Campfire Storyteller

“I was on a path for many years that involved a nomadic lifestyle,” Matthew O’Neill says. “I lived in the wilderness, studying Native American teachings and the books of [novelist and environmental activist] Wendell Berry. We should love and honor the earth and consider our grandchildren and their grandchildren in our proceedings.” O’Neill had a conventional upbringing, even playing in a teenage rock band, but after high school, he spent years in the backwoods with his guitar, working sporadically and following the red road. “The red road is from Lakota culture. It’s a way of being, of walking in a sacred manner, living honestly and truthfully,” he says. On his journey, O’Neill wrote songs. When he sang them, people listened. He’s made six self-produced CDs that he sells at gigs and on his Bandcamp page, but Campfire Cook is his first “real” album. “It’s completely analog, no digital mastering, no demos, recorded live in two days in a tiny cabin in a mountain town,” he adds. The music is visceral and wide open, suggesting Neil Young fronting The Band. “I aim to create a situation that invokes a valuable experience that stays with you,” he notes. “The live show is similar to the record, except it’s freakin’ live!”