Musician and Poet Matt Desmond Talks about His Work Philosophy

The problem with poetry is that the poet’s voice is more than often muted by the pen, performance art, and by live music. We as the audience cannot see the delicate words amidst the singing, screaming, and musical instruments used to bring the song to life.

Poets will attest to the fact that writing a poem brings natural feelings of ecstasy, the sensation of twisting spontaneous and powerful emotions into beautiful words. Matt Desmond thinks, writes, reads, edits, and shares, constantly thinking of his craft. But it takes talent to gather all these emotions together in a way that can be understood by anyone.

Matt Desmond is a poet and musician, a creative who has been on the edges of entertainment industry, in one form or another, for over a decade now. He earned his stripes playing and touring in several bands throughout the years. Bands in every genre, from metal band “Rival” to soft-rock indie darlings “The Cigarette Blondes”, until now, venturing out on his own as a solo artist for the first time. For him, it was about creating an authentic legacy for himself. His poetry talent was going to be his tool.

Unknown to many, Matt Desmond is also a freelance marketer in the music industry. He has picked cues and strategies that he is currently using to promote his brand as a musician and poet. At the end of the day, he knows that the content he shares with the audience is what matters. He recently talked about philosophies that guide him during the creative process.

“Don’t be subtle – be dynamic,” a powerful statement that Matt Desmond uses to bring intellectualized emotions and poetics into music. We can all agree that masters of musical emotion can be too simple, and at times, their final presentation might just sound like nothing. This is why Matt Desmond strives to exaggerate his thoughts through writing before bringing them to life.

He adds that poetry, like a flame, needs oxygen to burn brighter and bigger. In the same way, a musician can use their breath to power and fuel their artistry, to purposefully bring words to life. The mission of this type of art is to offer beauty and pleasure to the audience- to exist purely as enjoyment, to excite the senses and mind.

Poetry is all about storytelling. Matt Desmond affirms that he writes music from a place of authenticity, with no influences in mind- just writing what naturally comes out when holding his guitar. He does it without ruining the emotional integrity of a song.

This is a perfect way of transcending from writing poems to writing lyrics and singing. He lets words roll off his lips, tuning his stance to any instrument that might be playing. Mat Desmond finds himself gradually moving from writing to singing to sensuous slow wordplay. He will eventually know when he has found his tune when his bones tingle.

Unlike music, poetry is a mysterious form and power. It is no static form of art, not tied to the page, not a prisoner of paper and ink. Matt Desmond uses this ideology to transcend his poetry to life while merging it with other forms of art that he is familiar with.