Review Fix Exclusive: Mattie Leon Talks ‘Silver Line’ And More

Review Fix chats with Canadian singer/songwriter and guitarist Mattie Leon, who discusses his creative process and new single, “Silver Line.”

Review Fix: How did you get involved in music?

Mattie Leon: I always loved music and took piano lessons as a kid, but I was preoccupied with sports until I was about 16. At that point I started teaching myself guitar and almost right away started writing songs. It took about a year before I showed anyone what I was writing and about another year after that before I tried singing them on a stage… once that happened I was quickly addicted.

It was a little tricky for a few years there to find time to perform. I was on a scholarship to Penn State to play golf but was getting more and more dedicated to my writing as time went on. When I got back from school everything else took a back seat to music.

Review Fix: What’s your creative process like?

Leon: It always starts with the music. Melodies. Guitar riffs. Piano chords. A nice progression. Something. Then I’ll hum melodies and try to find a phrasing that fits with the music.

The lyrics come last and they rarely come easy. Puzzling together the words is a never-ending editing process for me. I want to make sure the lyrics are saying what I want them to, are clear, and still sound good. I don’t like to throw away lyrics, so I’ll go months waiting for the right ones to fall into place.

The process for Silver Line was unique because it originally had a different melody and lyric to it. I decided to scrap the song I had and started again using the guitar riff. From there the new song fell into place relatively quick. It’s a good example of letting a tune sit and then revisiting it later to see if it still holds up…and fixing it if it doesn’t! 

Review Fix: What inspires you?

Leon: I find inspiration in everything. My personal life. The lives of people around me. Books. Historical events. The news and what’s going on in our world right now.

It’s always my first impulse to write some kind of relationship song, but I’ve been trying to push myself to write about other things lately.

Review Fix: How would you describe your sound to someone who has never heard you?

Leon: My sensibilities are definitely informed by the songwriting of the sixties and seventies. It’s a fresh take on a classic form though. I’m definitely inspired by the Paul’s; McCartney and Simon and I think that shines through in the writing.

Review Fix: How are your live shows different from your studio work?

Leon: They differ in a few significant ways.

First of all, we’re able to stretch certain songs out and play with dynamics a lot more in our live show. The loud parts can be louder and the quiet ones even more so. I’m lucky to have one hell of a rhythm section, my brother, Mike on drums and Nelson Sobral on bass, so it’s great to let them loose. Lots of three-part harmonies too!

Secondly, I’m able to talk about the songs and put them in context during the live show. It’s a great way to connect with the audience on a personal level.

Finally, we love to add a visual element to the live set by using projections. It helps to create a captivating world for each song and is another way to enhance the experience for the audience. 

Review Fix: What inspired your latest single?

Leon: Our older brother, Mark, was a professional golfer a few years back and I couldn’t help but notice the parallels in his life then and ours now. We’ve been travelling on a lot of the same highways across Canada that he did, likely having the same doubts and struggling with being so far away from the people you care about most. Silver Line is about finding those filaments of hope when things get tough in the pursuit of a dream. 

Review Fix: What are your goals for the rest of 2019?

Leon: Overall, I want to just use the downtime over the holidays to get ready for the new year and get these new songs tight and ready for our live show.

Review Fix: What’s next?

Leon: We’re heading back into Noble Street Studios with Gavin Brown to do some more recording during the first week of January, so just preparing for that! I’ve written a few new tunes in the last couple of months so we’re going to go record them.

A new single will be coming out pretty early on in the new year and an EP will be following in the spring.

As far as live performances go, we’ve got one more show left in 2019. We’ve been selected for the Rivoli’s Year End Fest and will be playing on Thursday, Dec 26th in Toronto.  

Review Fix: Anything else you’d like to add?

Leon: Really excited for all of the new music that’s going to be coming out in 2020 and all of the stages we’ll be performing on in support of it. I’m feeling very energized by all of the progress we made in 2019 and I can’t wait to keep on keeping on!