It has been almost a decade since 27-year-old Mat Kearney called Eugene home, but he hasn’t lost touch with his Northwestern roots.
“To a kid from Oregon by way of California/all of this is more than I’ve ever known or seen,” Kearney sings on the title track of his major label debut “Nothing Left To Lose.”
“I’m torn, because everyone always asks me where I’m from and I always say I’m from Eugene, Oregon, but I live in Nashville, so I’m kind of claiming both places right now,” Kearney said. “When I come home to Oregon, it’s like it fulfills a place in me that no place can because it just feels the most like home.”
Kearney attended college at Chico State University in Chico, Calif., before moving to Nashville, Tenn., with a friend at age 21.
Now Kearney is coming home to Eugene as part of his national tour to perform at WOW Hall tonight.
“It’s kind of come full circle that I’m playing a show at the WOW Hall, because I used to go watch the (Cherry Poppin’) Daddies there,” Kearney said. “It’s interesting that I’m actually playing a show there.”
Kearney’s poppy musical style and textured voice have drawn comparisons to sensitive songwriters such as John Mayer and Jason Mraz, but Kearney raises the bar by bringing his own musical hybrid of acoustic guitar, spoken word and hip-hop to the mix. Kearney wasn’t very into the Eugene music scene while he lived here, at least as an artist, but he acknowledges that growing up in this town helped him develop his sense of creativity.
“I think that growing up in Eugene gave me an appreciation for art and music. I was taught that growing up and going to South Eugene High School,” Kearney said. “I didn’t start really getting into writing music until I was in college, but I think growing up in that environment obviously contributed to my eclectic tastes and the eclectic music that I make.”
Life after Eugene was also a big influence on the young songwriter. After Kearney’s junior year in college, a friend asked him to help him move to Nashville where he had plans to get into music production. Kearney and his friend packed up a truck and made their way across the country, sleeping on a mattress in the bed of the truck.
“We showed up in Nashville and got a really ghetto apartment, infested with mice and cockroaches and the ceiling was caving in,” Kearney said. “I was only supposed to stay a month, but during that month we set up a studio and started recording some demos. I just couldn’t leave, and I ended up sticking around Nashville, and I’ve been there for five years now.”
The country-music capital opened its doors to Kearney, who began writing songs and showcasing his talents at a local songwriters’ night, which helped Kearney develop and perfect his talents.
“Nashville is amazing because you’re living in the shadow of such great songwriters, like Johnny Cash and Emmylou Harris and Patty Griffin and people like that,” Kearney said. “There’s just such a high standard of songwriting that it’s hard not to be influenced and challenged by it.”
Kearney’s faith is another element that has influenced his music. His first album, “Bullet,” which was recorded independently in 2004, was licensed to Inpop Records, a small Christian music label. While Kearney didn’t have any intention of aiming his songs to a specific genre, he was pleased to see his music find a home in the ears of the Christian community.
“The label had a lot of ties in the Christian and gospel music world, but the record wasn’t really created for just that market,” Kearney said. “But it was cool to see it take off in that world.”
Lyrics from “Nothing Left To Lose” are many times up to interpretation by the listener, but there is an undeniable undertone of religion via metaphor.
“My faith is a huge part of who I am, and it’s been a source of strength and encouragement and it’s the way I view life. So, my music is immensely influenced by and deals with my faith, but I wouldn’t say that it’s meant for any specific genre of people,” Kearney said. “I think that the way that I understand my faith is that it kind of meets everyone where they’re at and that’s kind of my story. I didn’t intend for my music to exist in small circle, I meant for it to span across all avenues.”
Catch Kearney tonight at the WOW Hall, with Joshua Radin and Justin King. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. with a showtime of 7 p.m. Tickets are $10 in advance and $12 at the door. For more information on Kearney, visit www.matkearney.com or www.myspace.com/matkearney.