Matt Kapuchinski is another up and coming musician/composer in the city of angels. Currently he is the lead performer in the band COOL DRY PLACE and recently helped score the independent and well-received movie WAY OFF BROADWAY. Mr. Kapuchinski graciously gave a few moments to share with Maestro Arts & Reviews correspondent Adrian Rennie for an interview regarding exciting happenings in his life and perhaps provide an insight to what qualifies him as an individual on the rise.

Adrian :  Hey Matt - thanks for taking some time out for a chat. You're a member of the band COOL DRY PLACE. How did you become involved with the group?
Matt :  I'd been performing at any coffeehouse I could find in LA with some hired guns but I was really jones'ing to get a real ensemble together.
Adrian :  So you originated it ?
Matt :  Yeah. I was looking for more of a collaborative project so I looked in a local trade magazine called The Music Connection for a drummer
since they're the most difficult to find. They're like  - the white unicorn.  So I spoke to three insane people and then the fourth was Mark since I really liked his ad. And he had just moved to LA and his band hadn't followed him.

Adrian :  So when did COOL DRY PLACE begin? 
Matt :  I'd say we officially began as Cool Dry Place around 2003
Adrian :  For our readers, who are the members of COOL DRY PLACE and what type of music do you fall into ?
Matt :  The members are Mark Nelson - drums, percussion.  Jeremy Nesse - bass, upright, Chapman stick.  Myself. and Amy Oliver  - our newest addition
on keys and voice. I'd say the best description of us is - Indie Rock/Pop.
Adrian :  Nesse was quite impressive, I remember. Who writes your songs?
Matt :  I write the songs but we're trying to be more collaborative as writers and work off each other's ideas in the future as least that's the plan.
Adrian :  Excellent. What has been your favorite song so far?
Matt :  I'd have to say I still really love performing ‘I'm Leaving For Good’ because it's so quirky and seems to get people's attention when we play it.
Adrian :  What performers/songwriters have influenced you?

Matt :  When I really look for inspiration I always go back to the artists that will always be a part of me - The Police, Peter Gabriel, David Bowie, the old classic U2, and then there's the newer stuff like The Postal Service, The Arcade Fire (which I was obsessed with), The Killers. Oh  - Radiohead, Jeff Buckley - can't forget them. Leonard Cohen for lyrics too!
Adrian :  So where can we find COLD DRY PLACE at the moment?
Matt :  We're just about to finish up a residency at a club on the Westside called the Good Hurt (http://www.goodhurt.net) where we've been playing every Monday in March, which has been fantastic.  Alec, one of the owners, has been extremely supportive and it's been such a challenge to come up with new ideas for each week's show. We've also gotten so much tighter as an ensemble.
Adrian :  Where to next ? A return engagement?

Matt :  Yes definitely - late spring or early summer - but for April we've decided to hunker down and cobble out new songs and then do a quick and dirty recording to listen to try to get some distance from the material and see what we can tweak, tighten, tinker with. It'll be another busy month!
Adrian :  Sounds great.  So how did you fall into music? Why does it appeal to you?

Matt :  My Dad played a lot of piano growing up and I think when they asked me if I wanted to take lessons, I said "I want to play guitar."  They got me a guitar which I hated to play since it was so hard and I'd throw tantrums before they'd make me practice - then after playing Hot Cross Buns for the millionth time someone played me Led Zeppelin which changed everything. I remember writing my first song at six. And I think it appeals to some part of me that really enjoys the feeling of singing and the rhythm and self-expression of the whole thing. Also I think it has to do with revealing a side of yourself to people that they wouldn't normally see and you wouldn't normally show them.

Adrian :  Tell us a little about your participation in the indie flick WAY OFF BROADWAY.
Matt :  My good friend Dan Kay wrote and directed it.  He was in New York while he was finishing it, and I was here so he had to get New York-based composers. But he ended up using a lot of singer/songwriter music which fit the tone of the film better than regular score, so I sent him my stuff that I'd been performing at coffeehouses which fit perfectly for one of the scenes. Then when he was in a pinch, I ended up scoring another scene since I knew exactly what he needed and I was able to do it on the fly.
Adrian :  The movie has been well-received. Congrats on your part.
Matt :  Thanks!  Yeah it's very exciting since LA critics are a tough crowd and they've very much embraced it.

Adrian Two more questions.  Where do you see yourself in five years ?

Matt :  I would love to be touring the US or Europe regularly which would be the absolute ideal for me.  To be able to explore a new place and then perform for the people who live there - well it wouldn't get any better than that.
Adrian :  Any words of wisdom/or advice to our readers who are out here pursuing their craft much like yourself?
Matt :  So much of it is just sticking with it and practicing your craft day-to-day.  Life will always creep in but I find that when I work hard the little bursts of creativity come more frequently because I'm open to them.  I've also found that if you stick with something long enough you're bound to get an opportunity to further your career at some point - and then it's just a matter of being ready for that opportunity .
Adrian :   Well thanks for taking the time for a chat. I'm sure we'll be seeing a lot more of you and your band in the near future. Best wishes of success.

Matt :  Thanks so much Adrian - totally my pleasure.  

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