You won’t find Michael Matera playing live shows or living that rock’n’roll lifestyle. Instead, it’s more likely to find him in the studio experimenting with his own sound. Heavily influenced by legendary Cure his approach to music is as free as it can get. He writes whenever he feels like writing and his only goal is to express himself and enjoy being creative. Here’s what he shared in this Drooble interview.

Hello! Tell the world about yourself. How did you become a musician?

I started playing the guitar when I was around 18 years old. My parents always had music playing in the house and I remember my dad having one of those big 1970s Hi-Fi sound systems with massive speakers, a turntable and a reel to reel tape machine… I probably didn’t know how to use it at the time but it was laying the groundwork so to speak.

Please, introduce your current musical projects.

My current release called “Looking Down” fills a longer gap between other releases but still holds a similar overall theme in the sound. I imagine if you like any of my older releases this one should fit in nicely.

How do you find the drive and inspiration to keep going all this time?

Oh well, I have my moments of writer’s block or whatever you call it. It’s hard to say when or where the urge to make music will pop up. I just let it happen and usually don’t try and force anything as it usually isn’t any good that way.

How is your local music scene?

I don’t play out and I guess you can call me a studio musiciant. My style of music makes it fairly difficult to translate it to a live performance.

What is your all-time favorite record and how did it change you as an artist?

Oh.. hmmm… I definitely can’t just pick one. I have so many favorites. Maybe the Cure’s “Disintegration”. I take a lot of influence from their sound I would say.

What are your favorite software and hardware tools for music production?

Well, I have been a Logic Pro user for a long long time. I’m used to the workflow so it seems natural to me to say it’s my favorite piece of music production tools. Other than that I use my guitars and maybe more specifically the Fender Bass VI. Yes, again it’s that Cure influence I’ve mentioned before. I can’t get away from it.

What is your songwriting process like?

I just see what sticks usually things start off as a sketch and I add layers to develop it and see where it takes me. I have no set idea prior to sitting down to write.

Which is your most memorable live shows and why?

Must have been the sold out show in Dodger Statium I did back in 1975… Oh wait that wasn’t me that was Elton John… Sorry, I don’t play live very often haha.

What is your biggest musical goal?

I just do this for fun and as long as I am having fun and enjoying what I do I’ll keep making music.

How has being on Drooble helped you as a musician?

I don’t have any examples of that yet. Maybe this interview or a positive comment here and there will help me improve myself in what I do.