Sneaky Bones Unveils Video For 'When Does It Hit You' + Interview

Seattle's Sneaky Bones, the project of folk songwriter Matthew Bean, returns to Aotearoa this month for an enormous nationwide tour celebrating the release of his third studio album Strangers I've Already Met. Bean made a solo journey around the country last year, but this time around he brings his full band which, as he told UTR assistant editor Annabel Kean, gives the music new life and better captures the recorded songs. Find out many places you can catch the US multi-instrumentalist below, experience his sumptuous new video for 'When Does It Hit You' recorded live in Byron, New York, and get to know the artist in our full interview after that...

Sneaky Bones - NZ Tour

Wednesday 13th November - Southland Musicians Club, Invercargill*
Thursday 14th November - Gin and Raspberry, Wanaka*
Friday 15th November - Grainstore Gallery, Oamaru
Saturday 16th November - Dog With Two Tails, Dunedin*
Tuesday 19th November - Le Cafe, Picton*
Wednesday 20th November - Caroline, Wellington
Thursday 21st November - Sitting Room Sessions, House concert, Napier
Friday 22nd November - East End Cafe, Wairoa
Saturday 23rd November - Nivara Lounge, Hamilton*
Sunday 24th November - Raglan Old School Arts Centre, Raglan*
Wednesday 27th November - The Old Stone Butter Factory, Whangarei*
Thursday 28th November - Leigh Sawmill Cafe, Leigh*
Friday 29th November - The Wine Cellar, Auckland*
Saturday 30th November - Jam Factory, Tauranga*

Tickets available HERE via UTR*

Annabel Kean: Where does the name Sneaky Bones come from?

Matthew Bean: Not the most exciting story but a goodie -- was out at breakfast with a friend in Texas. After a plate of chicken and waffles, she got a small bone stuck in her throat and exclaimed, "ah those sneaky bones." Had a ring to it and here we are. This all happened right when I was moving back to Portland, OR to get a new project going and Sneaky Bones just sort of stuck.

You’re playing quite an extensive tour in New Zealand, what was driving the decision to play so many small town shows?

Well we are down here so might as well make the most of it. I did a big solo tour in March 2018 and wanted to come back with the band. I was lucky to link up with Finn from Second Hand News and this tour sort of came together.

I take it you’re driving around the country, what’s it like in the Sneaky Bones tour van?

That we are! We listen to a lot of records, goof off, sleep, drink coffee, make frequent stops at thrift shops and music stores, and just take it all in. One of the coolest things about driving around the world is you get to pass through a lot of nooks and crannies as well as the major destinations. We still have one or two open seats if you need a ride.

What sort of changes do your songs take on playing with a band compared to your solo performance?

I have been fortunate to tour with a band permanently now. Occasionally Marshall (drummer and vocalist extraordinaire) and I will do duo spots but I have been pretty selective about the way I tour. We definitely capture more of what is on the records with the band and the songs grab new energy and life with bass and drums.

I read that you have a sleep disorder. How does that affect your music making? Do themes of sleep seep into your songwriting?

Sleep is pervasive and I actually have pulled more than a few songs and melodies out of that delirious place between sleep and wakefulness. I think there is a dreamy aspect to my songwriting and it has definitely shaped my life. The fog that comes along with not quite getting restful sleep is fun to pop in and out of.

What’s a genre or style you’d like to explore that you haven’t already?

I've been pretty free with genre in my music. This latest release runs the gamut and I'm not shy of taking on wildly different arrangements or instrumentations to serve a song. Whether or not that creates a cohesive experience for the listener is another story but I like to think my writing and voice weaves the common thread through it all. So maybe a song on the next record will make a new genre leap for me, but I try to focus on the songwriting and let the music land where it may.

Does the title of your album Strangers I’ve Already Met relate to the people you meet while touring? Or is it about something else?

It's about that feeling when you know you've met someone before and you just can't remember where. It's about familiarity in the fog of memory. It's the idea that the world is a lot smaller than it seems. It's the possibility that we might be living in a simulation. It's also the idea that strangers really aren't that strange sometimes and maybe somewhere along the immediate or cosmic timeline you aren't strangers, so don't be a dick. The world is endlessly growing and expanding but even through the entropy and chaos, I find the familiar.

Sneaky Bones' third studio album 'Strangers I've Already Met' is available to stream here.