Good?
Great, actually.
That best describes Canadian rocker Matthew Good's mood these days, something that may come as a surprise to anyone who's been in contact with him or his music over the past few years in which he earned the reputation -- just or not -- of being a sullen and somewhat unhappy individual.
Part of the change could be due to his marriage just over a year ago, but the musician gives a great deal of the credit to the removal of some dark clouds in his life and the passage of enough time to see through to the sunshine.
"I was in a largely very negative situation for a lot of years, and it took me getting out of it to really realize ... that that was the case," says the reinvigorated Good, who will play Cowboys Sunday, June 27 and Monday, June 28.
"It was one of those things where not only does your band break up, but you realize that everyone in your life that you really thought was your friend was using you somehow, and then suddenly no one that you counted on really gave a damn.
"That's a really difficult thing to have dawn on you: 'Well, everyone's not getting paid anymore, suddenly I have no friends -- isn't that strange?'
"Given that, obviously it takes a little while to get over it, and when you do, you wake up one morning and you go, '(Damn), I feel like a huge weight has been taken off me -- this is awesome. Not only that, I'm going to go make a record.' "
And in keeping with his current frame of mind, that record, the newly released White Light Rock & Roll Review, is far and away the best thing he's recorded, either with the Matthew Good Band or in his current solo incarnation.
Stripped-down and straight-forward, it's freer, more immediate and a much more interesting and even accessible collection of rock music from the Vancouver-based artist.
"I'm totally excited about it," he says. "It was totally fun to do. I did it so fast and it really opened my eyes to a lot of things I hadn't really thought about before. The last record for me was just getting over the hump of how I used to do things ..."
That last record, Avalanche, Good admits, was also his last chance to get his "ya-yas out" -- something he did by employing strings on some of the tracks -- in the current record company climate.
For the most part, White Light Rock & Roll Review is just Good and a backing duo or trio playing the tracks live off-the-floor. And when there are other musicians joining in, the result is something refreshing and unexpected -- a country feel, complete with pedal steel guitar from Paul Rigby (who's worked with Neko Case) and backing vocals from Robyn Carrigan of Bottleneck.
In fact, on the hidden closing track, Hopeless, Good goes full-out into the twangy realm to deliver perhaps the best song he's ever written or recorded.
Although he admits he had to ease his fans and record company into his love of alt country, Good also says it's something he'd like to explore further.
"One of (the) things in the future I'd love to do is get a hold of the Good Brothers and the Sadies and make a whole record with them," he says.
"That'd be lovely. And ironic."
And the country angle might also help placate some of the Texans who've been filling Good's e-mail inbox with vitriol.
The Lone Star Staters and many other Americans haven't taken too kindly to his outspoken-ness about their government and politics in general.
"Oh, dude, I'm on the neocon hate list e-mail out every day," says Good, sounding even happier. "I love being attacked by the right, though, because their arguments are so unbelievably thin."
