It kicked off in the summer of 2013 like a rabid wildebeest: Primitive folk singer-songwriter Matthew Hable launched his latest musical vision, Strange Ideas, and hasn’t looked back. Though billed as a solo project, the Monterey native usually enlists a drummer and bassist for his live shows.
Hable cites his influences in legit, record store-geek fashion: “psych folk (Kurt Vile, Syd Barrett), garage rock (The Velvet Underground, The Kinks, Thee Oh Sees), oldies soul (Otis Redding, Bill Withers, Fats Domino) and some traditional country influences (The Carter Family, Hank Williams).”
For his first live performance on Jan. 25, 2014, at Pierce Ranch Vineyards in Monterey, Strange Ideas opened for Jake Bellows (Saddle Creek Records).
The show sold out. The buzz was on.