Five Firsts: Matthew Loiacono/Matthew Carefully

NAME: Matthew Loiacono
BAND AFFILIATION: I play songs under the moniker “Matthew Carefully,” make experimental music alone under the name “Ceiling Life,” ringlead the Undone Ensemble, write and play acoustic guitar in Rosary Beard and play banjo/Casio/floor tom in David Greenberger & a Strong Dog.
INSTRUMENT: Drumset, mandolin, banjo, voice, octave mandolin, electric guitar, paper, rock, spoon, pedals, field recording, Juno-104, sampler

1. THE FIRST ALBUM I EVER BOUGHT WAS … Possibly “Even Worse” by Weird Al Yankovic on cassette? Or “Fables of the Reconstruction” by R.E.M. on cassette. One of the two.

2. THE FIRST CONCERT THAT I EVER SAW WAS … My father took me to see the Bobby Watson Quintet (Quartet?) with Victor Lewis on drums at the Skidmore Jazz Institute sometime in the early ’90s. This changed everything. Victor’s playing was absolutely mind-blowing, but he kept a keen, stolid face the entire time; daring the audience to look away or get lost in the music.

3. THE FIRST MUSICAL INSTRUMENT I EVER OWNED OR PLAYED WAS … A violin! I studied violin for a year or so in kindergarten using the Suzuki Method.

4. THE FIRST SONG THAT I EVER PERFORMED IN PUBLIC WAS … “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” on violin.

5. THE FIRST BAND I WAS EVER IN WAS … A most fantastic cover band in high school. The name escapes me at this point, but I do remember covering gems by Rage Against the Machine, Stone Temple Pilots, Nirvana and more. I will mention here that Frank Moscowitz was also in this band, playing the Gibson SG that he plays to this day! Good times.

Matthew Carefully presents his latest musical project, the one-night-only, 12-plus-member Undone Ensemble at the Restoration Festival at St. Joseph’s Church in Albany at 4:30pm on Sunday (August 28). Advance tix are $20 per day or $30 for a two-day pass; tix will be $10 more at the door. The fest is a fundraiser for the restoration of the historic building.