jetsrule128 Posted August 30, 2014 Share Posted August 30, 2014 http://www.arktimes.com/arkansas/arkansas-visionaries-2014/Content?oid=3437933 Jeff Matika At Green Day break, guitarist sheds light on local talent. Jeff Matika moved to Little Rock in 1991. "I kind of thought this was going to be a stepping stone," he said recently. "I'd come here for a couple of years and figure out where I wanted to go." He fell into the music scene, playing shows and hanging out at Vino's until he got a job there, which he kept for 10 years. He toured the country in beloved local bands like Ashtray Babyhead and the Magic Cropdusters, before settling down in the 2000s with an IT job. "I had decided, I'm going to play music forever," he said, "but as a casual thing." Then he got a call from Green Day. His old friend Jason White, a Little Rock native, had been playing with the band for a decade, and when they decided they needed a touring guitarist, Matika's name came up. He was flown out to Los Angeles and spent a panic-stricken night practicing Green Day songs in a hotel room. His tryout lasted two weeks. "I figured the worst that could happen was I'd get a cool vacation out of this," Matika said. A few months later he was playing the season finale of "Saturday Night Live," sharing a cramped backstage with Tom Hanks and Will Ferrell. "For me, the big stages are almost not real," he says of his time with the band. "It's just so ridiculous. To play stadiums in Europe, with thousands of people, it's just kind of a blur. Somebody may be looking at me every once in a while, but the chances of me making eye contact with anyone are slim." It's a long way from Vino's, but Matika found himself missing his hometown venue. Now that Green Day is on break for at least the remainder of the year, he's taken over Vino's booking and hopes to revive some of the '90s spirit of the place. He remembers it as a linchpin of the local music community, a space where young bands who "didn't really have their stuff together" could develop, and though he's aware that "times have changed," he wants to do his part. He's also started a booking agency, The Poison Shop, through which he hopes he can encourage artists "willing and able to work" to think broader than the local scene. So far, he's working with Bonnie Montgomery, Kevin Kerby, Peckerwolf and Whale Fire, though he knows there are plenty more out there ready for the road. "People need to hear these bands," he said. "They need to get out of Little Rock occasionally and take it to the masses." When he's on vacation from his role as part of the biggest rock band in the world, he's committed to giving back to the Little Rock scene. "I don't know how long it's going to take to get a foothold on this and get things going again," he said, "but I've got time." WS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven Seagull Posted August 30, 2014 Share Posted August 30, 2014 Fuck this dude for molesting pigeons. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beerjeezus Posted August 30, 2014 Share Posted August 30, 2014 It's no big surprise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oxymore Posted August 30, 2014 Share Posted August 30, 2014 Nice itw of Jeff ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sanity Loan Posted August 30, 2014 Share Posted August 30, 2014 Who knew Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Disappearing Boy Posted August 30, 2014 Share Posted August 30, 2014 That's fair enough. Doesn't really come as a surprise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian1234 Posted August 30, 2014 Share Posted August 30, 2014 Not surprising. Maybe they will do something next year? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spike Posted August 30, 2014 Share Posted August 30, 2014 Confirmed: Green Day have split up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreenDayBass Posted August 30, 2014 Share Posted August 30, 2014 Confirmed: Green Day have split up. Took them long enough! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bastard of 1969 Posted August 30, 2014 Share Posted August 30, 2014 Fuck this dude for molesting pigeons. You're a seagull. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Libertine Angel Posted August 30, 2014 Share Posted August 30, 2014 Didn't know anyone expected any different. Always nice to see Green Day referred to as the biggest rock band in the world though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BringMoreKnives Posted August 30, 2014 Share Posted August 30, 2014 Well duh, I think most of us already doubted they were gonna do anything spontaneous in the next 3 months or so anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slydren Posted August 31, 2014 Share Posted August 31, 2014 Not really surprising. If they planned on doing anything, we'd know before this was announced, most likely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 31, 2014 Share Posted August 31, 2014 Jeff didn't say they were on break for the rest of the year. The writer (rightly) surmised in his/her write-up that Green Day is on break for at least the rest of the year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather. Posted August 31, 2014 Share Posted August 31, 2014 While I'm sure they won't be releasing anything/touring, I don't think that "being on break for the rest of the year" means we won't be getting SOMETHING in the next few months. The documentaries, AI anniversary something, individual things, who knows. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hermione Posted August 31, 2014 Share Posted August 31, 2014 Jeff didn't say they were on break for the rest of the year. The writer (rightly) surmised in his/her write-up that Green Day is on break for at least the rest of the year. This! The writer said "Now that Green Day is on break for at least the remainder of the year", there's no quote from Jeff regarding their break or the length of it. I'm changing the thread title since it is simply incorrect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Todd Posted August 31, 2014 Share Posted August 31, 2014 While I'm sure they won't be releasing anything/touring, I don't think that "being on break for the rest of the year" means we won't be getting SOMETHING in the next few months. The documentaries, AI anniversary something, individual things, who knows. The documentary is still being filmed. It won't be out for at least 6 months at least. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WhiteTim Posted August 31, 2014 Share Posted August 31, 2014 Jeff didn't say they were on break for the rest of the year. The writer (rightly) surmised in his/her write-up that Green Day is on break for at least the rest of the year. Or Jeff did say it in the full interview but the writer didn't use it which isn't unheard of Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hermione Posted August 31, 2014 Share Posted August 31, 2014 Or Jeff did say it in the full interview but the writer didn't use it which isn't unheard of Could be, as it stands there's no quote or even reference to a quote though so it's quite inaccurate to say "Jeff says" it when Jeff doesn't even mention the subject of Green Day being on a break anywhere in the article. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven Seagull Posted August 31, 2014 Share Posted August 31, 2014 Didn't know anyone expected any different. Always nice to see Green Day referred to as the biggest rock band in the world though."biggest" "rock" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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