Matthew Friedberger
Encyclopedia
Matthew Friedberger is half of the indie rock
duo The Fiery Furnaces
. In the band he contributes the majority of the instrumentation, writes most of the songs and lyrics and occasionally sings. His sister, Eleanor Friedberger
, does most of the vocals and writes some lyrics.
album.
Matthew has been a vegetarian since childhood.
The first song Matt ever wrote was in fourth grade. He was assigned to make a weather barometer for class but didn't feel like doing that, so instead he convinced his teacher to let him write a song on the piano about weather. The song was titled “Cumulous Nimbus Cloud” and was what Matt describes as "mostly pounding on the piano".
Prior to starting The Fiery Furnaces, Matthew Friedberger played in bands including Corndolly, Liquorette, The Mezzanines and The Grand Vizars.
At the age of 17, Matthew moved to Germany
only to return shortly thereafter. He attended the University of Illinois for a while and continued to live there, writing comic books, until the age of 26 when he moved back home. It was after moving home that he encouraged Eleanor to start singing. The two wrote the song Duffer St. George one night while discussing a recent trip Eleanor took to England (there's a London store by the same name) and The Fiery Furnaces began.
Aside from his work with The Fiery Furnaces, Friedberger released a two-disc solo album, titled Winter Women and Holy Ghost Language School
by 859 Recordings in August 2006. He dedicated the album to his sister, saying later in an interview, "we dedicated all [the Fiery Furnaces] records to our parents, so I thought it was appropriate that this record be dedicated to Eleanor".
In November 2010, Friedberger revealed that he will release eight new albums in 2011 in a vinyl-only subscription series called Solos. The first six albums will ship every two months in 2011 and will each feature Friedberger on vocals accompanied by a single instrument, while the last two will be bonus albums that ship with the final installment and feature "special guests." The first album in the series, Napoleonette, featuring piano, was released on January 18. The second, Meet Me in Marimas, featuring guitar, was released March 15. The third, Old Regimes, was released May 10, featuring the harp. The fourth, Cut It Out, featuring "drums and machines that play drums and things which can be made to sound like drums" was released August 16. The fifth is titled Death-in-Life and will feature the organ, as in a church or classical organ, not a keyboard. It will be released on October 11. It will be the first of the Solos records since Napoleonette to have 10 tracks, two of which share the same name. The sixth and final record is tentatively titled Arrested on Charges of Unemployment and will feature the double bass. Following the release of the sixth album, two entirely new records will be released. These will not feature only one instrument. One of them is said to be a rock album, the other is a story record.
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
duo The Fiery Furnaces
The Fiery Furnaces
The Fiery Furnaces are a U.S. indie rock band formed in 2000 in Brooklyn, New York. The band's primary members are Matthew and Eleanor Friedberger. The siblings are originally from Oak Park, Illinois, a near-western suburb of Chicago.- Band biography :...
. In the band he contributes the majority of the instrumentation, writes most of the songs and lyrics and occasionally sings. His sister, Eleanor Friedberger
Eleanor Friedberger
Eleanor Friedberger is part of the indie rock duo The Fiery Furnaces with her brother Matthew Friedberger. In the band she contributes the majority of the vocals both on record and during their live performances. Eleanor grew up singing with her grandmother, Olga Sarantos and family in a Greek...
, does most of the vocals and writes some lyrics.
Background and career
Matthew and Eleanor grew up singing with their grandmother Olga Sarantos and family in a Greek Orthodox Church. Details of events in Sarantos' life are depicted on the Rehearsing My ChoirRehearsing My Choir
-References:...
album.
Matthew has been a vegetarian since childhood.
The first song Matt ever wrote was in fourth grade. He was assigned to make a weather barometer for class but didn't feel like doing that, so instead he convinced his teacher to let him write a song on the piano about weather. The song was titled “Cumulous Nimbus Cloud” and was what Matt describes as "mostly pounding on the piano".
Prior to starting The Fiery Furnaces, Matthew Friedberger played in bands including Corndolly, Liquorette, The Mezzanines and The Grand Vizars.
At the age of 17, Matthew moved to Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
only to return shortly thereafter. He attended the University of Illinois for a while and continued to live there, writing comic books, until the age of 26 when he moved back home. It was after moving home that he encouraged Eleanor to start singing. The two wrote the song Duffer St. George one night while discussing a recent trip Eleanor took to England (there's a London store by the same name) and The Fiery Furnaces began.
Aside from his work with The Fiery Furnaces, Friedberger released a two-disc solo album, titled Winter Women and Holy Ghost Language School
Winter Women and Holy Ghost Language School
Winter Women and Holy Ghost Language School are two albums by Matthew Friedberger of The Fiery Furnaces recorded, unlike The Fiery Furnaces records, without his sister Eleanor Friedberger. Though two separate albums, they were released together as a double album by 859 Recordings in August 2006...
by 859 Recordings in August 2006. He dedicated the album to his sister, saying later in an interview, "we dedicated all [the Fiery Furnaces] records to our parents, so I thought it was appropriate that this record be dedicated to Eleanor".
In November 2010, Friedberger revealed that he will release eight new albums in 2011 in a vinyl-only subscription series called Solos. The first six albums will ship every two months in 2011 and will each feature Friedberger on vocals accompanied by a single instrument, while the last two will be bonus albums that ship with the final installment and feature "special guests." The first album in the series, Napoleonette, featuring piano, was released on January 18. The second, Meet Me in Marimas, featuring guitar, was released March 15. The third, Old Regimes, was released May 10, featuring the harp. The fourth, Cut It Out, featuring "drums and machines that play drums and things which can be made to sound like drums" was released August 16. The fifth is titled Death-in-Life and will feature the organ, as in a church or classical organ, not a keyboard. It will be released on October 11. It will be the first of the Solos records since Napoleonette to have 10 tracks, two of which share the same name. The sixth and final record is tentatively titled Arrested on Charges of Unemployment and will feature the double bass. Following the release of the sixth album, two entirely new records will be released. These will not feature only one instrument. One of them is said to be a rock album, the other is a story record.
Solo albums
- Winter Women and Holy Ghost Language SchoolWinter Women and Holy Ghost Language SchoolWinter Women and Holy Ghost Language School are two albums by Matthew Friedberger of The Fiery Furnaces recorded, unlike The Fiery Furnaces records, without his sister Eleanor Friedberger. Though two separate albums, they were released together as a double album by 859 Recordings in August 2006...
(2006) - Solos (2011)
- Napoleonette (January 2011)
- Meet Me in Miramas (March 2011)
- Old Regimes (May 2011)
- Cut It Out (August 2011)
- Death-in-Life (October 2011)
- Arrested On Charges of Unemployment (January 2012)
- Goodbye Forever (January 2012)
- ArtemisiaArtemisia- Botany :* Artemisia , a genus of plants including the sagebrush and wormwood- Geography :* Artemisia Geyser in Yellowstone National Park* Artemissia, Messinia, a Greek village west of Taygetus mountain in the Peloponnese...
(January 2012)
External links
- iJamming interview Speaking about Pete TownshendPete TownshendPeter Dennis Blandford "Pete" Townshend is an English rock guitarist, vocalist, songwriter and author, known principally as the guitarist and songwriter for the rock group The Who, as well as for his own solo career...
of The WhoThe WhoThe Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend , John Entwistle and Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction... - Pitchforkmedia.com Interview with Matt for Pitchfork Media
- Indiepit Interview