Matt Alber Hits Fifty…!

[Image description: Matt playing keyboard]

Actually, Matt Alber has just turned forty. Which, quite naturally, is just wonderful! The old adage states that, “Life begins at forty.” Though to be honest, Matt appears to have been seizing at what his span has to offer for quite some years now. As an exemplar to us all, his existence led as he sees fit and following wherever his dreams lead, he is greatly to be admired.

Also absolutely fantastic - but not quite the same order of fabulousness - is the fact that my article published on 26th June 2013 (6.26.2013) on Matt Alber in Birmingham (not Alabama!) (see screen-shot image below) has breached fifty thousand (50,000 ; 50K) viewings this February. Unless the same few folk have been revisiting over and over, that means some fifty thousand individuals have read my blog-post. Truly humbling.

I do not think for one moment it has anything whatsoever to do with my writing, but rather interest in the subject himself, the eponymous singer - musician - composer - photographer - artists’ model - cum - occasional silk screen-printer. This multi-talented chap just keeps on surprising his fans: last year a cultural exchange trip to ostensibly homophobic Russia, whence Matt received a right royal welcome; this year celebrating his birthday with new friends in Sudan, where he has been supporting and singing with Sudanese choirs.

The chap who practices love-in-action (aka agape), better than many a so-called (mean-spirited) Christian, requested that instead of fortieth birthday gifts, donations be made to a young people’s homelessness charity, Larkin Street Youth Services, in his base residence of San Francisco. Whilst appearing to be a living saint, Matt does admit to faults, possibly even vices, in his lyrics - well, that is assuming his compositions are autobiographical and not simply fictional narrative. We all are well aware that assumption is the mother of all f*ck-ups (after “Priscilla, Queen of the Desert”): so, Matt probably IS in actuality a saint!

I suppose I have created my own beatific altar to saintly Matt via by blog-posts on him, but from a readership angle especially the Brum one. Although from a personal perspective my ginger take is more of an homage - he certainly gets me all numinous!

Looking at my iTunes list of twenty-five most played pieces of music (see image above), it is not until position sixteen that another artist gets a look-in and a separate artist at number twenty-two. Thirty-three of my top fifty most played are Matt Alber tracks, i.e. two-thirds. (In my top 100, Daniel Barenboim playing Chopin makes thirteen appearances; then Eva Cassidy and Bahramji & Maneesh de Moor with eight appearances apiece; next with three hits each Sébastien Tellier and Sir Neville Marriner conducting Bach pieces. Which should point to the fact I am no musicologist!)

Whilst from pure number of plays, “End of the World” would appear to be my favourite track; it is in fact “Wallingford”. I was thrilled when Matt actually sang this in Birmingham. And I have never recovered from the erasing of the live video-recording which my normally very meticulous technical assistant somehow lost in the transfer process.

I was hoping Matt might reprieve the track last summer in Manchester; but it was not to be. Matt was as personable in M/cr as he had been in B’ham: a perfect English gentleman. Having watched videos on youtube, I know his speaking accent becomes less “American” over here in Blighty; though his sung articulation appears not to be affected by his peregrinations.

Unfortunately, I was having one of my extended periods of ill-health at the time of Matt’s Mancunian visit and so had to be whisked off by my carer as soon as the concert ended, and so could not chat with him, as after the Brummie recital. For this reason also, I never managed to write an item on his wonderfully generous performance.

My muscles were weak and I was suffering sporadic, unpredictable spasming, exacerbated by having to use stairs due to there being no disabled access to the venue. The photographs I endeavoured to take were pretty awful. The image at the head of this posting and below are from the event: the best I have to share I regret.

[Image description: Matt playing guitar]

Finally, my thanks to those of you who read my articles, even if only the Matt Alber ones. And of course, my gratitude to Matt… for his music… for being himself… and sharing himself with us. Looking forward to the next album - no pressure now! ;)

In/accessible Europe (6): Birmingham Southside

On the 23rd January this year England & Wales' very first specialist LGBT health & well-being centre was launched, officially opening its doors to the public on 29th inst. to "serve the needs of the city's local lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community." One might expect it to be located in London, the capital city; but you would be wrong. It is not in Manchester either. It is actually situated in the Southside district of Birmingham, right next-door to Brum's gay 'village' and animated Chinatown.

[Image description: the frontage of the centre with the name and seven rainbow-coloured spots]

The centre's opening statement reads:

"Welcome to the homepage of the new Birmingham LGBT Centre. The centre will have a focus on Health & Wellbeing and will host and develop services to address health inequalities and meet the needs of Birmingham’s diverse Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Trans communities. Located in Birmingham city centre on Holloway Circus at the edge of Birmingham’s vibrant gay village, the fully accessible centre covers three floors and includes a range of versatile spaces including  meeting and training rooms.

As well as services for individuals the centre will be home to meetings of independent  LGBT Community Groups, events and other activities…"

According to its website there are at least eight groups regularly meeting at the centre including for bisexuals, transvestites and alcohol dependents. Personally, I am excited by an additional support group for LGBT folk over the age of fifty-five, TOPAZ or The Older People's A to Z. I have not heard of any other such grouping so this appears both innovative as well as being desperately needed.

[Image description: the logo for TOPAZ; © blgbt.org]

Additionally, the site is home to several health clinics and a source of health information and advice.

[Image description: various health education posters, designed for NHS

in conjunction with BLGBT; © blgbt.org]

Their website very handily has an interactive map which enables one to zoom in and study the buildings. Added to the photos of the outside we were able to immediately spot the nondescript 1960's style edifice from the A38 as we were driving in a southerly direction.

We managed to find a parking space on Thorp Street (as recommended by Birmingham LGBT Centre) in a pay-and-display zone. However, thankfully, blue-badge holders were exempt from the charges. The pavements were even and well kept, so no trip hazards as this time I was on foot rather than in my wheelchair (my stubbornness was responsible for my later suffering acute pain and exhaustion for several days afterwards!). The centre was easily reached and the doors opened onto a gentle ramp that rose to the café level; so, had I been a wheelie, there would have been no access problems. We had arrived a full twenty minutes early for the Matt Alber benefit concert!

The centre "aims to be accessible to all sections of the LGBT community, facilities include; Baby Change, Trans Changing Space and Gender Neutral Toilets. The centre is accessible for people with mobility impairments and other disabilities and includes a lift, ramps, hearing loops and braille panels. The centre also has a disabled care suite with shower and hoist and a fully accessible disabled toilet". In fact, it transpires that WC is the only one in central Birmingham and so is accessed by disabled folk from the wider community. So the centre is providing a public service too!

[Image description: the centre's accessible WC; © blgbt.org]

The affable staff and volunteers at the centre, including David, Rose & Chris, instantly put me at ease and made me, my assistant and other attendees most welcome. I have no doubt that all visitors feel similarly comfortable at the centre.

After the concert, my assistant strolled and I hobbled into Chinatown. We could not find a single flat-entry restaurant, although a couple had just one step. We eventually elected to enter Chung Ying on Worttesley Street. There were three steps which I was able to mount with assistance. Electric wheelchairs definitely could not manage them. My assistant insisted however that he would have had enough strength and the turning-space to help me up them had I been in my wheelchair. The waiters did open the doors and I suspect would have offered extra assistance if needs be. The establishment has a disabled WC, but I would not have succeeded in navigating through the tightly packed furniture to reach it had I been in my wheelchair, which has a full leg extension. Despite these minor misgivings, the food was excellent and very good value in respect to price, quality and quantity. We departed fully sated.

On a previous visit, I dined at Malmaison in the Mailbox. The restaurant was accessed via lift (elevator) with no difficulties. I did not check out the toileting facilities as I did not need to.

Whilst on this occasion I did not go on a shopping spree, I can advise that the Bullring precinct is accessible. Certainly the iconic Selfridges' building is fully so. Those with poor mobility might find some of the inclines in the shopping area tough-going, however, or you may need to take a few extra breathers!

All in all I should say, "Visit Brum!" %)

Matt Alber in Birmingham (not Alabama!)

For a keen cinéaste who has had to cease frequenting the cinema, as the noise levels literally cause me to collapse, I was somewhat daunted to be attending my first live music gig in years. My health condition means I can rarely listen to more than a few tracks at a time before the pain becomes too much. However I am still on a high from yesterday evening’s (openly gay, California-resident) Matt Alber benefit concert at Birmingham LGBT Centre. Matt sang accompanied either by his own guitar or keyboard. The sound levels were just right so I did not faint and my ears did not bleed!

[Image description: Matt Alber standing playing his acoustic guitar]

 [Image description: Matt Alber sitting playing his electronic keyboard]

We set off from Manchester at five to be sure to arrive for the seven o’clock doors' opening. Normally I would have slept for the journey down, for car-travel I find to be monotonously soporific. On this occasion I was wide awake with excitement like a wee child on an outing. Miraculously we hit no hold-ups on the notorious bottle-neck that is the M6 motorway (freeway) nor in Birmingham’s outskirts nor the city centre itself, as most vehicles were travelling out-bound. We managed to find a parking space (as recommended by Birmingham LGBT Centre) on Thorp Street in a pay-and-display zone. We had arrived a full twenty minutes early!

The reception door was opened to us, and we strolled into a plush reception area with a bright Barbie-pink accent wall and a selection of comfy chairs, one of which matched the aforesaid colour. One of Matt’s London fans, the immaculately hirsute Steve, was already ensconced along with some staff and/or volunteers. A couple of minutes later another London fan arrived having dashed from Birmingham New Street train-station, a short walk away. We were all happily chatting together when the door opened in a flurry of energy and in breezed Matt himself. He shook everyone’s hand, passed a few pleasantries, collected his shopping-bag and dashed up the stairs all in a whirl of motion.

With his exit we were all ushered into the café, offered a beverage of our choice and permitted to select our viewing station. Another advantage to being so ahead of schedule was that we early-arrivers could all take up positions at the front of Matt’s performance area. Within minutes Kelly & Nick arrived from Lincolnshire & Hull respectively. Folk had really travelled distances. (For those not familiar with the UK, transport links are generally poor and congested so it takes æons to get from a to b.) This dedication of Matt’s fans made up for the paucity in numbers: the event was always going to be intimate with forty covers; but we were finally a happy band of twenty-five.

[Image description: the stage is set with Matt's guitar & keyboard]

Matt appeared again, having changed into his performance attire: shirt with sleeves rolled up above the elbow revealing a tattoo on his right forearm; a stripey school-type tie knotted tightly and slackened from the neck of an unbuttoned collar; a buttoned-up woollen waistcoat (vest); black jeans; and, black Nike trainers (sneakers). Like a marionette he moved over to the speaker and connected some background music. He then came over to me and my assistant to introduce himself after again shaking hands. His orbs kept contact with either the one or the other of us as he mellifluously spoke. Matt enquired after potential performance venues in Manchester, preferably with a piano. And then he was off to mingle with the other attendees.

Only ten minutes later than advertised, his set began. He performed many of his well known tracks including “End of the World”, “Fieldtrip Buddy”, “Monarch”, “Tall Tales”, The River”, “Tightrope”, “Velvet Goldmine”, “Wallingford”. He also sang covers inter alia Madonna’s “Take a Bow”, Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance with Somebody”, Eva Cassidy's "Songbird" and Florence & the Machine’s “Only If for a Night” (which may be Matt’s next single release after he recorded it in Manchester last week). Probably I am a tad biased but I hold Matt’s version to be superior - don’t tell Florence! We were also treated to the public première of Matt’s latest London-composed song, “House on Fire” - I can already imagine the dance remixes!

Between songs Matt recounted biographical snippets: his boyhood crush; his first unplanned stay in New York (whence his song “New York City”) with a handsome chaperon; his Ohio love; his director & friend’s Sasquatch tale; his own fanship of pop divas; an impossible mutual attraction; films (movies) and television programmes which inspired him; and the incredible life-cycle and peregrination of Monarch butterflies. We also learned of the serendipitous use of the barbershop for the video of “End of the World” due to no other location permitting a gay love story to be filmed on their premises. Our gain their loss I should say.

After all, who would not want the presence of such terrific talent, such supernal singing, such wonderful warmth, such a magical Mensch. Matt is all of these and more.

Afterwards, there was an opportunity to purchase Matt’s current CD, DVD and copies of the June edition of “meat” the San Francisco “SF” edition for which Matt and his chums posed and so forth.

Whenever I meet famous folk, I inevitably clam up. (I recall meeting my long-time crush Peter Skellern years ago and being unable to even move!) However, I put into practice the little CBT tips I had been taught: I pushed myself to ask Matt to sign my CDs; I chatted with him for a few minutes; as well as again shaking his hand twice more. I did not even get out my wet-wipes or anti-bacterial gel à la Big Bang Theory's Sheldon afterwards. Matt is so affable that I am certain it was he who put me at ease. And as if any further evidence were needed to prove what a human-being Matt is, the proceeds of the benefit concert were donated by him to TOPAZ, Brum's older LGBTI folk's own support group. Bless him!

Having viewed a fair few youtube videos of Matt performing 'on stage', this concert iterated my sense that live he sings with far more passion and with an extra spark that is not necessarily present in the recording-studio vocalisations. Or maybe his beatific smile has enchanted me and altered my perceptions.

I do so hope you will give Matt Alber a listen. %)

[Image description: Matt Alber's acoustic guitar in its stand]

For my article on Matt from last month, "Matt Alber: All My Ginger Fantasies In One Man", see here.

Matt has his own website: www.mattalber.com

He can be found on facebook under “Matt Alber” band/musician.

Also on twitter: @mattalber

There is also a dedicated youtube channel.