockets in Sioux Falls. The band has just finished their new EP “ Brand New Faith” which is currently available at their live appearances. Mat d. and Kelli Johnson can also be found performing solo in Downtown Sioux City on any given weekend.

Key musical influences: “All forms of American Roots Music, Gospel, Folk, Traditional Country and Blues including Woody Guthrie, Leadbelly, Howlin’ Wolf, Muddy Waters, Rolling Stones, Johnny Cash, ZZ Top, Steve Earle, Drive By Truckers and Bob Dylan to name a few.”

Best concert you’ve ever seen: “I would have to say The Wilders. The Wilders are an Old Time Hillbilly/Bluegrass string band that played with more energy and pure, raw down and dirty grit than most rock outfits I’ve seen in the last decade, and they put every punk band I’ve ever seen local or national to shame with their live show. They not only define their genre but defy it’s boundaries as well.”

Best alcoholic beverage to accompany your music: “Stay sober...you’ll dance better, won’t make an ass out of yourself and actually remember the show. But if you must drink, ask for a rare whiskey called ‘Autumn Leaf’...they call it Autumn Leaf because you take one snort, change color and fall.”

Craziest thing you’ve seen while performing on stage: “Other than the naked people?”

Pre-concert ritual: “Rehearse like fiends! Rehearsal, rehearsal and more rehearsal! We want to give folks the best show we can - we think our hard work in the studio and practicing is key to our performances. We hope you’ll agree.”

If your band was an animal what kind would it be? “Large and Carnivorous with great hair.”

What is most likely to be your cause of death? “Lightning Bolts from above, without a doubt.”

Music returns for summer on Historic 4th


Friday evenings on Historic Fourth Street this summer will once again feature musical acts as Fridays on the Promenade returns for a second season in downtown Sioux City.

The summer-long event will take place at the Roth Fountain near Fourth and Virginia streets every other Friday night starting June 8 and continuing until Sept.14, according to Kyle Kelly, Fridays on the Promenade committee member.

A total of eight bands will be featured in the summer celebration, all representing different styles of music genres.

Brent Stockton, manager of Chesterfield Live Productions, officially announced the bands performing at this year's event today during a press conference at the Sioux City Convention Center.

Blue Island Tribe, a reggae and rock style group from Cedar Falls, Iowa, will kick off opening night. The Josh Davis Band performs June 22 and the Kris Lager Band from Lincoln will be the headliner July 6. Blueground Undergrass hits the stage July 20.

The month of August will feature three bands. Blues singer Liz Mandville Greeson sings Aug. 3, Clay McClinton Aug. 17 and the only local band this season, Mat D. and the Profane Saints, will entertain Aug. 31.

Completing the summer concert series Sept.14 will be Studebaker John and the Hawks.

All shows begin at 6 p.m. and run until 8 p.m.

Alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages will be available at all concerts and food will be available at select shows. Two dollars is the cost of admission. Kelly said the money will be used for future shows.

INTRODUCING:
Mat D and the Profane Saints
by Autopsy IV

I remember when Biohazard released their first album, Urban Discipline. Man, that shit hit me like a jab coming right up the pipe. Raw as a freshly popped blister with more grit than a fish fry. You got the feeling that the songs on that album were written from experience and when he sang “you’re on the wrong side of the tracks” it probably wasn’t the first time such an encounter had occurred. While Mat D. and the Profane Saints don’t sound anything like Biohazard they still manage to remind me of that debut cd in every other way.

Mat D and the Profane Saints are like a well worn pair of jeans. Frayed edges, skoal can imprint in the back pocket and too many stains for them to be proper in local eating establishments but you do it anyhow. Mat D writes songs about the underbelly of the American dream. Dive bars, dead lovers, drag queens, and liquor fueled nights. All the while you have his Profane Saints providing a southern fried blues back beat with a little rockabilly and country thrown in for spice. All of this is performed with more familiarity than a Bible College graduate should have. On a personal note, I am glad the devil’s siren, rock and roll, pulled this guy off the path of righteousness and pointed him down the seeder road of lost faith, sexuality, and sin of back roads rural America.

Mat D and the Profane Saints are Mat D (Guitar & Mandolin, Vocals), Jeff Deignan (Drums), Kurt Mullins (Bass) and Kelli Johnson (Lead). With the recent break-up of their other Deignan and Mullins’ projects the Profane Saints became a full fledged band and are currently in the process of recording tracks for a new cd scheduled to be released sometime this year. If you come around this blog looking for new music then you are probably right up the Profane Saints alley. Mat D puts it best when he says, “I don’t try to market myself to a very young rock ‘n’ roll crowd because I don’t think they’ve really caught on,” he said. “What I go for are people that are probably more into the country thing, probably classic rock. I think my age group is probably 30 and over.”

So there you go. Check out these guys internet offerings and be on the lookout for that new cd. I am guessing that deciding to be an exclusive band will only make their new material stronger.

Dylan be thy name
Local roots rock musician's hopes lie with 'Small Town Burning' CD
By John Quinlan, Journal staff writer

"I'd rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints. Sinners are much more fun."

--Billy Joel

Mat's saints are profane, but the man is not. And as for his music, well, it's a little profane, but in a PG, 1950s kind of way. More Bob Dylan than Snoop Dogg.

Mat d., aka Matthew de Riso, is, in fact, a Bible College graduate who wanted to be a minister once upon a time. The Colorado native moved to Sioux City to be part of a church here. And though still a "person of faith," the young musician's Epiphany came at a Dylan concert at Sioux City's Orpheum Theatre, where he learned to worship at the altar of Roots Rock.

Unfamiliar with Dylan at the time beyond obviously having heard many of his songs over the years, Mat was given a free ticket to the concert and couldn't pass up the opportunity to see a genuine music icon.

"And it absolutely transformed me," he said. "I want to say it was almost like a conversion experience. His band was so energetic and so relevant. But at the same time it was rude and something that I had never really been exposed to. It brought me to Woody Guthrie, Leadbelly, Robert Johnson. One guy and a guitar. I just kind of developed a style from there."

Dead was Mat the punk garage rocker. His new heroes included the Rolling Stones, Tom Petty, Steve Earle, John Prine and Johnny Cash -- and somewhat younger guys like Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds.

He studied the guys who influenced Dylan, delving deeper into American roots music, and it shows in his songwriting, the stories of sinners seeking redemption, drugstore mermaids, vagabonds, dreamers, bikini bull riders and remorseful killers. Even Woody Guthrie makes it into one of his ballads along with his Merchant Marine pals Cisco Houston and Jimmy Longhi. Dark topics. Not so dark music. Hillbilly blues.

All that the singer/songwriter has learned in the five years since that concert is on display in his new CD, "Small Town Burning ..." by Mat d. and the Profane Saints, a folk/blues/country/all-Americana rock album with a snap, swagger and rough polish that belies the fact that it was recorded in the South Sioux City basement studio of guitarist (and Profane Saint) Kurt Mullins. It was launched Oct. 28 at a party at Sweet Fanny's Pub.

After abandoning the ministry, at 31 now, he has taken up a different kind of dream, years removed from the young Colorado boy who flirted with the muse of music in preschool when he got hooked on an old Steve Martin comedy album and amazed his family and schoolmates with dead-on re-creations of Martin's goofy "King Tut" ditty.

Though he'd welcome a full-time music career, Mat d.'s a realist. He has a full-time job at a local sign company, to help support his pregnant wife and 10-year-old daughter from a previous marriage. On weekends and some week nights, he sings mostly solo gigs in regional taverns, Sweet Fanny's serving as his de facto home base.

Sioux City isn't exactly the hub of the music world. But that world is changing. The Internet gives struggling artists a chance to expose their music, and Mat d. has taken advantage of it, along with thousands of other singer/songwriters.

He has his own Web site, www.matdandtheprofanesaints.com, and his CDs can be found on Apple's iTunes, CDBaby.com, and another two dozen Web sites which basically provide independent worldwide distribution for people who don't have a label.

It is "humbling" when you're a little guy in the music business, but "Small Town Burning ..." has turned some heads and drawn interest from a couple of independent labels, Mat d. said.

But even if he hits it big, he's not planning to leave Sioux CIty.

"There really isn't anything out of the area that I really think that I need," he said. "Nashville ... L.A. ... Austin -- A lot of those music centers, they're just not a place to raise a family, and I want to be more family oriented."

He has put out a couple of home-produced albums, but "Burning" is the result of a longtime collaboration with Mullins and some other local musicians, dubbed the Profane Saints from a line found in one of his songs, and recorded in Mullins' studio from December 2005 'til this September.

He met the musicians -- (named removed); Mullins, a "monster" guitar player himself; drummer Jeff Deignan, and Bob Larson, who contributed guitar and vocals -- when he was asked to be part of a local band, (name removed). Mat d. served as (name removed) opening act, and they got excited about some of his songs. So they decided to do an album "and it turned into something bigger than I thought," he said.

Based on some acoustic stuff he had recorded, Mat d. and the Profane Saints were invited to be the opening act this year on the main stage of Saturday in the Park. "It was a great opportunity, and we had a blast," he said.

He recently recorded some more acoustic demos for a follow-up album.

"One thing I've heard -- and I don't know if the Sioux City music scene should take this as a cut or not -- but it doesn't sound like it came out of Sioux City," he said. "But I think that more people need to be turned on to the fact that local guys and independent bands can put out something like this in a small town. We're real proud of it."

His wife, Molly, remains his biggest supporter, taking care of the business end of his music and pushing him to take it to the next level, he said.

As a solo performer, the tall, dark, black-shirted, goateed, sideburn-sprouting Mat d., looking every inch the country outlaw, is trying to break into more regional markets, like Omaha and Kansas City. The band may have an opportunity to play in Nashville next September for the Americana Music Association.

The solo gigs take his music into a different dimension, with more of a rootsy, rugged acoustic sound. And with a full-time job, it was tough to find time to practice with a band that had its own commitments.

But that changed recently with the breakup of (name removed). Deignan and Mullins have expressed a strong interest in continuing with Mat as the Profane Saints and they have recruited guitarist Kelli Johnson to fill out the lineup. The group will be rehearsing soon and resurrecting the Profane Saints as a full-fledged band, "climbing out of the grave" early next year.

"Scheduling can be a trick. And I try not to fill up all of my weekends. It's great moneywise, but it's not good familywise," he said. "There have been some times when my wife and I are, like, 'Hey, should we introduce ourselves to each other?' The exposure's always good but I'd like to keep the perspective of family comes first."

With thousands of singers and bands trolling the Internet for support, it isn't always the best that find success, he admitted. Often, it's the artists who best know their audience.

"I don't try to market myself to a very young rock 'n' roll crowd because I don't think they've really caught on," he said. "What I go for are people that are probably more into the country thing, probably classic rock. I think my age group is probably 30 and over."

While he doesn't tailor his music to these folks, they're the ones most likely to appreciate it.

"You could call it alternative country," he said, after the reporter noted that his first track, the up-tempo "Rambling Mary Jane Walker," had him thinking of a Mick Jagger take on a Johnny Cash ballad. The name came from the Mary Jane candies.

What he most wants with his music, though, is to not sound like anyone else.

"I don't want to be the next band that sounded like the band before them," he said.

John Quinlan can be reached at 712-293-4225 or johnquinlan@lee.net

Mat d. for President of Americana

You gotta give Bob Dylan credit.

Not only did Dylan redefine the role of the pop vocalist and turn the world onto several new styles of songwriting, he also inspired Sioux City musician Mat d. to journey down a road less traveled.

“It was almost like a religious moment,” Mat d. said of attending a Dylan show in 2001. “Seeing his band do something that was so current and energetic but so rooted in American roots music — with jazz, country, folk — it kind of breathed some new life into me.”

Mat d. the garage punk rocker died after that concert. He was soon reborn as Mat d. the Americana roots rocker.

It was time to go to class to learn all about the somewhat old school musical style. Mat d. turned to the artists who influenced Dylan for that.

“That led me to Woody Guthrie, Leadbelly, anything from the blues genre from 1920 to 1939. I listened to a lot of Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf. It was like going back into history and learning your lessons.”

Mat d.’s ears where filled with dark blues tales of falls from grace and climbs toward redemption. The singer/songwriter soon put his pen to paper.

The result is the new album, “Small Town Burning,” 10 original tracks crafted over the past five years and recorded at a home studio in South Sioux City over a 10-month period.

The record’s lyrical content reads like a trashy Western, but in a good way.

“That’s what I was going for,” Mat d. said with a laugh. “I wanted to take someone from the East Coast to the West Coast on Route 66, encountering devils, angels, sinners, saints, dive motels, adulterers, jaded lovers, murdered people.”

Dark topics, but far from dark tunes. Rather, the songs on “Small Town Burning” shine brightly enough to have caught more than a few ears off guard. Mat d., who is aggressively marketing the CD on various Internet sites, said the record has gained some initial interest from a handful of labels. If things go right, the indie band may not stay independent for long.

The credit for “Small Town Burning” cannot land on Mat d.’s shoulders alone. The CD marks the first recording collaboration of Mat d. and a band of skilled local musicians dubbed The Profane Saints. Joining the singer in crafting the album were guitarists (name removed) and Bob Larson, bassist and recording engineer Kurt Mullins and drummer Jeff Deignan.

“The thing I like about working with these guys is they write their own parts. These guys spent hours writing their parts and I think it’s pretty evident by what you can hear.”

Mat d., who tends to perform solo, can be seen playing at various Sioux City bars and clubs nearly four times a month. He’ll celebrate the release of “Small Town Burning” with the rest of the band at a gig Saturday at Sweet Fanny’s.

That night the Historical Fourth Street restaurant and pub will be filled with colorful tales of cheap cigarettes, martyrs, drinking gin and enough hillbilly haiku to have listeners occasionally shaking their heads and on more than a few occasions out of their chairs dancing.

“I just wanted to put something that is original and unique out there,” Mat d. said. “There are many extremely talented rock bands out there, but I wanted to put out something that sounds different. I think I’ve done that.”

Mat D. "Merciful 66"

There are singer songwriters and there are real singer songwriters. Many of them are merely filling in time whilst at university playing at being in the music business. Then there are the true troubadours that sing the songs of the lost souls lost on the highway of life. Such a troubadour is Mat D.

His songs reek of the decay of the souls brought by cigarettes, alcohol, heartbreak and hard times. You get the feeling that the meeting with the Devil down at the crossroads is coming soon as he sings his way through this collection of tales of the downtrodden. Take "The Ghost of Huddie Ledbetter", for example, as the protagonist of the song finds himself "sleeping on a dirt road waiting for the mercy to come". You know that dirt road leads to redemption. Likewise "North Star", as the title suggests, looks for a way out of the darkness and into the light. His words have the poetry of the true storyteller and they have soul. Like the late Lee Hazelwood, his songs speak from the heart. There is affection for the subjects of his songs but also the same lack of sentimentality. Life hurts and that's the way it always has been and that's how it always will be.

On the downside, some of the songs would have benefitted from a band (in fact, The Band came to mind…) to give them more sonic impact. That does not detract from Mat D's song writing or storytelling abilities, of course, but even the casual listener can hear that there is space left for more. Even bearing that in mind, this is still an album that is well worth seeking out.

4 out of 5 stars

Most of us round here became acquainted with Mat D (Matthew deRiso) through his recordings with his band The Profane Saints. The Sioux City Iowa native’s most recent CD, however, is a bare bones acoustic CD entitled Gasoline Rattle. He is joined by Kurt Mullins on fretless bass. This isn’t sitting around the campfire roasting marshmallows acoustic; It’s music more suited for roasting, better yet burning, hotdogs in the parking lot at a tractor pull. This is turbocharged acoustic. Several songs have appeared on previous CDs with the band and have been re-worked for this acoustic set. These include “Bound For Glory,” which was released initially on the Brand New Faith EP and two from the bands now out of print 2006 CD Small Town Burning. These are “Sweet Louise” and one of my favorites (not just for the name) “Bikini Bull Riding.”


The backbone of the CD is the voice of Mat D. He’s been described accurately as a “young Steve Earle with a more powerful set of pipes.” This is Americana music broken down to its simplest form, guitar chords and voice, which makes for a refreshing listen. The number of tunes on the disc may actually be greater than the number of different chords in the music, yet despite their simplicity the tunes grab you. Although much folk music started simply like this, not many singers today could pull this off as effectively as Mat D.

Another of my favorites is “Damnation Line,” an intriguing tune about accidents. I figured there had to be a story behind the tune so I asked Mat, who confirmed this. His father-in-law was killed in a motorcycle accident and he says this is what initially inspired the song. It is a fictional account of those who have died on the roads, railroad tracks or highways. Mat says the line “They can still hear the sound of that wreck going down when you sleep on the Damnation Line” are the dead and the living reliving the past in the story… I imagined all of these spirits waking up at night and visiting the places where they met their end; sort of a highway ghost story.” There is not a lot of uplifting stuff here. Other song titles include “Dead in New Orleans,” “Guilty Man’s Gun” and “Dirt Road Eulogy.”

On the CD’s last track he does put the guitar down and pick up the mandolin for “Midway Babylon,” a tune with a bit of country feel that starts with, what else, love at the carnival:
I met a circuit preachers daughter on a midway strip, she wore a white silk dress that hugged her truckstop hips
well the years they hadn’t been too kind but a ramblin boy like me don’t mind
We made love that night out on the tilt-a-whirl, and I swore I’d love that curvy midway girl…

Good news: Mat has another CD is planned for late summer release. I definitely plan on checking that one out as well!

The troubadour. The singer of the songs. The storyteller. Stories of the grit and grime of life glamorised in the way that only poets manage. Poetry set to music as epitomised by Lee Hazelwood, Kris Kristofferson or John Prine. Songs that mean something to you and not just after that fifth beer. This album from Mat D (aka Mathew DeRiso, front man from Bluesbunny favourites Mat D and the Profane Saints) provides some fine additions to the canon of country - and indeed popular - songs.

There are songs that we have heard before, of course, like "Bound for Glory" but they manage to survive on their own without the support of a band. Mat D's voice shows that flawed but real quality that is associated with proper country singers and he sings his own songs well. Redemption is a common theme in proper country music and "Damnation Line" hits the mark evoking images of the emptiness of the highway at night and, by inference, the emptiness of life when you have lost something - "…a wandering soul never cries". There is a theme that runs through these songs in that Mat D paints pictures of people's sense of dissatisfaction with life. Not dissatisfaction with what they have got but perhaps dissatisfaction with what they have gotten out of life. Let's not forget that he also does a nice line in hope as well and "Midway Babylon" illustrates that. He is a dramatic if dark songwriter, however, and we've said it before but no one puts a soap opera to song better than Mat D. That said, we did miss a band sometimes, especially on the songs that we have grown to love like "Bikini Bull Riding".

There are songs on this album that will (or at least should if there is any justice in this world) become standards. Writing songs that can touch people's souls is no easy task and it is certainly no guarantee of commercial success but we raise our glass to Mat D as we think of our "Sweet Louise". (Rated 4 out of 5 stars)

"Brand New Faith" EP from mat d and the Profane Saints
Posted by Jim Pipkin at November 7, 2007 7:31 PM

I met Matt DeRiso over the internet last year, running a no-budget bar band called The Profane Saints out of Sioux City, Iowa. He released a cd that perked my ears up bigtime, because the feel was dark, half-drunk, and original as hell.
So when I heard he had five new tunes out on an EP "Brand New Faith", I was curious enough to beg a listen.
On first impression, when Matt's vocals kicked in I was a bit disappointed. Not in the material - this guy writes dirty bar boogie that will leave nicotine stains on your eardrums - but in the production on the first track. See, Matt's got this boomer voice, but it seemed occasionally hidden behind the band. Yeah, the band kicks ass, but I wanna hear the WORDS, dude.
But I'm a lyric weenie. The shit-kickers won't mind, they're the ones buying rounds. Who cares about some neurotic poet sipping tea in the corner?
That being said, the more I listened to this thing, the more I had to play it again. The first tune, Lye Soap Cigarettes and Gasoline, has hidden lyrical gems all through it -
"Thrift store quickie underneath a truck stop sunrise
Keeps the soul alive
Pack of cigarettes and a ghost in the back seat
There wasn't nothin' to do but drive"
Can't argue with that.
There are five out of five notable tunes on this disc, like Shine On Me, where it feels like Bob Dylan meets Jimmy Swaggart fronting Molly Hatchet after a weekend in Bangkok.
Betty Got Saved bemoans the loss of a first-rate sexual adventuress, in graphic detail.
Bound For Glory salutes that stitched-up-knife-wound optimism that I just dig the hell out of.
Finally, This Truck Makes More Money After Midnight is an anthem for everyone who has ever found an honest lifestyle - how shall we say this - confining.
Do yourself a big favor, trundle over to matdandtheprofanesaints.com and meet this strange dude for yourself. Give his tunes a listen. Buy some stuff. And if you are ever trapped in Iowa, near a honky-tonk called Sweet Fanny's, roll on in and shake his hand for me between sets.
But under no circumstances should you introduce him to your sister.

You get all types of songwriters. Some write sugary pop songs (for sugary pop acts like the Sugababes), some write depressing dirges and some write screenplays that fit into 3 minutes and 29 seconds. Not the screenplay for a Hollywood blockbuster mind you but for an arthouse classic. "Drinking Gin and Sipping Tea" could easily be the screenplay to a Jim Jarmusch movie. Hey, you can even see Tom Waits having a cameo role in it.

Now this a cautionary tale of moral depravity - "… a man who kissed his cousin will surely lie down with a dozen dirty sailors drinking gin and sipping tea" containing some very neatly drawn characters like Woody who is "… as glory bound as any Oklahoma boy" and smells of "… lye soap, cigarettes and gasoline. Now these are the kind of people that you know exist in your more esoteric movies but you hope that you would never meet in real life. A character called Jimmy Pistolero experiences the dangers of playing with guns and he too is drawn into the spiralling depravity. There is something quite refreshing, however, about it all as there is just too much love in your average song (and that might explain where all the love that should be out in the world has gone) and this redresses the balance. Sharply performed with just the right amount of dark humour, this is the kind of song that kicks off theme parties. You might think that it would be a mean spirited song but that dark humour actually gives it warmth.

Available on their album "Small Town Burning" and on the "Mermaid" EP. Also downloadable as an MP3 from CD Baby.

Mat D and the Profane Saints
Brand New Faith EP
No catalogue number
2007

Following on from last year's rather fine "Small Town Burning", this EP from Mat D and the Profane Saints made a welcome arrival at Bluesbunny Towers. The storyteller again brings us more tales from the underbelly of life.

Redemption remains a strong theme in these songs. The characters are painted vividly in words and music and would fit nicely into a Jim Jarmusch movie, for example. "Betty Got Saved" gives us a potent illustration of the power of a woman to transcend both good and evil. "Bound for Glory" is a musical allegory for the loss of belief and hope that afflicts society today. Despair and emptiness fill the life of the protagonist of this song as he approaches his demise. "This Truck Makes More $$$ After Midnight" plays like Johnny Cash on speed and features some quality licks from new band member Kelli Johnson. One of the characteristics of the best song writing is the way that it creates images in your head as you listen. Mathew DeRiso (aka Mat D) has provided with 5 excellent examples of this art.

No surprises on this release therefore but the Bluesbunny thinks that once you get the taste for it you cannot get enough of this quality of music. Neatly performed and possessing a literacy and warmth of spirit missing from so much music these days, Mat D and the Profane Saints have done themselves proud again. Available by worldwide mail order from CD Baby.

Mat D & the Profane Saints
Small Town Burning
Mary Moe Records
2006

The world needs storytellers. The world needs the kind of people that tell us about that strange, warped world that we live in. People like Johnny Cash, Lee Hazelwood, Tom Waits or even the subject of this review - Mat D. & the Profane Saints. This 10 track album is what you get when Americana meets up with its twisted cousin up a dark alley and lives to tell the tale.

They take us through a living, breathing set of stories that would make a soap opera proud. "Rambling Mary Jane Walker" introduces to the kind of low life characters that inhabit the shadows of every small town. "Bikini Bull Riding" is dedicated to upholding those important things in life namely bikini bull riding, cold beer and those damn, dirty girls. That song took us back to a time when Bluesbunny thought that was all there was on the road to happiness. Life teaches us more lessons as we go through it and that is also the case with this album. "My Soul to Blame" is a cautionary tale of what happens when a man meets the wrong woman at the wrong time. Jealousy, infidelity and murder - its all there. If you want redemption then take a listen to the gospel flavoured "You Shall be Free". Our favourite was the wryly moral "Drinking Gin and Sipping Tea". You have to hand it to this band. They take us on a walk through the wild side armed only with black humour and musical verve.

All the drama of life and love on one CD and just like a soap opera, once you get started you just get addicted to it. This was indeed the case here and the Bluesbunny immediately broke out the credit card and bought as much of the band's back catalogue as he could find. It is safe to say that we recommend that you do the same starting with this album.

'Small Town Burning...' full of saints and sinners
By John Quinlan, Journal staff writer

Most people call it Roots Rock, and the roots are clearly visible in Mat d. and the Profane Saints' first album, "Small Town Burning..."

"Hillbilly haiku" is what one critic labeled Mat d.'s songs.

There's a little Johnny Cash here, some Tom Petty there, more than a touch of Bob Dylan and generous nods to other rock, country, folk and blues influences, such diverse performers as Steve Earle, Woody Guthrie, Robert Johnson, Tom Waits, Bob Seger, John Hiatt and Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds.

But then Sioux City's Mat d. (AKA Matthew de Riso) puts his own stamp on it, making each a Mat d. song, unique but rooted.

The album's compelling but dark murder song, "My Soul to Blame," owes its life to Cave and Cash and a myriad of country singers who have penned murder ballads over the past 100 years.

"Well you know that I loved her, but I had to kill her. This old heart of mine couldn't take the pain," he sings. "Now she's leaving with Satan on a ghost train to nowhere. And the good lord has no soul but my soul to blame."

While the killer hates the girl who has broken his heart, "at the end it's almost like he's looking to heaven for forgiveness. He's in prison and he's regretting everything that he's done," Mat d. said.

A sad but compelling song, it doesn't exactly glorify the crime.

The album opener, "Rambling Mary Jane Walker," got its name, though not its message, from the Mary Jane candies. "Miss Mary Jane Walker, she's taking notes and sipping wine," he sings. "She's thinking, I've got your money right here, honey, but I don't got the time."

The saints and sinners that populate all of his songs, with names like Lonely Joe Reynolds, Romeo Sanchez, Vagabond Betty and Jimmy Pistolero, are familiar enough to anyone who's ever been in a bar, worked a job or been on a date. Pretty much anybody who's ever lived outside a convent.

The album title came from cut number two, the rollicking "Swivel Town."

"I broke your heart and then I gave it back to you," he sings of two swiveling lovers in a smoldering town full of saints and sinners. "Well you sold your soul, but you only got a buck or two."

"When I'm saying 'small town burning,' I'm kind of referring to the human heart, someone who's burning with romance. So it's more romantic, probably a sexually charged theme. And I think it fit," Mat d. said.

He went through a number of titles, trying to figure out what to call the album, at one time figuring any of the CD's five strongest tracks might work; but he couldn't get away from the image of that small town burning. That hunka burning love Elvis used to sing about.

"Carolina Home Wreckers Blues" is a look at that age-old theme of adultery, presenting a man who is looking for his wife's lover at a bar, revenge on his mind.

"Drinking Gin and Sipping Tea" is an irreverent sailor ballad about Woody Guthrie, CIsco Houston and Jim Longhi while they were in the Merchant Marines during World War II.

"Sweet Louise" is a sad, tender look at Hurricane Katrina and devastated New Orleans.

In a whole different direction is "Bikini Bull Riding," a jaunty ballad that was inspired by a sign Mat d. saw in Las Vegas while on his honeymoon: "Bikini Bull Riding, Cold Beer and Dirty Girls."

It's not a sign anybody could just make up.

"I mean how much more obvious does that get," he said. "Where else in the world are you going to see something like this?"

There is a hint of the old minister-to-be as he sings about "those damned dirty girls" with their bouffant hairstyles, thick makeup and discount lipstick. Not that the girls get all the blame, what with the good old boys not seeming to mind that these girls happen to be someone else's sisters and daughters.

Most of his songs come from what Mat d. sees in the environment, especially fringe Americana elements like the carnival sideshow, and his own life experiences, such as broken relationships.

One song, "The Full Gospel Motel," came to him one day when he drove past the Gospel Mission on his way home from work. "And it's nothing against the Gospel Mission. I'm not trying to be filthy or dirty or anything like that," he said. "But you know, just to kind of write a sleazy love song. You've got the people that are down and out. They need loving, too."

His songs could come from from anywhere. But like many a country song, he sticks to the age-old themes -- life, death, love, sex, God and the Devil.

Mat d. wrote all the music on acoustic guitar. Then he passed a 4-track recording around to the other musicians. And if they liked the songs, Mat and the other Profane Saints -- (Name Removed), Kurt Mullins, Jeff Deignan and Bob Larson -- would get together, rehearse the song for a month, than record it. Drummer Deignan starts laying down the tracks, and the rest of the guys build it up from there, bringing their own touches to each song.

Mat d. did most of the background vocals himself, though the other guys did contribute.

"Incredibly enough, most of the stuff was one or two takes," he said.

Then, post-album, the Saints went their own ways.

The reborn Profane Saints, with Deignan, Mullins and Kelli Johnson, formerly of Rhythm Jacks and Element," will begin rehearsing soon and resurrecting the Saints as a full-fledged band early next year.

Mat d. orders the albums from Disc Makers, one of many manufacturers who work with independent recording artists. He buys them in quantities of 100 and sells them on his Web site, CDBaby, iTunes, Rhapsody and about two dozen other sites that allow him to do so.

He also did all of the packaging and artwork.

"I think packaging, marketing is just as important as what's on the CD," he said. "You put out a good product ... people are going to listen to it."

“Small Town Burning” has all the right rough edges
Posted by Jim Pipkin at October 22, 2006 09:12 PM

Let’s face it, there are thousands and thousands of indie acts out there. They all have a CD or three to sell from the stage, and while they might deliver a decent show live, the recording never seems to measure up. This is not the case with “Small Town Burning”, which will be officially released October 28 at Sweet Fanny’s Pub in Sioux City, Iowa.

Ever hear the expression “Saturday night in Sioux City?” Well, here we go!

I found Mat d. and the Profane Saints while surfing the web, at a little hole-in-the-wall website where folks can post their tunes. With network radio firmly in the pocket of organized crime, music associations forming exclusive cliques as fast as they can get organized, and public radio long lost to lite jazz and classical, in my opinion the internet has become the last refuge of real music. If you avoid MySpace, YouTube, and other free networking sites just because they are free (or because they are owned by corporate drones with massive egos and tiny genitalia), you have only yourself to blame. You are, in effect, waiting to be spoon-fed rather than going out and grazing for yourself. Where’s the fun in that? Let me hop down off this soapbox and get to work.

“Small Town Burning” is a quirky trip to the wrong side of town, a low-budget powerhouse cobbled together with spit, baling wire, and a few missed truck payments. There is no title track on the disc, but any one of five or six strong offerings on it could do the job. I’m going to walk through it cut by cut, because each one has a unique story to tell. Here’s the door – watch your step now, and stop for a second just inside to let your eyes adjust to the dark. Man, does this place smell funky!

Our visit starts out with a scratchy, needle-popping intro into “Rambling Mary Jane Walker”, a tune filled with odd characters and double entendre that, according to Mat, was inspired by a Mary Jane candy wrapper. There’s a primitive stream of consciousness thing going on here – hillbilly haiku, broken people who limp on despite the damage. You laugh out loud one second, shake your head the next, with a beat that will get you up dancing.

From this we jump right into “Swivel Town”, a hoppin’ lick again populated with sweaty, gyrating tough nuts from across the tracks. The brief images really stick here, and create some very strong impressions. You’ll swear you’ve been in this place before, and you probably have if you’re tough enough.

I’d like to comment at this point that these tracks are by no means polished – and they couldn’t care less. They stand on their own, with all the right rough edges, and kick butt like sailors on nickel beer night.

That said, we move on to “Carolina Home Wrecker’s Blues”. This song knocked my socks off, because it reminded me of a brawl around the abandoned gas pumps at the Silver Dollar Saloon in Apex, North Carolina one night long ago and far away. A great, gritty anthem, with emotion in it as real as a bullet hole.

One of my personal favorite verses on the whole project comes up next, in “My Soul to Blame”:

“Well I had me a woman – the cold bitch was evil
Wore her hair like some pin-up girl straight outta Hell
We drove around in her Caddy, she called me her daddy
And we did things in private that I’ll never tell”

Those of you who know me must realize that this is a departure. I’m pretty straight laced, and don’t generally hold with strong language in a song. That’s because obscenity is usually a cheap trick, but in this case it rang true. Call me fickle, but “My Soul to Blame” held together from first note to last, not a hint of insincerity.

No sojourn in the rough-stubbled civic underbelly would be complete without stopping by the mission for a free meal. “You Shall Be Free” came out of the corner swinging, a soulful gospel tune, but just what sorta gospel are we talking about here? It was only a brief stop, just long enough to get some soup and a few slices of stale white bread, and then we’re headed back down the street to another strange tale.

“Drinking Gin and Sipping Tea” is an irreverent tribute to Cisco Houston and Woody Guthrie through the eyes of their sailor pal Jim Longhi, possibly one of the strongest and least sappy I’ve heard. Cisco and Woody and Jim were all hard cases, and they deserve a hard tune or two to remind us that the folks who now profess to carry on their legacy would not, for the most part, have made it through a single afternoon with them. They were fighters to a man, and this song trots that right out.

Thirsty? Horny? Here’s your sign. “Bikini Bull Riding” is a hot and slippery slice of Americana apple pie, especially for those of us who have lived and worked near Las Vegas. There’s something about coming in from a hard nasty job and having the chance to party with some hard nasty women…a little sadness, too, because there’s nothing real about it. At the same time it is as real as it gets, as real as you can expect to find. So you swallow your pride, dig into your wallet, and raise a little Cain before crawling back down the hole.

New Orleans ain’t dead yet, but “Sweet Louise” would be a decent dirge if it ever went under for good. “From the rusty shores of Freedom, to the graveyards down below, I heard the city of New Orleans died a long, long time ago.” There are lots of things not being said in polite company about the aftermath of Katrina, but then you’re not in polite company right now, are ya?

“Full Gospel Motel” delivers a street-weary stab at intimacy in a tumbledown old religious retreat fallen onto hard times. Ten dollars will rent some clean sheets for an hour.

“They got beer at the counter, and ashtrays with pictures of martyrs
Every cheap cigarette and knickknack that money can buy”

This comes as close to a love song as it gets on this disc. Take it or leave it, I’ll spring for the room. Wanna beer? Ahh, romance.

The disc closes with “Sideshow”, so we’re leaving just as the party gets started. This is one wild ride, with some unprintable lyrics and smoking guitar held together by sheer willpower. Did he just say “chicks with dicks”?? Nah, couldn’t be…

So there it is, “Small Town Burning”, my own personal pick for the raunchiest, most honest, bright and sincere new indie Americana disc I’ve heard this year. I think it puts anything coming over the airwaves to shame. It could never get past those reptilian stuffed shirts in the boardroom to get on the air. That’s okay. I wouldn’t want those weenies in my bar, and I certainly don’t want them anywhere near my music.