For Matt Olivera, one of the most important things that has happened to him in life was leaving Argentina and coming to Barcelona in 2002. "As a result of that, I was able to take the idea of making a living from music more seriously, which in Argentina seemed like an unattainable dream. There I was surrounded by very talented musicians with much more experience than me, who were working their hearts out trying to subsist on their art and couldn't. A country in eternal crisis sharpens ingenuity and creativity, but it doesn't fill the stomach. And here I saw that it was possible, that venues were filling up and, most importantly, musicians were getting paid! That motivated me a lot to form a group and continue with my music."
A dream he has nurtured since he can remember. "Other children played soccer and wanted to be Maradona, while I played my toy guitar and imagined myself singing in front of an audience. Which became a reality when I turned fifteen and formed my first punk rock band with high school classmates. From then on, I couldn't stop playing."
He arrived early at the Bar, driven by a life "that has led me to be an early riser out of obligation and not out of devotion" and, after ordering a black coffee without sugar, which is how black coffee is drunk, he has settled for whatever background music is playing, "as long as it's not COPE."
Once in Barcelona, "and after many attempts to find a formula that worked and I liked in equal measure," Matt teamed up with musician Legacaster, also Argentine, and with the legendary and reliable double bassist Daniel Nunes. "We formed the rockabilly trio, Matt and the Peabody Ducks, the band that has given me the most joy and has made me tour stages all over Europe and the United States." With three albums and a single, "the ducks," as he affectionately calls them, enjoy enormous projection in the global scene of vintage rock.
But they are not the only project led by the parishioner, who also captains The Kabooms. These already have two LPs and two singles. The dream of that child who wanted to make R&R has come true.
--- Do you have any news you can tell us about one project or the other?
--- I'm composing songs for Kabooms. It's been a few years since the last work came out and it's time to release something new. We also have an EP with new songs from "the ducks," ready to see the light.
The musician confesses that there are other "minor, but very interesting" projects that are brewing, "but I don't want to talk about them so as not to jinx them. The Italian blood that runs through my veins makes me a bit superstitious!".
Playing with idols… or with their spirits
Proud to have formed "a band that is a reference within the retro-American scene," the regular clarifies that it was something premeditated: "The primary objective of los patos was to reproduce a specific type of sound, faithful to that of the 50s, but with original songs. That the public recognizes it and values us for it is great."
The musician is proud to have formed "a band that is a reference within the retro-American scene"But it's not just a matter of applause that makes Matt love making music. "It has given me the possibility to meet many of my idols and references, I have chatted with them, hummed some songs in the backstage, having had a drink or two after concerts."For him, the most memorable experience was undoubtedly having been part of Johnny Tedesco's band in Spain, "an Argentine musician who began his career in the early 60s and composed great songs that are very important for the early years of R&R in Latin America. In fact, it is said that Rock del Tom Tom, his first and most famous song, is the first song considered rockabilly in Spanish".
Other times, it's having breathed the past steps of admired characters, like when he performed at the American Legion, in the city of Bell Gardens, California, "a venue where Eddie Cochran had frequently played with his Cochran Brothers before his solo career took off in the late 50s. The atmosphere of the place had a certain magic or, well, at least I could feel it!".
Barcelona, with authentic character
The musician Matt Olivera declares himself fascinated by the stories and anecdotes from when the Sixth Fleet roamed Ciutat Vella. "When American sailors disembarking in the port went to the brothels and bars in the area and brought their R&R singles to be played, while they drank and hung out. That's how music on demand was born in the famous Tequila pub. Or those pitched battles that, due to a lost bet or disputes over who would win the affections of a beautiful lady, would break out and in which chairs and bottles flew through the air, which curiously pleased the owners of those dives because the American navy would then compensate them for the damage by paying large sums of money and, with that, they could renovate their premises. From those monumental fights also arose the idea of screwing the bar stools to the floor so they couldn't end up being a blunt object. All this rogue subculture of nocturnal Ciutat Vella seems most interesting to me".
The musician declares himself fascinated by the stories and anecdotes from when the Sixth Fleet roamed Ciutat VellaA remnant of that character is what Matt Olivera found, twenty years ago, when he arrived in Barcelona. "The first time I walked through the Gothic Quarter and the Eixample, I fell in love; it seemed like the most beautiful city I had ever seen in my life.Where I came from, there was nothing remotely similar.Then I got to know the nightlife and the cultural offerings that existed, I started to interact with local people and I was completely smitten."
But over time, as always happens, a more critical and less romantic vision prevailed. "I saw how the city's identity, its personality, was slowly being lost, by destroying the small things that made it unique to turn it into a massive city, a copy of other European cities. Mind you, I'm not saying that when I arrived it wasn't an important tourist destination. It was the time when the city's slogan was la millor botiga del món, but there were still some corners away from the crowd for those who wanted to discover them. I think Barcelona lost something when it became an attraction for a certain type of public and now it seems a little less authentic."
--- Is there an antidote against this process? What can be done to not lose that character?
Matt Olivera finishes his coffee and, while reviewing the Bar's gastronomic offer, to see if something comes up, he finds a convincing answer:
--- One way can be by going to see live music, buying the albums of the bands you like and, in general, collaborating with the work of the artists of this city. I thank those who do it and have always done it. It is because of them that we can continue doing what we love.
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