On a balmy evening of October 16, 2008, in Ventura, California, Matt Costa took a break from his tour to appear at the Patagonia Campus to celebrate the debut of One Track Mind, a surfing documentary by Chris and Emmet Malloy that features current surf world stars and their legends of evolution and inspiration. World-renowned surfers Kelly Slater, recently crowned with his 9th world-champion title, Tom Curren, and Shawn Thompson joined friends, family, and fans to launch the film.
Post-screening, Matt Costa arrived as a solo act that soon became an improbable collaborative effort between Costa and his fans. With only a guitar and amplifier in hand, Costa gradually built his band out of congregants with fortuitous talent. Opening with “Witchcraft,” a song that was “in the works,” Costa’s shining voice enticed the crowd (that had begun to disperse after the film ended) back for a closer listen. Costa continued with a slew of tunes from his second full-length album Unfamiliar Faces. Starting alone on the title track “Unfamiliar Faces,” the singer/songwriter discovered a drummer in the crowd, who was incorporated on the spot and supported by the audience’s claps for the single “Mr. Pitiful.” “Cigarette Eyes” followed with unusual accompaniment, a tipsy enthusiast who showed off every club dance move he could imagine, drawing laughter from the crowd and challenging Costa’s concentration. The electric slide-guitar sensation, “Sweet Thursday” and smooth, soulful “Vienna” segued to a classic Townes Van Zandt track, “Be Here to Love Me,” during which Costa recruited an impromptu jamboree composed of audience members, playing tambourine, drums, harmonica, trash can, an inverted skateboard, broom, and a cardboard tube turned make-shift didgeridoo. “Save Me’s” bluesy stir closed the evening as Patagonia employees were forced to pull the plug on the after-hours show. That did not deter Matt Costa from delighting his fans, however. During the ultra-acoustic jam, the spontaneous audience stand-in’s continued to back-up Costa as he assumed vocals, drums, acoustic guitar, and harmonica on favorites, “Behind the Moon” and “Sunshine.”
Those who stayed will certainly remember this once-in-a-lifetime chance to be a part of Matt Costa’s intimate “studio session.” Costa admitted, “I would do this more often if I could,” but by the looks of his upcoming schedule, it won’t be any time soon. Embarking on a tour with Oasis and Ryan Adams, Costa will return with them to Southern California at the LA Staples Center on December 4, 2008. Though this artist and “one-night band” may not be in such close quarters again, Costa will always find a way to connect to and include his fans. Please visit Matt on Myspace, Facebook, and www.mattcosta.com for additional information and a full list of tour dates.
