Basic Folk podcast, eps. 344 – Matt Smith
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Matt Smith is a living legend with his unbelievable 30 year run at Club Passim, the historic folk venue nestled in a Harvard Square basement. Currently Managing Director at Passim, Matt is the most passionate music lover I know. Matt has used his platform at Passim to help establish artists like Lori McKenna, Anais Mitchell, Lake Street Dive and so many more. I met Matt while working as a student at WERS, where he was bringing in fantastic shows into a listening room filled with people who were clambering for honest music in an intimate space. He’s been a very good friend and mentor to myself and thousands of musicians since he began his tenure at the club in 1995.
In honor of Matt’s 30th anniversary, we brought two longtime friends on the pod to talk to him about his role in the Passim community and beyond. Musicians Edie Carey and Dinty Child join us in conversation with Matt about advice he would give his younger self, what a vacation without music would look like and his incredible memory. That memory is tested in the lightning round where he answers (almost 100% correctly) Passim Trivia. There’s also a discussion about what Matt is most proud of in all his years at the club: The Campfire Festival, which takes place every Memorial Day and Labor Day weekends featuring sets in-the-round of mostly unknown new acts. I would imagine if you’re listening to this episode of Basic Folk, you either know Matt or Club Passim. Hello to all our friends and I hope you enjoy this window into one of the best people we’ve ever known: Matt Smith!
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