Put a Record On November 10: Matt Walker & Lost Ragas

Episode #156

I’m so thrilled to have had the pleasure of interviewing, for the first time ever, celebrated Australian musician, singer-songwriter and producer Matt Walker.  Matt’s lifetime of guitar playing has earned him respect and accolades across the industry.  His 2000 album with Ashley Davies Soul Witness won an ARIA for Best Blues and Roots Album (that’s the equivalent to a JUNO for Canadian listeners).  He’s headlined shows across Australia, and supported artists such as Bob Dylan, Patti Smith, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, Jon Spencer Blues Explosion and the Cowboy Junkies.  He’s in demand as a touring guitarist, playing with Tex Perkins, Archie Roach, Mia Dyson, Broderick Smith, and my husband, Chris Altmann.  In other words, he’s a total legend. 

I was first introduced to Matt’s music in 2007 when someone played the album “I Listen To The Night” at a dinner party in Sydney.  After moving to Melbourne, I immersed myself in the musical realm of musicians that Matt played with, and got to know him as a kind, humble, funny and charismatic dude. 

He formed Lost Ragas in 2013.  The band released 3 incredible albums that blend pop, rock, folk, psychedelia and country.  Post To Wire described the sound as " It’s like Sturgill Simpson and Beck jamming with the ghost of Harry Nilsson ".  Their 2nd album, Trans Atlantic Highway, has become one of my all time favourites.  I’m not sure if I told Matt this, but it was one of 2 albums I had with me in the hospital when my son Tomi was born (the other was Gram Parsons Grievous Angel).  I knew that the soothing vocals and dreamy pedal steel would be what I would need to recover from giving birth, and also an amazing introduction to music for an infant. 

If you’ve been a listener of this show for a while, you’ve definitely heard Lost Ragas tunes, but I wanted to take a full hour to go deep into their latest album, ‘This Is Not A Dream’, released at the end 2019. 

Lost Ragas Albums & Merch