JACK OF ALL GENRES
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Style Weekly Review March 8, 2006
"Musically schizophrenic Matt White and his many projects."
by Christina Couch
Supersized is how Matt White prefers his music. Forget wispy voices and monotone melodies, when it comes to life’s soundtrack, this recent Virginia Commonwealth University grad says there’s nothing like listening large. His fans seem to agree. Sitting at the helm of Richmond’s budding mixed-music scene, White is the mastermind — and in many cases the writer and composer — behind four genre-busting ensembles that range from four players to a grandiose 30. More ear-catching than the sheer immensity of White’s endeavors is the type of music, or rather the lack of a formal type, that’s being played. Big-band horns play funk and gospel-inspired tunes with a nationally recognized clarinetist. The world’s first “soul orchestra” is marked by the sounds of an accordion and mandolin, and one 12-piece group, which incorporates an array of horns and strings in addition to a turntable, has no written notes at all and simply relies on a conductor to make the large-scale improv flow.
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"Patchwork Collective sews up gigs for all types of local musicians"
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Times Dispatch Review Feb 12, 2006
BY PETE HUMES
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER
If you've ever lost a friend, you know the feeling.
One day they're here; the next, they're gone. Just like that, vanished in a cloud of dust kicked up by their rented U-Haul. Next stop: fancy cities with famous names like New York, Chicago and San Francisco.
Scott Burton, Chris Elford and Matt White could care less. They say, let'em go. Good riddance.
For the three musicians, the real action is right here in Richmond. Last April, the trio formed the Patchwork Collective, to "create a community of musicians and artists who devote themselves to creativity and innovation."
What exactly does that mean? For now, it means they organize and promote local live shows for musicians who wouldn't normally get to cut loose with original tunes.
Give collective members an intimate, quirky space like Gallery 5 or ada gallery, and they'll fill it with classical music and jazz.
"A string quartet wouldn't normally have a place to play," said Burton. "But what they do is just as valid as anything else."
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"The Great White Jenkins' Where Is Thy Sting"
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Songs:Illinois Review Friday, October 14, 2005
I love getting completely random music in the mail that has only been heard by a handful of people. The Great White Jenkins are one such band, I received their disc several weeks ago and am only now getting to listen to their music. The Catbird Seat didn't delay (bastard!) like I did, so go there to read what he wrote first.
The new seven song ep is incredibly varied so it's nearly impossible to pin them down with a catch phrase or genre (even a multiword genre like indiefolkrcok). Here's their song "The Proper Words" from their new record Where Is Thy Sting. Let's change the equation and make these guys just a little bit more well known and listened to - purchase here. Visit their MySpace page to download an additional (unreleased) song.
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"The Cross-Pollinators"
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Style Weekly Review Friday, July 13, 2005
In Richmond, knocking down the walls between the disparate groups in the creative community is as hard as knocking down the walls of its historic buildings. The trio behind the Patchwork Collective, Matt White, 22, Scott Burton, 25, and Chris Elford, 22, are setting out, as many have done before them, to knock down a few walls and create a “community through culture,” as Elford puts it. So far, the quest for One Art Scene is beset by the perils of musical head-scratchers, tricky real estate and the practical realities of administrative work.The term “cross-pollination” bobs up often in conversation with the group. White, who approached the other two in April with the idea of forming a collective, says it’s designed to “bring creative music together regardless of genre.” The dream of a unified creative scene in Richmond has gotten into these guys, the vision of an artistic hive of activity in which the flavors of music blend as musicians support one another. And the genre that brought them into the hive is jazz, specifically the more experimental, avant-garde branch that can scare people off just by the label.
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