When talking about his latest album, Elliot Matsu brings up his feelings a lot. He says songwriting, for him, begins with an urge to amplify those emotions.
“You begin thinking about what [song] you want to hear at that moment [of emotion], and usually you can’t find it. So you have to create it,” the singer-songwriter said.
That’s just what the Roselle native did with the 11 songs on his latest album, “The Value of Power.” Though the album is riddled with pop-rock songs centering on themes of love, inspiration and even religion, don’t be too quick to write Matsu off as a guy who takes himself too seriously. He grew up loving heavy metal — and the mullet.
“My mullet was quite puffy,” he said. “My hair was curly, so it was quite the poof.”
Add his hairstyle to a wardrobe full of acid-washed denim, and you have a kid who looked a lot like his idols from Guns ‘n’ Roses and Poison. Matsu and his metal-obsessed friends spent 5th grade through early high school dedicated to shredding. He even took lessons with legendary guitarist George Bellas.
Although Matsu cut off his party-in-the-back a long time ago, he has dedicated an entire section of his Web site bio to it. His songs, too, contain traces of heavy metal because they remain guitar-driven but with a softer edge.
“I still love Iron Maiden,” he said. “It’s still in heavy rotation in my iPod.”
ERIN OSMON IS A REDEYE SPECIAL CONTRIBUTOR.
