I’ve just gotten a ticket to see Tallest
Man on Earth. He’s one of those artists that I put on nearly every mix CD I
give to anyone ever because he simply needs to be heard. After I give them a
day to listen to the CD (a reasonable amount of time I think), I ask them what
they think. And they liked it. They also probably ask if he’s “really that
tall”. Sorry to disappoint but no. It’s actually more of a metaphor.
Just now I’ve googled Tallest Man on Earth.
Wikipedia:
“Kristian Matsson (born April 30, 1983) is a singer-songwriter Dalarna, Sweden. Since 2006, he has released three full-length albums and two EPs. He performs under the stage name The Tallest Man on Earth, despite not being unusually tall.” (ßdo you see what I mean?)”
(Wikipedia also educated me that he’s married to another artist named Amanda Bergman who uses the alias ‘Idiot Wind’. I promptly youtube her and like what I hear.)
The page is pretty small. I notice there’s an official website! The website has two links. Store and a Myspace. On the store are two t-shirts. On the myspace are all his songs, very few pictures and a blog. This blog hasn’t been updated since 2010. And I applaud all of this. He isn’t a performer that has exploited himself to appeal to people. He doesn’t have interviews where he gushes about which ice cream flavor is his favourite or the bad acne he had in junior high. Because that’s not why he wants people to like him. Maybe that's not even something that interests him. He just plays his music because that’s what he has to do. And he’s lucky enough that he can do that for a living.
I remember seeing Tallest Man in April 2011 in Knox United Church—a modestly sized church in Calgary’s downtown core. In September, he’ll be back in Calgary at the University’s MacEwan space. It’s a bigger space, more crowd interactive and it will probably sell out. While he hasn’t whored himself out to social media, he's still getting recognized. He’s toured with Bon Iver. This kid is ridiculously talented. I had already loved the artist’s music from listening to his albums. The first time I heard his music I was sitting in the Drama Common Room at my University and I tuned everything else out and thought “…what the hell is this?” I certainly don’t believe in love at first sight. But I believe that this must be as close as it gets. His set at Knox was incredible. I already knew his lyrics were thoughtful, and creative, and his music was raw, romantic, complicated but his performance is what separates this artist. He doesn’t talk much. He doesn’t make the wittiest of jokes. He doesn’t tell you to go buy his merchandise. He plays. And when he plays I witness a stunning and admirable quality about him: he plays because of his pure love for music. As though doing anything else with his life would be a betrayal to his better sentiments. And it’s really, really beautiful to see. I left the church with Jon, both of slightly woozy and speechless saying over and over again “Wow, wow, wow!”
So I’m showing him perform a song of his and I hope you listen. I hope you are compelled to listen to another and another. And I hope that his music affects you (as music should). And maybe you'll also be seeing his show at the University in September.
Just now I’ve googled Tallest Man on Earth.
Wikipedia:
“Kristian Matsson (born April 30, 1983) is a singer-songwriter Dalarna, Sweden. Since 2006, he has released three full-length albums and two EPs. He performs under the stage name The Tallest Man on Earth, despite not being unusually tall.” (ßdo you see what I mean?)”
(Wikipedia also educated me that he’s married to another artist named Amanda Bergman who uses the alias ‘Idiot Wind’. I promptly youtube her and like what I hear.)
The page is pretty small. I notice there’s an official website! The website has two links. Store and a Myspace. On the store are two t-shirts. On the myspace are all his songs, very few pictures and a blog. This blog hasn’t been updated since 2010. And I applaud all of this. He isn’t a performer that has exploited himself to appeal to people. He doesn’t have interviews where he gushes about which ice cream flavor is his favourite or the bad acne he had in junior high. Because that’s not why he wants people to like him. Maybe that's not even something that interests him. He just plays his music because that’s what he has to do. And he’s lucky enough that he can do that for a living.
I remember seeing Tallest Man in April 2011 in Knox United Church—a modestly sized church in Calgary’s downtown core. In September, he’ll be back in Calgary at the University’s MacEwan space. It’s a bigger space, more crowd interactive and it will probably sell out. While he hasn’t whored himself out to social media, he's still getting recognized. He’s toured with Bon Iver. This kid is ridiculously talented. I had already loved the artist’s music from listening to his albums. The first time I heard his music I was sitting in the Drama Common Room at my University and I tuned everything else out and thought “…what the hell is this?” I certainly don’t believe in love at first sight. But I believe that this must be as close as it gets. His set at Knox was incredible. I already knew his lyrics were thoughtful, and creative, and his music was raw, romantic, complicated but his performance is what separates this artist. He doesn’t talk much. He doesn’t make the wittiest of jokes. He doesn’t tell you to go buy his merchandise. He plays. And when he plays I witness a stunning and admirable quality about him: he plays because of his pure love for music. As though doing anything else with his life would be a betrayal to his better sentiments. And it’s really, really beautiful to see. I left the church with Jon, both of slightly woozy and speechless saying over and over again “Wow, wow, wow!”
So I’m showing him perform a song of his and I hope you listen. I hope you are compelled to listen to another and another. And I hope that his music affects you (as music should). And maybe you'll also be seeing his show at the University in September.
P.S. Alyssa, please for the love of all that is good in this world do not schedule rehearsal for Thursday September 13th, 2012. You will be down one smitten stage manager.
I'll see what I can do. ;)
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