It’s been an interesting few years for Portland-based singer, songwriter and all-round musical journeyman M. Ward. Over the course of a career that has so far spanned seven solo albums, numerous collaborations with like-minded tunesmiths and playing with Monsters Of Folk, Tired Pony and She & Him, he’s never been as in demand as right now. And while some commentators have declared that his popularity has spiked due to his work with Hollywood actress and all-round queen of the kooks Zooey Deschanel (as part of the aforementioned She & Him side-project) the 38-year-old performer believes that his current success is down to good old fashioned elbow grease.

“I’ve been lucky,” considers the soft-spoken singer. “Every record has sold more than the one before it and it’s been a nice, slow arc. I couldn’t be happier. I’ve also got some good management behind me and I love working with record labels that don’t plaster my face over bus stop benches and things like that.”
Currently gearing up for a tour of America in support of his just-released seventh slab of wax A Wasteland Companion, Matt tells Hot Press he felt like the time was right to release a follow up to ‘09’s Hold Time.
“I’m constantly writing,” he begins. “However, I only feel the need to make a record when I’ve a finished batch of like 20 or 25 songs and that was the case for this record. When I’m writing, I don’t automatically know where the music ends up. Normally I try to find songs that fit together in some way and if they can get along with each other then they make it onto the same album. Most of these ones on A Wasteland Companion are three to five years old. There’s a few that are a little bit older, as well as a couple of covers.”
Recorded in eight different studios around the world, A Wasteland Companion is an unashamedly old-school album that sees M. perfectly play the role of the lonely hearted jukebox Romeo. As well as original material, he decided to perform versions of ‘I Got Ideas’ by Louis Armstrong and ‘Sweetheart’ by Daniel Johnston.
“Those two are geniuses and I like covering geniuses sometimes,” says M. “When it comes to Daniel’s music, I think it’s just a matter of time before everyone hears his back catalogue and then everyone will be recording his songs. They’re just too good not to cover.
“Over the last ten years I’ve been invited to a lot of different studios in America and Europe and this was the record where I made the time to do,” he continues. “I tend to prefer studios that are a little rough around the edges. The places that feel a little bit like your friend’s living-room are the ones that I feel comfortable in.”
Constantly laying ideas down on his battered old Tascam four-track recorder (“I’ve been using it since high-school,” he remarks. “It’s my trusty steed. I actually like pressing rewind and hearing the tape spin back”) Matt tells us that while his main focus is on his seventh solo effort for the time being, his She & Him side-project is still very much alive and kicking.
“Well, Zooey’s really busy with her TV show New Girl. She’s always writing songs too,” concludes Ward. “I don’t know when it will happen, but there’ll definitely be some new She & Him material out there at some stage. She’s got such a great, pure voice and it’s always fun making music with her and that’s something I’m sure will continue in the future.”