Open letter to Matt Giraud. Of the “Matt Giraud Twelve.”
Matt, first off, great job making the final five of American Idol. You’re a really talented guy. Actually, you’re probably better suited to songwriting and making music than any of the other five. So this will be a good transition for you.
I know that you’d been searching to find that mix between soul, pop and rock. I’m not sure the Fray is the right way to go for you. Might I suggest drawing your inspiration from another piano man.
See, like Billy Joel, Ben Folds told many stories of his life through music. Though his stuff is not as iconic as Billy Joel’s is, he’s really suited to what you are. You’re a hipster. You’re too talented for the room–you know it–and you only show flashes of how good you really are. Ben Folds uses a lot of humor, wordplay and references people can relate to in the stories he tells. At least a lot of them related to me. His first two albums as “Ben Folds Five”–yes, they were a trio–were great for their time. Grunge rock had kind of blown a tire and the rest of alternative music was in between U2 and Pearl Jam albums.
Ben Folds was fresh. Every time you listened to him, you were in a college piano bar, singing along and barely realizing how effortlessly he entertained people. Ask your boy Anoop about Ben Folds. Being from Chapel Hill, NC, he probably knows all about him. Listen. Learn. Add to your repertoire.
Have fun on tour.
