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Studio 52 Spotlight: Matthew Stubbs And The Antiguas
What Studio 52 Says: In an effort to revive the almost 60-year-old trend of popular instrumental music, Matthew Stubbs And The Antiguas have put together a psych, blues, and surf rock experience unique unto itself. Drawing from a vast mix of influences, they’ve created a genre completely their own that’s still yet to be named and is, to an extent, unfamiliar to Boston’s scene. By throwing caution to the wind and not fretting over trying to fit within the confines of a single genre, they’ve blazed their own musical trail and built a diverse, loyal, and ever-growing fan base along the way.
Studio 52 talked with Stubbs a bit about how the Antiguas came together and he told us: “I started Matthew Stubbs And The Antiguas in 2016 after I started writing a bunch of new songs that were much different than my past albums. I was listening to a ton of afrobeat, psych rock, garage rock, and, as always, blues.”
The band’s 2018 self-titled album served as the Antiguas’ debut full-length and sounds like a spy/action film soundtrack; a fact clearly evident to them as the last song is titled “Tarantino.” Sure enough, they’ll be opening up for Dick Dale, the king of surf guitar and man behind Pulp Fiction’s opening credit sequence music tonight (Friday, August 24) at the Middle East Downstairs in Cambridge.
At only two-years-old, the band is still teething, yet has rapidly gained momentum, having been nominated for a trio of Boston Music Awards, winning “Best Ongoing Residency” in 2017 for their Downbeat Mondays at The Sinclair, and have just been nominated for “Best Blues Act” in the 2018 New England Music Awards.
Somewhere between all the gigs and award ceremonies, they’ve found time to record their sophomore album, set for release in early 2019. “I’m a guitarist but a few years ago I got obsessed with Farfisa organs,” says Stubbs. “I own about nine of them now. All different models from different years. For the Antiguas music I tend to like where a Farfisa sits in the mix more than a Hammond B3. Sometimes they take up a whole lot of sonic space where a Farfisa has a thinner sound that I tend to like for my songs.”
Soaring organ/guitar leads and a proper rhythm section blend in seamless fashion, making the journey all the way from your auditory cortex to your limbic system: This band makes you feel feelings. Jam band fans, indie dudes, Allston rats, surf rockers, and your uncle who never stops talking about Woodstock all unite around one thing: The eclectic blend of styles that can only be classified as Matthew Stubbs & The Antiguas. — Trevor McSweeney, Studio 52
Featured Matthew Stubbs And The Antiguas photo by Chorale Miles.
Listen: Matthew Stubbs And The Antiguas on Spotify —
Watch: Matthew Stubbs And The Antiguas on YouTube —
Attend: Matthew Stubbs And The Antiguas play the Middle East in Cambridge with Dick Dale tonight (August 24) —
Follow: Matthew Stubbs And The Antiguas on Instagram —
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