William Matheny (musician)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

William Matheny
Also known asBilly Matheny
Born (1984-08-10) August 10, 1984 (age 37)
Mannington, West Virginia
OriginMorgantown, West Virginia
GenresCountry, rock
Occupation(s)Singer-songwriter
Instrumentsvoice, guitar, keyboard
Years active2004–present
LabelsBar/None Records, Misra Records,
Associated actsSoutheast Engine, The Paranoid Style, Tyler Childers, Rozwell Kid, Vandaveer
Websitewilliammatheny.com

William Matheny (also known as Billy Matheny) is a Morgantown, West Virginia based singer-songwriter. Matheny was also a multi-instrumentalist for Southeast Engine and is currently a keyboardist and guitarist for The Paranoid Style. His musical style has been compared to the likes of Elvis Costello, Nick Lowe, Marshall Crenshaw, and The Modern Lovers’ Jonathan Richman.[1]

Early life[]

Born in 1984 in Mannington, West Virginia, he is the grandson of Mansfield Matheny, lead singer for The Rhythm Rascals.[2] His great-grandfather was a gospel singer and his father was a bluegrass guitarist. Matheny claims to have been performing with bands as a guitarist since the age of nine. He became the drummer of Cheap Truckers’ Speed[3] as a teenager, eventually moving to Morgantown and becoming a musician-for-hire.

Musical career[]

In 2008, Matheny joined the band Southeast Engine as a pianist and organ player.[4] He remained with the band until it went on "indefinite hiatus" at the end of 2012. Since that time, Matheny has continued to serve as a musician for The Paranoid Style (featuring Timothy Bracy of The Mendoza Line and Slow Dazzle) and Todd Burge,[2] among others. He and his band have been writing and recording the album that would eventually become Strange Constellations since 2013.[4] Matheny has appeared on the West Virginia Public Broadcasting program Mountain Stage a total of four times to date, both as a solo artist and as a member of a band.[2]

Current live band members[4][]

  • Adam Meisterhans—guitar
  • J. Tom Hnatow—guitar
  • Bud Carroll—guitar
  • Jeremy Batten—keyboard
  • Ian Thornton—bass
  • John R. Miller—bass
  • Rod Elkins—drums
  • Sean Hallock—drums
  • Clint Sutton—drums

Discography[]

As Billy Matheny[]

  • Billy Matheny (self-released, 2004)[5]
  • Born of Frustration (self-released, 2006) – sometimes credited to "Billy Matheny & The Frustrations"[3][6]

With Southeast Engine[]

  • Canary (Misra Records, 2011)[7]
  • Canaanville (Misra Records, 2012)[8][9]

With The Paranoid style[]

  • The Power of Our Proven System (Misra Records, 2013)[10]
  • The Purposes of Music in General (Misra Records, 2013)[11]
  • Rock & Roll Just Can't Recall (Battle Worldwide Recordings, 2015)[11]
  • Rolling Disclosure (Bar/None Records, 2016)[12]
  • Underworld U.S.A. (Bar/None Records, 2017)[13]

As William Matheny[]

  • Blood Moon Singer EP (self-released, 2016)[4]
  • Strange Constellations (Misra Records, 2017)[14]
  • Moon Over Kenova (Misra Records, 2018)[15]
  • Flashes & Cables/Christian Name 7" (Misra Records, 2018)[16]

References[]

  1. ^ "Left of the Dial: Morgantown musician's songs of observation". Charleston Gazette-Mail. Retrieved December 24, 2016.
  2. ^ a b c Thomas, Joni Deutsch, Nathan. "Front and Center with Morgantown's William Matheny". Retrieved December 24, 2016.
  3. ^ a b Slisz, Carin. "Cheap Truckers' Speed reunites after four years". The Daily Athenaeum. Retrieved December 24, 2016.
  4. ^ a b c d "The Sideman Steps Out". Retrieved December 24, 2016.
  5. ^ "Billy Matheny – Billy Matheny | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved December 24, 2016.
  6. ^ "Born of Frustration – Billy Matheny | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved December 24, 2016.
  7. ^ "Canary – Southeast Engine | Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved December 24, 2016.
  8. ^ "New "Canaanville" EP & T-Shirt Album | Southeast Engine". southeastengine.com. Retrieved December 24, 2016.
  9. ^ "Southeast Engine – "Canaanville"". Misra Records. Retrieved December 24, 2016.
  10. ^ Christgau, Robert (March 27, 2015). "Robert Christgau: Expert Witness – Cuepoint". Medium. Retrieved December 24, 2016.
  11. ^ a b "The Paranoid Style | Biography & History | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved December 24, 2016.
  12. ^ "Album Credits for Rolling Disclosure". paranoidstyle.tumblr.com. Retrieved December 24, 2016.
  13. ^ "An Interview with the Paranoid Style's Elizabeth Nelson | The Weeklings". theweeklings.com.
  14. ^ "LISTEN: William Matheny, 'Blood Moon Singer'". The Bluegrass Situation. November 18, 2016. Retrieved December 24, 2016.
  15. ^ Frahm, Jonathan (March 1, 2018). "William Matheny Sees 'Strange Constellations' in His New Track, "Moon Over Kenova" (premiere), PopMatters".
  16. ^ "William Matheny Covers Centro-matic's "Flashes And Cables" " American Songwriter". American Songwriter. August 29, 2018. Retrieved September 4, 2018.

External links[]

Retrieved from ""