Matthew E. White: BRIC Arts Media Center 2015

The Richmond, Virginia-based Spacebomb Records, founded by Matthew E. White, is not only a label, but a recording studio, production company and a collective. It's a model based on Stax or Motown, complete with with a house band, choir, string section, and arrangers. That kind of expansive setup could be a risky proposition in this day and age, to say the least. But when White and his cohorts recorded his 2012 debut, Big Inner, it was meant to serve as a showpiece for what the group could do. No one predicted that the album would put Matt in the spotlight, least of all Matt himself.

After two years of touring and critical acclaim, White is back with an even grander calling card, his sophomore release Fresh Blood. To properly launch the album, it was only right to perform it as it was recorded. Matt and most of the Spacebomb crew—the eight-piece horn section, a gospel trio (Resound), and White's own band, joined by a local 15-piece string section—came to BRIC Arts Media in downtown Brooklyn to premiere the songs from Fresh Blood.

This is the only scheduled date with the full orchestral experience, and FUV is thrilled to present the live version of these songs, on the very release day of White's Fresh Blood, which was also featured as FUV's New Dig.

(Please note: this performance contains language that some may find offensive.)

[recorded: 3/3/15]

More from Matthew E. White:

• The Alternate Side in Session - Matthew E. White - 2012