Artist/Band: The Meteor Shower
Music Genre : Rock
Other : Indie
Websites or Social Media Pages
The Meteor Shower
July 2020
My name is Matthew Hall, and I formed the band ‘The Meteor Shower’ in 2013 with a view to a live group recording and playing the many songs I have written – and continue to write – and as a vehicle for doing gigs and performing the songs of other members of the band.
I have been enjoying music for as many years as I can remember. I began to listen to records properly in the early to mid 1970s and as a kid, enjoyed Pop (Elton John, Alice Cooper, Rod Stewart) and then grew into more Progressive stuff (King Crimson, Led Zeppelin, Procul Harum) and as the decade grew on, into Punk Rock (Pistols, Clash et al) and, later, Dexys.
There are definite themes from these early groups which both enthralled and influenced me. The arrogance and chutzpah of Dexys creating a new music with its trombones and saxophones; the intricate instrumentation and guitar skills of King Crimson; as well as the carefully honed songwriting skills of Elton John and Procul Harum
All of these past influences have informed my choices in songwriting and as a result of all this, I do feel I have pretty broad tastes in music, both in listening and writing. I have continued through the successive decades to continue to listen to contemporary music (The Black Keys, The Maccabees, Nada Surf, Bombay Bicycle Club, Sports Team, English Teacher). I’ve also developed new tastes from the decade I was born in, the 60’s (notably The Beach Boys) music of which I was unaware at the time but which later fascinated me with its beautiful & intricate harmonies 🙂 Indeed I would probably (hopefully !) enjoy my music as a listener as well as composer.
The band itself – though not currently playing live – comprises myself, Matthew Hall (Lead & Rhythm Guitar, Vocals), Paul Greening (Bass, Vocals), Roger Sampson (Drums) and a Keyboards and Rhythm Guitarist / lead vocalist (yet to be named). Both Roger and Paul have written material for The Meteor Shower which will certainly be forming part of the repertoire
The songs themselves, and most notably the lyrics, have a fairly idiosyncratic or unusual feel to them but hopefully not so quirky to discourage listeners. The music, as I have alluded to already, borrows from a number of influences but do have a distinctive personal feel as well as an authoritative band stamp on them.
There are now a total of eight albums by The Meteor Shower and work is in progress on a ninth.The current album is entitled ‘Funfair’ which includes remixes / remasters from the preceding EP named ‘It’s the Hope that Kills You’. The band also have a dedicated website which features not only our own songs, but also material from one or two other bands and songwriters whom we have known and sometimes worked with. The site also features a video put together by Roger Sampson.
It is hoped that the band can soon start to rehearse with a view to doing some live gigs, locally in the south London area to begin with.
The future is of course an unknown, but our intention is to not only continue writing and rehearsing, but also to publicise and popularise the band and the songs, and to increase our presence on social media and beyond.
The music industry is more than ever, a crowded field and I am aware that in order to be successful in the current day, it is not only necessary to have a good repertoire of songs, but also to have a strong on-line presence and a good relationship with our followers. This is something I have had to learn, since my skills were (and are!) primarily the writing and recording area.
We would be delighted for you to have a listen to our music and to visit the band’s website. There is also a blog where you can contribute to any debate surrounding the band – or indeed to music or life in general – as well as an on-line form to contact any of the band members.
We wish you all the best.
Matthew Hall and The Meteor Shower
Matthew Hall,
What Musical Genre Do You Feel Best Describes Your Music And How Would You Describe Your Sound?
I would say Rock / Indie probably best describes my musical genre, though I have done music that falls outside this, for instance some orchestral type music. Generally though it is guitar, vocals, drums & keyboards. I tend to write the music that I think I would listen to myself if that makes sense
How Did You Get Your Name? Is There A Story?
I chose the name The Meteor Shower since I thought it was so memorable and catchy really. I had names for previous groups like ‘Boys in the Corner’ but my present day identity is The Meteor Shower and I am pleased to stick with it…
What Are or Have Been Your Musical Influences?
Many and various really. I love 60’s music including Beach Boys, Kinks, Rolling Stones, Small Faces & the Kinks though I was too young to acknowledge or appreciate it at the time ! I also loved 1970’s David Bowie, Rod Stewart & Elton John plus a time when I followed Punk. Some current artists that immediately come to mind are Black Keys, Elbow, English Teachers – though I feel sure I have missed loads. Too many influences to mention really
What Are You Working On Now? Any Future Collaborations We Can Look Forward To?
Just started a new album following fast on the heels of my current album ‘Funfair’ (which itself featured new mixes of songs from the EP ‘It’s the Hope that Kills You’ – I don’t waste time…) I’m hoping to continue to engage other musicians in my own material (with full credits) as well as performing as a guitarist or singer on musical projects with others
What Is Your Ultimate Goal In The Music Industry? What Is Your Plan Of Action?
My ultimate goal would be to become an recognised and acknowledged songwriter and guitarist ! It is so frustrating writing music only for it to gather dust in a CD on the shelf or an unused file on a computer. I also hope to expand musical projects to include ever more ambitious material with current musical technology which would hopefully inspire others
What Is Your Favorite Track To Perform Live and Why?
I do love performing stuff from one of my early albums called ‘Unromance’ since this used horns and we were able to perform live with a saxophonist which made it especially interesting – ‘Thoughts about Leaf Mould’ was and probably still is my favourite live track. I am trying to resurrect live playing which of course ran into problems in Covid time – not to mention the usual lively band bust-ups and politics…
What Has Been The Biggest Challenge In Your Career Thus Far?
Two that come to mind – one was in the early days pre-digital mixing when I had to mix a complex song single handedly which involved 60 fader moves and/or mutes etc within a 3 minute song. Eventually I completed all to my satisfaction though I was almost delusional by the end of it. A second was doing a live gig where I did singing, rhythm guitars and all lead at the same time remembering lyrics. I don’t know how Paul Weller managed it. Recently promotion has been my bugbear
What’s Your Typical Songwriting Process?
Usually the music and chords / riffs come first before the lyrics. I know for many writers this is the reverse of the way they do it. In order to get variety in my tunes, I choose a selection of chords within the keys (and sometimes outside the keys) and piece them together various ways until I chance upon a chord progression I like. Alternatively I’ll play a lead riff on guitar and see how that sounds against various chords. Then the lyrics…I have many subjects I like to have a view about – mostly personal / social and occasionally political if I think I can add to the mix !
How Has Social Media Influenced Your Career As An Artist?
Very much – I realise the rise of social media (together with home producing and promotion) has made the entire music industry much more competitive but I tend to think the quality is not always better honestly. Plus so many AI programs exist telling you to write catchy hooks but I find the music produced has become less interesting – and may continue to become more flat and homogenized in the future. I find self-promotion quite difficult, but it is a necessity in the present day, so I try and keep myself up on the latest changes
What Are Some Tracks and Artists Currently On Your Playlist?
I have large playlists made up of many artists which I tend to play back on random shuffle. I still like to sometimes go back to old songs like Pet Sounds by the Beach Boys or Exile on Main St by the Stones but I listen to both current day artists like Sports Team, The :Lemon Twigs etc as well as all bands in-between, REM for instance or The Charlatans. It’s a difficult question to answer really because I like so much – an embarrassment of riches I guess
What Did You Do Before You Started Making Music?
I learnt guitar at school and have continued playing and writing ever since, but for the bulk of my working life I was a Housing Surveyor. It was a job I enjoyed and served me well. But when the organisation started firing & rehiring, I decided to get out early (which transpired to be a good choice) to concentrate on making music. Since the entire music industry is so volatile & ever-changing, I have had to pursue other occupations to keep a roof over my head !
Any Advice For Young People (Men or Women) That Want To Succeed In The Music World?
Not really other than to just persevere really. It is sometimes discouraging particularly at the present time – there is an entire industry of people wanting to advise you for a substantial fee . I have personally found social media advisers to be unsatisfactory in the past, steering me at much expense in a direction I didn’t want to go. Plus the playlists and follows are often misleading and artificial but there is so much faith still put in them. On a positive note, I would say try all ways to persevere if you have good ideas. Good music must never be buried
What Would You Change In The Music Industry If You Were A Top Music Executive?
Probably nothing at all to be honest. Being a top director is a means to a very wealthy (though often dishonest…) living. I imagine top executives benefit from homogenising music and reducing all songs to four chords. I think music has got simpler but not better over the last 30 years for this reason. This may be unfair on music executives – there may be some that support & encourage good music (and can make money from it) but to be honest, there’s not much evidence
How Do You Feel About Originality?
Very strongly – that’s not to say I don’t encourage inspiration from earlier music – that has been going on since pop music first appeared as Rock n Roll in the 50’s, and musical influences are a good thing. But it is so important that new music has originality in all forms – chord changes, instrumentation, production and lyrics. Just re-cycling old stuff verbatim is pointless. I was advised quite recently (on an online music course) that organisations requesting submissions by would-be artists, merely advised them to change the order of the chords of a suggested song, and little else to avoid plagiarism – how depressing !
Is There Anything Else We Should Know About You Or That You Would Like to Add?
Any positive suggestions to make music more – not less – accessible to songwriters in future would be a good thing. It might even encourage listeners (Spotify etc) to be more experimental with music. This opportunity to get my own songs heard – and my views shared in this interview – have been a Godsend, and hopefully can lead to something without the need to acquire thousands of streams and likes. Thank you so much