2023-09-11 07:41:00
CALLER MATARO is the head of the indie band AT PAVILLON, which released their second album this summer called „Personal Development Deals” via LAS VEGAS RECORDS. After a guest appearance for SIGRID HORN, a solo career as a dialect singer/songwriter might soon follow. In addition, MWITA MATARO advocates for more diversity in the indie scene and tells in the mica interview how he makes it easier for people with a migrant background to enter the scene. Be it through his work on the diversity advisory board of WAVES VIENNA or through his co-initiative for QMA on stage.
What were the plans for the new album? Should it be different from the others in some way?
Caller Mataro: At the beginning we had no intention of making an album. At first we just wanted to play a lot. That’s why we also played various showcase festivals – ESNS, Reeperbahn etc. In the course of Us We should then tour abroad as part of the program. East Africa was our big plan. This dream was within reach. But then Corona came and being a musician was forced to move to the studio. The driving force for the second album was our guitarist Bernhard Melchart. I let myself get carried away with it. Sure, you suddenly had a lot of time and were constantly sending ideas back and forth. Music made in a very “modern” way. So far we’ve always been old school with a guitar in the rehearsal room. But it also gave me a certain feeling of lightness. I have always had respect for big challenges and goals. If I had known straight away that we were making an album, I would definitely have approached it much more tensely. The mindset always makes a big difference for me. After a year we sent all 30-40 demos or ideas to our label and our producer.
Together with our producer Roland Maurer, we then selected five from this playlist entitled “AP Corona Hits” and started producing them. After we then from Music Fund received funding for an album, the decision was made. [lacht]
That sounds like a successful collaboration. At „“Ukulele Land” is the content regarding living apart?
Caller Mataro: The band has been around forever. I founded the band with Berni in 2010 as a school band. Paul Ali then came along with Tobias Kobl (Note: Tobias left the band in 2020) in 2014. The topic already includes individual developments within the band.
After we released our first long-awaited debut album „After “Believe Us” came out, I started to become sober. I was sure that the band would finance my rent from then on. Berni and Paul were so smart and finished their training/studies. So they had a second source of business. I was more and more like “Fuck it.” I don’t want to let the outside world dominate me. The reality was quite challenging for me. Then I realized completely unconsciously „Ukulele Land” the line „time makes you move fast / time makes you move slow / time makes you forget what you owe“ come to mind. But that’s part of getting older.
You are also very active in activism. You once said that the lack of visibility of POC in the music scene might not only have racist reasons, but also classist ones. Does a lack of diversity among funding institutions play a role?
„In any case, diversity is not reflected in the art scene.”
„Caller Mataro: Everything is connected somehow. But I can’t judge that specifically. In any case, diversity is not reflected in the art scene.
Personally, I prefer people who “act” rather than “act”. At this point I can tell you regarding my last project. That was along with QUESTION ME & ANSWER.
This is an initiative that aims to create more visibility for artists with migration and refugee experience.
The initiative has four sub-projects, the best known of which is QMA Artist Collective is. Every year, around 16 artists are selected to participate as part of an open call. Half of them are established artists in Vienna, the other half have only recently come to Vienna as refugees or migrants.
Target of QMA Artist Collective is that the artists exchange ideas and a group exhibition takes place as part of their collaboration.
In 2020 I was asked if I would like to design a counterpart in the music sector. The whole thing is called QMA On Stage. I initiated it back then as a showcase event. Musicians can win prizes with the aim of networking with already established musicians. So I knocked on the so-called “white gatekeepers” and asked them to join the call. The prizes included, for example, a music video production by Rupert Höller or a songwriting session with Florence Arman. The 2020 jury consisted of Sophie Lindinger (among others My Ugly Clementine, Leyya), Ilias Dahimène (Seayou Records, Problembär Records) and Dalia Ahmed (FM4).
Was this a one-time thing?
Caller Mataro: No, that’s still possible. Once a year. Always with other jurors.
Unfortunately, when I initiated the project in 2020, there was no live event because of Corona.
In 2021 Thomas Heher gave us a stage Waves Vienna given where we might have the event take place. Meanwhile it is QMA On Stage No longer a live event, but from this year a residency.
The goal of QMA On Stage is still very clear regarding networking musicians in the scene.
„I’m not a rich kid, I’m just naive. Making music is a dream of mine.”
Back to the funding agencies and the criticism of classism. A festival line-up is naturally very exposed to the public. In other words, a lack of diversity is noticeable to everyone here. What do you think this looks like for more “hidden” institutions? For example with funding agencies?
Caller Mataro: I can’t provide any facts right now. From experience I can say that submitting to Music Fund also requires a certain skill. You have to be able to formulate texts. The calculation must be well thought out. We are somewhat privileged to have an academic in the band. I just send him a bunch of information that’s going through my head, and Paul formulates the essence for me.
I believe that access to art in Austria is very difficult for people with a migrant background because you have to invest a lot of time and energy without having the certainty that it will pay off at some point. At least that’s what I had to experience. I’m not a rich kid, I’m just naive. Making music is a dream of mine. But I would say that the big indie labels might also look more specifically for various exciting acts.
WienXtra do something like this with their projects ACOUSTICCLUB, HEAST! HIP HOP OPEN STAGE, MAINSTAGE or PODIUM.VIENNA – MUSIC COMPETITION exemplary work. At these events you can discover exciting acts that you might also build. If I were a label, I would look at how I might make my catalog as diverse as possible. But I don’t want to dictate what a label has to do. Of course, this requires additional work. Young musicians in particular who are still at the beginning of their careers do not yet have professional demo files to start with. You often have to connect them with producers first and see what they have in them.
In the Diversity Council at Waves you were too. What does your work look like?
Caller Mataro: Yes, I was very pleased that Thomas Heher approached me in 2022.
Are you doing this alone?
Caller Mataro: No, that was together with Kerosin95, Dalia Ahmed and Zuzana Ernst. Thomas Heher gave us the program from Waves 2022 presented and we as an advisory board gave feedback, for example regarding inclusion. In other words, whether the programs both “on” and “backstage” are structurally consciously thought through. Our role on the advisory board was, so to speak, a kind of “think tank”.
Are there also institutions/service providers you can turn to if you want to make your own business “diversity proof” and perhaps you lack experience?
Caller Mataro: The mica is definitely very fit and cooperative. A good place to start if diversity is important to you in your work as an art and cultural worker. Otherwise, it certainly helps if, for example, Daliah Ahmed, Seba Kayan, Mirabella Paidamwoyo* Dziruni, Alexandra Stanic, Tonica Hunter, Asma Aiad, Anahita Neghabat and many more. follows on Instagram. They all do incredibly great work!
Project office for diversity and urban dialogue D/Arts also?
Caller Mataro: Yes, of course, the same!
Is your activism reflected in your lyrics?
Caller Mataro: On the second plate with That Pavilion I was already very self-centered. Maybe it was also due to the circumstances of the pandemic. But I’m also glad that you can’t hear any blatant activism here. I don’t just want to deal with these topics in music either. I think it’s a shame to limit yourself.
You recently appeared as a guest singer with Sigrid Horn? The first time in German and also in dialect. Are more solo releases planned? in the future?
Caller Mataro: With the song “in dein augen” (VÖ:01.09.23) I celebrated my debut single as a solo artist. I’ve been working on German songs for a year and haven’t actually told anyone regarding it. Coincidentally, Sigrid Horn approached me in spring 2023 because she was working on her album „Paradies” worked on the Zwentendorf nuclear power plant. She asked me if I would like to write a song for the album.
Since Sigrid Horn sings in dialect and the story takes place in Zwentendorf in Lower Austria, High German would not have been the “right” language for me to deal with the topic. I was born in Salzburg and moved to Vienna with my mother when I was 12 years old. So I spoke dialect until the twelfth year and then had to assimilate into Viennese German, so to speak. [lacht]
Dialect was therefore not new territory for me for “in dein augen” and therefore felt very natural when writing.
The album „Paradies” is structured in such a way that Sigrid plays with several musicians – Ina Regen, Ernst Molden, Yasmo, SarahBernhard, Anna Mabo, Julia Lacherstorfer and me – wrote a song together regarding the Zwentendorf nuclear power plant. Our single was released on September 1st. The album will be released on November 3rd.
Thank you for the interview
Dominik Beyer
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Links:
That Pavilion
At Pavillon (Instagram)
QMA on internship
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At Pavillon Live:
09/14/2023 Loftival @Loft (Vienna)
09/22/2023 Indiverse 4.0 @Stadtwerkstatt (Linz)
21.10.2023 @Café Hildegard (Kirchdorf)
1694450125
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