Roots Music Rambler Backstage with West Virginia-based Singer-Songwriter William Matheny
Welcome to another in our Backstage episode of Roots Music Rambler. These are short interviews Frank and Falls are able to grab backstage (or just somewhere in person rather than on our virtual, longer-form interview episodes) and catch up briefly.
This week, we share a recent chat Falls had with West Virginia-based singer-songwriter William Matheny. He hails from the Morgantown area of West Virginia where Falls spent time in graduate school. So, the two mucked it up a bit with some casual Morgantown banter, but not before we asked Matheny about his new record.
Material Witness is the name of the LP and it marks a step up in the recording and engineering approach for Matheny and his band. It was recorded at Ronnie’s Place in Nashville with the musicians coming from Matheny’s personal list of favorites. A couple of tracks even feature a fun change of roles as John R. Miller sat in on bass guitar. Matheny is Miller’s regular bass player when Miller is playing live, so turnabout is a fun little tidbit about the record.
Matheny says the album is more focused on mortality and the passing of time than his previous works, but his songwriting is so beautiful and the music brings the right amount of life to the stories. We know you’ll love it, and hearing more about Matheny’s journey to and through music, his approach to songwriting and more.
You can find William Matheny online at williammatheny.com as well as Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, TikTok and all the streaming platforms.
Download the episode and subscribe at rootsmusicrambler.com, watch the full episode on YouTube, or download wherever you get your podcasts.
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Notes and links:
– William Matheny online – https://williammatheny.com
– William Matheny on Spotify – https://open.spotify.com/artist/5ffXgMSb7TTuOLvb56MxGx?si=SlUDlzliTgOnLDwfaTI_eg
– Material Witness on Spotify – https://open.spotify.com/album/1tHE40kSQrubx13Fj44ADo?si=iYSyB6AHSwqlmZVhZXerLA
– William Matheny on YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdiJL1kaXYJ57NwBHftWkog/featured
– William Matheny on TikTok – http://tiktok.com/@williammatheny
– William Matheny on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/william_matheny
– William Matheny on Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/thewilliammatheny
– John R. Miller on Spotify – https://open.spotify.com/artist/6VPZjyyur7ltEgkFdMnvz4?si=xOB5kEgfQxmrXMugVpQEcg
– The Roots Music Rambler Store – https://rootsmusicrambler.com/store
– Roots Music Rambler on YouTube – https://youtube.com/@rootsmusicrambler
– Roots Music Rambler on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/rootsmusicrambler/
– Roots Music Rambler on TikTok – https://www.tiktok.com/@rootsmusicrambleon
– Roots Music Rambler on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/RootsMusicRambler
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Theme Music: Sheepskin & Beeswax by Genticorum; Copyright 2026 – Falls+Partners. All music on the program is licensed by ASCAP, BMI and SESAC. Roots Music Rambler is a member of the Americana Music Association.
