The things we create and share with the world are meant to be honored, and honored they will be by Matt Krahula as he releases Last Goodbye 11, a collaborative collection of reimagined songs from his previous 2012 album with The Nightmare River Band.
Having released three albums to date, The Nightmare River Band and their foot-stomping rhythms sent Krahula and colleagues touring relentlessly, meeting galvanizing musicians along the way. Releasing today, June 14th, 2024, Last Goodbye 11 spotlights a different musician or band from Krahula’s musical journey on each track to celebrate the 11th year of existence for the original album.
The title track, “Last Goodbye,” fades in with wavering synth and sails off with longing guitar for a crying ballad, pushing and pulling between the emotionality of a broken heart and the determination to keep going. The track emerges from Krahula’s long-standing relationship with Amy Lee and Lacey Gutherie of Bunny Day & The Mercy Buckets from Louisville, KY.
Panama Wedding, the project of Peter Kirk, joins Krahula for “Oh Me Oh My,” the only single released before the album. As bubbly guitar keeps the good times coming, the song’s catchy chorus takes the song away with rhythmic and melodic riffs and vocals.
The original album’s first track, “Mary,” is a twangy, harmonious, get-up-and-go rejuvenation with Americana rock band Quiet Hollers, who played many-a-show with The Nightmare River Band back in the day. The jaw harp drives the tone as Southern style vocals sing a nonchalant reminder of love for the main character, Mary, and touches on the strangeness that exists in this world.
International Australian classic rock musician Eden James accompanies Krahula on “Robots” as the pair shred this tune with electrifying guitar and telephone vocals. James played the last show Krahula saw before moving to Hawaii, and James’s ability to capture all the facets of the rock genre while keeping creative individuality decided his excitement to have James join the Last Goodbye 11 effort.
A solemn and depthful recount of nonreciprocal love, “Why Don’t You Love Me?” sees incredibly stylistic timbre changes as intoxicating electronic sounds flood the soundscape over soft vocals. The listener is washed in feelings of longing and despair as the man’s questioning of his love and all its stages unfolds. Stolar, known for their electronic instrumentals and lively vocals, contributes this last track of the musically diverse album.
Prior to compiling this joint effort of an album, Krahula has played for three other projects – Henry Kapono, Hook and Line Band, and 7 Pairs of Iron Shoes. Apart from his bass playing for Kapono, he also supports and assists in the Henry Kapono Foundation, a nonprofit striving to empower their community through music-related resources, mentorship, and opportunity.
Performing live in Hawaii weekly, including routine shows with Grammy-nominated Kapono, it seems audiences can’t get enough of this multi-instrumental indie artist. Matt Krahula is gracefully dedicated to a life of music, and his creative spin on past works is an inspiringly attune tribute to his previous accomplishments and the community it rallied.
