Live albums are
a Roach repellent

By Tom Waring
Times Staff Writer

Matt Roach was always reluctant to produce a live album, reasoning that songs recorded from a stage show had more of a "you had to be there" sound.
At the same time, the singer-songwriter and guitarist realized his collection included more than 400 songs.
"I’ll never live long enough to put all these songs on an album," said Roach, a Bustleton resident.
Last month he released Hitchhiking On the Train Tracks, which features 21 songs on a compact disc. The set includes 10 never-before-released songs, 10 live versions of songs that have appeared on previous albums, and the studio-produced title track.
On the cover, Roach has his right thumb up — like a hitchhiker — on the tracks at Red Lion Road and Philmont Avenue in Huntingdon Valley.
"I’m not a hobo or Tom Sawyer," he said of the cover. "It’s about touring, going from place to place."
Originally, Roach was going to name the album King of the Coffeehouses because of the number of gigs he has played at those intimate venues.
The songs were recorded during live shows from 2005-07 at the Tin Angel and World Café Live, and at concerts in New Jersey, New York and Virginia. A train sound opens and closes the album.
For the last five years, Roach has performed 30 original Christmas songs during a series of December concerts. He expects to play a half-dozen times next month.
Next year, he’ll put more of a focus on Hitchhiking.
"I’ll be busy touring in 2009, promoting the album," he said.
On Hitchhiking, Roach tried to select a variety of songs from different venues that showcased his best performances and positive audience reaction.
The 36-year-old Nester Street resident has produced two earlier albums — What Could Have Been . . . and Borrowed Time — along with The Santa Songs, an extended-play disc with five Christmas tunes. One of those holiday songs, Santa’s Ho-Ho-Ho, appears on Hitchhiking.
In 2007, Roach played 65 dates while promoting Borrowed Time. Besides touring on his own, he has opened for performers like Marshall Crenshaw and Steve Forbert.
"That’s very, very neat," he said.
In fact, the first song on Hitchhiking is Opening Act, taken from a performance in Fairlawn, N.J. It’s a comedy song about the difficulty of being the opening act, playing in front of an audience that has paid to hear the headliner.
"It’s a tough situation to win over an audience," he said, "but that song seems to do it."
Roach prefers being a solo act rather than part of a band. That way, if fans yell for a certain song, he can change the set with no problem.
Also, he doesn’t mind working without a manager. He fears that someone in a position of calling the shots would set up shows at places like shoe-store openings.
So he’s appreciative that his wife, Jolanta, helps sell merchandise and CDs. Still, the tasks related to his music career — advertising, booking, traveling, updating his Web site, designing posters and mailing postcards — can be grueling. He also works to get his songs on the radio.
"Performing is the easy part," Roach said.
The way he sees it, too many Philadelphia-area bands and musicians play the same kind of music and have similar sounds.
Roach — whose song list includes one called Mix It Up — has an array of funny, sad and romantic tunes by design.
"I don’t want the audience to have it figured out," he said.
To Roach, the lyrics are the most important facet of the song. They seem to come to him naturally, in different settings, not when he sits down at a desk to think about crafting a song.
"I never say, ‘I’m going to write a song today,’" he explained. "That’s why it comes easy."
Roach takes great pride in writing and performing his own songs. You won’t hear him do a cover song.
"I feel the original artist will always play it better," he said.
Roach believes that his strengths are developing a rapport with audiences and playing the chords on his guitar.
"I just play what sounds right to me," he said. ••
Matt Roach’s 21-song compact disc, Hitchhiking On the Train Tracks, is available for $12 at www.mattroachmusic.com
It is also available at his shows for $10, and it can be found at iTunes, Napster, Amazon.com and on the Target and Wal-Mart Web sites.
Reporter Tom Waring can be reached at 215-354-3034 or twaring@phillynews.com