Ottawa Indie Pop Rocker HOT MUD Grapples With The Music Industry On Chipper, Vivacious Single “Nobody Listens To The Radio”
Decades ago, the music industry was on solid footing with various international labels, emerging independent labels highlighting alternative acts, and record stores in major cities and small towns across North America and beyond. Now, the industry has fragmented. With advanced technology, any conceivable artist or song from any era is at your fingertips.
But is it for the better? Well, Ottawa indie pop rocker artist Hot Mud (also known as Muddy Matthew Watters) addresses the issue with his latest smart single, the acerbic, pointed, and satirical single “Nobody Listens To The Radio” from the artist’s Pink Cloud Pop album.
“Although the satirical message paints a grim picture for music makers, the song itself proves that the art is still very much alive, and as creative, and exciting as ever,” Hot Mud writes of “Nobody Listens To The Radio.” A music video was also made for the song and released in late August showing Hot Mud performing as images of old, pre-digital radio dials are shown throughout. An old-school twin-cassette boom box is also used by Hot Mud in the video.
Soaked in a highbrow backbeat and with just enough electronic atmosphere hovering over the song, “Nobody Listens To The Radio” soars before upping the ante in the beefy, infectious chorus. Hot Mud describes the “verse/chorus/verse” formula in most pop singles while citing algorithms and Artificial Intelligence as the bane of creativity. Think of some blend of Primitive Radio Gods, a tamer but more thoughtful Andrew WK and Elvis Costello’s sneering “Radio, Radio” and the industrious “Nobody Listens To The Radio” shines.
From the stream of consciousness
To the streaming services
To present its worthiness
To the rhythm of the mighty algorithm
Verse chorus verse
Music is a curse
The art has lost its worth
Music lost its worth
“Nobody Listens To The Radio” was written and performed almost entirely by Hot Mud (Watters) with backing vocals provided by Laura Snedden. The song is the followup to “Welcome To Humankind” and includes quotes culled from Hot Mud’s own dealings with fellow musicians from a radio program he currently produces entitled Canada’s Cool Culture hosted on Ottawa radio station CKCU 93.1 FM.
Hot Mud began as the alter ego for Watters but the alter ego began engulfing his life, leading him to battle demons and eventually end up in rehab. After a year of recovery, the artist took a horde of recording equipment, cameras and musical instruments into a small room at a “second-stage sober living” facility. Learning recording techniques by trial and error, Hot Mud eventually recorded songs that formed the debut album Rehab Rock. Following that album release Hot Mud issued an EP entitled Electric Gutter Club in May, 2024.
Now with the shimmering, fun, and attention-grabbing “Nobody Listens To The Radio” look for Hot Mud to keep ensuring that rock n’ roll won’t be saying goodbye for the foreseeable future.
Hi Muddy! Good to see you again! What have you been up to since we last spoke?
Hello again! I have been well and rockin’ since we last spoke, thank you! I’m currently working on some music videos for my latest album ‘Pink Cloud Pop’ released September 6, 2024!
“Nobody Listens To The Radio” takes a satirical look at the current state of the music industry. What inspired you to write this song?
When I was writing the ‘Pink Cloud Pop’ record I was studying and eventually working in Radio Broadcasting. I remember so many people thinking I was crazy, telling me “Radio is dead” and “Nobody Listens to The Radio”, that kind of thing. I’ve been working in radio for years now.
Although sometimes those words would come to mind while working on my own radio program. I would often put in a ton of work on episodes for sometimes just a few listeners, so the phrase hits close to home.
That covers the title, but most of the lyrics are focused on the digital streaming era of music distribution and how recorded music is pretty much free now, hence the lyric ‘Music lost its worth’.
It’s also a tribute to the ‘daydream nation’ that does it for the art no matter what, regardless of the industry… even if A.I. might eventually do it better than all of us.
The song is a conversation of many conversations heard throughout the music industry, I just wanted to have some fun with those topics.
The music video for “Nobody Listens To The Radio” features nostalgic imagery like old radio dials and a twin-cassette boom box. Did you ever tape music off the radio as a kid?
Absolutely. I remember recording ‘The top ten at ten’ on Ottawa’s ‘The Bear’ for some killer alternative rock n roll hits back in the day. ‘The Bear’ would also broadcast a personality called ‘The Champ’, he was a big influence on some of my character ideas for radio programming now that I think of it.
Also, I loved the college radio stations from Ottawa too, we would pass around tapes of programs broadcasting underground hip hop, punk rock, and heavy metal.
The song includes quotes from your radio program “Canada’s Cool Culture” on CKCU 93.1 FM. Can you share more about how your experiences on this show have influenced your songwriting, especially for this track?
Ya, the line ‘music is a curse’ comes from many conversations I had with musicians. That phrase or something similar was brought up often when referring to the financial struggles and the unconventional lifestyle that comes with creating underground artistic music. Knowing the struggle but still being completely compelled to create as if you have no choice regardless of the state of the industry or personal success is a very real and common artistic journey.
Ultimately, the artistic process is what I aim to bring attention to and celebrate, both on my show and in the song.
Those interviews are what inspired me to put my own music out there, I was fortunate to speak with such incredible artists. There are some great conversations and music with some of my favorite Canadian creators on that program, check out the show at canadascoolculture.ca.
Fun fact: There is a feature in the song from my co host ‘Rock n Roll Bot’ as well.
With the rise of streaming services and digital algorithms, do you think there is still a place for traditional radio in today’s music landscape, or is it a medium that’s losing relevance?
I love college radio programming. I think there is a sense of community there that is not found in these digital streaming services. I love the character and personality in college radio programming. It gives these music nerds a voice and outlet to share their passion for weird music and culture. It’s a great avenue to connect with a local artistic and musical scene.
Commercial radio isn’t so bad every now and then, I love the production elements of it. There’s something magical about a live broadcast happening in real time, I hope it is embraced by generations to come. I’ll tune in once in awhile to hear what’s considered hit music by the masses… needs more Hot Mud!