One would think that fame makes a person boastful, but singer-songwriter Matt Costa manages to stay grounded even after releasing his newest, self-titled fourth album.
On May 4, the down-to-earth Huntington Beach local will take the stage along with some fellow Huntington Beach natives, the Hindu Pirates, at the Observatory in Santa Ana.
Costa’s fourth album, which he recorded in Glasgow, Scotland, has a Bob Dylan-esque feeling that takes listeners back to his folk roots. In a phone interview, he described how he figured out the direction of the album.
“I just followed the music, you know?” Costa said. “As long as you’re in a creative space, that’s all you can really do.”
Costa said his wife, whom he originally met while at Huntington Beach High School, is a big influence on his music.
“She’s a big inspiration to me,” Costa said.
His upcoming show with the Hindu Pirates is just one of the many shows among Costa’s tour of the U.S. and Canada, which he’s doing to promote his new album.
Over the phone, Costa sounded calm and content when asked about how he felt playing with another band from his hometown.
“I think it’s gonna be real groovy,” Costa said.
Although Huntington Beach isn’t really known to be a spawning ground for musical talent, Costa said he likes where he’s from. The Southern California beach town was where he took the first steps to becoming a musician in his younger years.
“I sold my trumpet to [a] pawnshop and made 50 dollars off it, then I went to a music store and bought a Rolling Stones songbook,” Costa said.
He also said he bought a 1973 Martin 12-string guitar at a local Gear Trader, one he used frequently when he was recording his latest album.
But Costa’s tour has taken him far from the sunny Huntington Beach. He almost got caught up in the chaos of the Boston Marathon bombings while he was in Boston for a show.
“We had just left Boston the day before the attack,” Costa said. “It was crazy. It reminded me of Fahrenheit 451.”
Costa, a fan of vinyl records, said that his newest album has also been pressed on vinyl. He has played locally at Long Beach’s Fingerprints record store multiple times in the past and stopped by a North Carolina record store for a show on national Record Store Day.
“I’m just thankful for small record stores all around the nation,” Costa said.
Costa keeps himself busy with touring, writing and recording, and he doesn’t plan on slowing down anytime soon. Costa said he also plans on trying to write another record this year to be released next year.