Born in Hamilton and raised in Halifax, Matt Mays has been a consistent presence on the Canadian rock scene since the early 2000s. 

Having released solo work and albums with bands, including The Guthris  and El Torpedo, he’s had many ups and downs in the last decade - a tour with Kid Rock, an ill-fated film that ran out of money and an appearance on Late Night with Conan O’Brien. Mays’ last record with El Torpedo, Terminal Romance, was a success, but after a broken engagement and the sudden passing of bandmate Jay Smith, Mays elected to take some time off.

Coyote, the 2012 solo album Mays is currently touring for, is the result of his bohemian existence between Mexico, California, Indonesia, Hawaii, Costa Rica and New York. Mays says he relies on travel to help him maintain his outlook on life. 

“A lot of people look at life from the inside out, and I can’t say I’m not guilty of that, but I think it’s important to look at it from the outside in,” Mays, 34, says. “It’s important not to lose sight of other perspectives.”

Mays’ raspy voice exudes the kind of laid back confidence a person develops from being a rock star/surfer/yogi/world traveller. He is every inch a nomad, not becoming attached to any specific routine or security blanket. 

“I’m very close with my family, but when I’m on the road that’s where I am. You never know what’s around the corner. That’s what I love about it so much,” he says.

Though Coyote was inspired by and even recorded in several locations, there’s a consistent mood running through the tracks that Mays finds tough to put into words. 

“[The music] finds its own way. I wasn’t necessarily thinking about cohesion. When it’s right, you just know,” he says.

Mays’ intuitive approach toward songwriting is reflected in his tour through intimate venues across Canada, including a stop at The Park Theatre on Oct. 29. 

No two Mays shows are the same, as the singer says he tries to get a sense of what’s appropriate to each crowd - something that may also be influenced by his choice of road listening on this tour, which isn’t music, but stand up comedy from the likes of Richard Pryor, Bill Burr and Mitch Hedberg. 

“Everyone is going to respond to something different,” he says. “I don’t usually do setlists.”

Published in Volume 68, Number 8 of The Uniter (October 23, 2013)