SOUTH Music: “If the Brief Is Solid and the Idea Is Inspiring, There’s Nothing More Magical than Seeing It Come to Life”

Matt's onboarding in 2018 was a key step in the artist-driven direction SOUTH Music was hoping to take the company in. Despite his professional pivot from artist, to TV music composer - he was a member of the Sons of Anarchy house band for seven years - to creative director, Matt still plays, tours and acknowledges great art has the ability to rise above all else. “My role in the community has shifted slightly since joining SOUTH, but I still maintain the same ethos I had when I was younger. I still believe. I still want to hear things that move me. And I believe that if they move me, they will move other people as well.”

So as to maintain an authentic and up to date connection with artists and fans on a baseline level, Matt keeps his ear to the ground when it comes to new talent. If he is impressed by an act, he adds them to his internal catalogue, remaining open and receptive in order to support creative ideas. 

“In my creative role within the company I am constantly on the lookout, because I know something might pop up where you least expect it. And when these bursts of creativity come to your life - in the form of a new act or artist - you have to be able to figure out ways to plug them into your world in a way that doesn’t conflict with who they are as artists. Sometimes, the perfect brief comes in and I have an “ah ha” moment about who would be the perfect artist to work on it.”

This is exactly what happened on this occasion. 

For their latest campaign, AT&T and BBDO LA, wanted to promote the message of “store more, share more” through the lens of an unexpected wedding photographer. The brand wanted to communicate how, when you don't have to worry about limited phone storage, you can capture a ton of unique stories. The spot would illustrate how those special moments can only come from candid photos, videos and, of course, unexpected photographers. Like a little girl who grabs her dad's iPhone to create the most entertaining wedding photo album ever. With a fresh approach to communicating a phone offer such as this, it only made sense for the same fresh perspective to be applied to the music itself. Enter SOUTH Music. 

Upon reading the brief, Matt recognised that this project would work every angle of SOUTH’s expertise as a music company. “Not only were we asked to help with the music supervision needs which included searching and negotiating for the perfect track, we were also tasked with finding the perfect artist to cover the track from a unique blend of punk / indie rock POV,” Matt explains. “The right vibe, style, and vocal approach needed to match perfectly with the visual style AT&T was envisioning.” 

Luckily, Matt knew exactly who to call on to fulfil the role of sonic storytellers: Buckets, a local Los Angeles-based band. 

Stored in Matt’s internal catalogue of music artists following a productive collaboration in summer 2023, he was confident the band fitted the client’s vision perfectly. “They were looking for a “punk rock” interpretation of Frankie Valli’s “Can’t Take My Eyes Off Of You,” but not in a modern punk way,” he says. “They had their sights on something more nostalgic a la The Ramones or The Buzzcocks, and those two bands are part of the reason I got into playing music in the first place. And I knew Buckets felt the same way. This allowed us to flex creatively in the studio and find the perfect sonic blend of their identity, a misfit NYC, English identity, and a song from years past.”

Fresh off a three week headline tour, the band were pleasantly surprised to receive the call from their friend and former collaborator. “We owe it to Matt for tossing our name out there. Knowing how great he and Robin are with sound production and seeing a client’s vision, we felt super confident we all could pull together and deliver something special. Apparently the casting agency got on board with us right away - it all came together pretty quickly.”

The clients loved the idea and Buckets were cast as the on-camera wedding band for the spot almost immediately. “The most exciting thing about working with SOUTH was their ability to take the brief - punk rock meets classic wedding song -  and turn it into something that was both familiar and completely new for the space. They did things with the track none of us were expecting but all of us loved,” a spokesperson from BBDO LA tells LBB. 

To add to the authenticity of the film and the on-screen wedding, Matt collaborated with the band to create a live rendition of the Frankie Valli track. “All four members were invited to our studio to jam for a few nights, then Robin (engineer) and I banged out the track. It was fast and furious which captured the spirit of what the references did. We wouldn’t have been able to approach this project in this way without our home base that we work out of.” 

Looking back on the collaboration, the band are quick to praise the efficiency of the partnership. “This was probably the fastest we’ve ever worked to complete a recording of a song. Generally we are self-recorded and mostly self-produced, which means things can take a bit longer to solidify in order to make sure everyone is happy with their performance. Working with SOUTH helped us to speed up that process a lot, and really listen when someone says, ‘we got it.’”

This version recorded at SOUTH’s Larchmont Village HQ ended up being the agency and client favourite and making it into the final edit. BBDO LA felt like it was the perfect finishing piece to the whole story. 

With specific expertise in crafting bespoke music for advertising, navigating agency expectations and fostering creativity in collaboration with brands, this project saw the team finesse these skills in a new and exciting way. 

“Working in such a specific territory forces us to listen and identify what it is the client is looking for, specifically in regards to the music. We knew bringing in a band would be challenging because bands aren’t used to working in the 15’ to 60’ confines of an ad. And this is where we get the most excited and shine creatively. It’s a challenge, but a good one, and if the brief is solid and the idea is inspiring, there’s nothing more magical than having it come to life.” 

While it's hard to pinpoint exactly how the music industry works, talent plays a big part, but Matt believes the most invaluable thing to bring to the table is the experiences of collaborating with other real-world musicians and bands. “Those experiences bring you closer to the community, start to provoke a certain POV inside you, and bring out what some may call a distinct voice.” 

With the spot released into the world earlier this month, Matt feels proud to have played such a crucial role in a fantastic spot with a great soundtrack. “This cements our vision as creative partners with both brands and bands alike. I like to think of this project as the perfect example of how my world works. I went out on tour with Louise Post from Veruca Salt, met the opening band, became friends, and nine months help to put them into an AT&T spot, not only as creating the soundtrack, but as the on-camera 'wedding' band. It doesn’t get much better than that.”