Matt Ward: 'The Beauty Of Country Music Is A Vehicle For Stories Of The Open Road'

South Australian singer-songwriter Matt Ward has just released his third album, The Long Way Home.

The album release follows his single A Place To Stay, a beautiful ballad centred around the call of the open road and the companionship of his faithful dog, Shooter. Jacob Tames and Ward produced the video for A Place To Stay, a love letter to the vast South Australia’s Fleurieu Peninsula landscape.

The eight-track album is comprised of personal histories, emotional stories, and a love of Australia’s natural landscapes.

After Countrytown spoke with Ward, it was clear that Ward approached his music through every part of his identity.

Having lived in almost every state and territory of Australia, he speaks of country living with authority, similar to how he writes about nature, fuelled by his background and passion for ecology.

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Ward said, “Somebody once told me that country music is very much about the road, the heart, and the country as well. I guess through my work in land management across Australia was on country you also had to work with regional communities, and you're on the road a lot as well. So I guess both through work and adventure, all those things have influenced my love of country music and my connection to it.”

Ward continued, “That’s what I think the beauty of country music is, a vehicle for those stories of the open road.”

Petrichor (meaning ‘the smell of rain’) is a stunning depiction of first love. It also explores the universal ability to smell rain before it comes and after it has gone. Ward pairs the two experiences beautifully and encapsulates the natural beginnings of love through the track.

Reminiscent of his science background, Ward approaches his craft with a scientist's rigour, immersing in the subject matter and consulting and learning from cultures and teachers around him. This has led to Ward cultivating a relationship with First Nations leaders in North West South Australia, an experience he values deeply.

Ward said, “I’ve had the opportunity to share my music with them on several occasions, and the interest they showed and the generosity they showed towards my music and my love in the music industry was really a rewarding experience.

“But also, it's that grounding of understanding in regional Australia and understanding remote communities as well. Again, drawing back to the album The Long Way Home, [I see] that understanding of home and place and sense of place as well.”

Fans of Ward will be excited to see that he has joined the Groundwater Country Music Festival ticket, marking his second time performing at the festival.

The three-day event takes place at the Gold Coast, and Ward says he and his six-piece band are looking forward to putting on a great show. He will also bring a fiddle player to the stage, which audiences will not have seen previously at his shows.

Ward said, “It’s fantastic to be back, and they always put on such an amazing festival and support the artist so much. The way that they support the artists is second to none. So, I cannot wait to go back and take up a full six-piece band, so we are definitely going to be a good show.”

Ward continued, “There's something a little bit special for Groundwater that other people haven't seen. Essentially, we're going to deliver a high-energy, good fun, but meaningful set of both some of my old material, but also definitely some of the new material from the album as well. So yeah, we're gonna leave it all out on the park, as they say.”

Ward kicked off his tour in South Australia. More shows are to come, including the Groundwater Country Music Festival on October 19-20.