Spinner

Matt Costa Draws on Bob Lind for 'Mobile Chateau'

Brushfire

As Spinner previously noted, singer-songwriter Matt Costa isn't shy about emulating the classic songwriting of the Byrds and Donovan. But on his new album, 'Mobile Chateau,' Costa also draws from the catalog of Bob Lind this time, and not just in spirit.

"He was a songwriter in the Lee Hazlewood vein, who had a Spector-y production behind him," he tells Spinner. "My uncle was a big influence on where my influences took at a young age. He turned me onto Sandy Denny, Richard Thompson. [Lind] was his favorite songwriter."

Costa thought so highly of the Lind song 'Ask Your Man,' he actually took the lyrics and reworked them into a new song called 'Drive.' It's a piano-driven pop track that sounds like it could be a long-lost Beach Boys tune with its shimmering summery feel.

"The lyrics are a reinterpretation of his lyrics," Costa adds. "It's taking a theme and making it present at the same time. When I told [Lind], he was excited that it was taking a new life. It feels 100 percent my story and my song. That's the goal -- I wasn't expecting to archive, but to take something from then and really feel like it's your own."

Lind's career was highlighted by the song 'Elusive Butterfly,' which peaked at No. 5 on the charts, but he retired from the music business in 1969. Over the years, iconic artists such as Cher, Dolly Parton, Nancy Sinatra and Eric Clapton have all covered Lind tunes, so Costa is certainly in good company.

Costa's coast-to-coast tour begins Oct. 2 in California State University in Chico, Calif. 'Mobile Chateau' is out now on Brushfire Records.


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