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    Singer/songwriter Rob Thomas will be dropping by the Louisville Palace on Oct. 27, promoting his latest solo work, “The Great Unknown.” The album, one full of diverse sounds with a classic Rob Thomas feel - released August 21, 2015, but many songs have been played on the road for the last year.
    Louisville.com and Thomas recently had a chat about Louisville, the touring bubble and Matchbox 20.
     
    Louisville.com: How is it playing solo? How different is it from playing with Matchbox 20?
    Rob Thomas: "I think there’s something that’s just inherently different in the subtext. Matchbox 20 is the sound of the four of us. It’s a true band. No matter what I write, when I bring it to them, it’s going to go through that filter. They’re either going to say they like it or they don’t like it, or, if they do like it, they might turn it around into a whole other way, or a whole other song so I never really know what’s going to happen, as opposed to when I do solo - I come in with a song, I sit down with a demo, I make it exactly how I want it. It’s kind of like, there’s a little more pressure to be in control of the whole thing.

    If Matchbox were to play, we could open up for a Tom Petty or the Stones. There’s something in us that’s an Americana, pop-rock band. Whereas, I think that my solo band would open up for Bruno Mars or Duran Duran or something."
     
    L.com: What do you think about the city? What do you think when you think Louisville?
    RT: "It’s great, I’ve been coming there for years - I have my step-sister, who has lived there for 20-some odd years or more. I used to come there as a kid - you guys would have a regatta. The boat regatta. And we would go there."
     
    L.com: When you come here, is there anywhere you like to go? A favorite spot, a favorite bar?
    RT: "I don’t get to do those things anymore. I come into town, I stay on my bus, I’m at the venue I play the show, then I get back on my bus and I play somewhere else. I haven’t had a day off in Louisville in a long time.
    It’s kind of weird, I get to see so many cities all over America, but I just get to see it out of my bus window. Like, last night, we were in Salt Lake and we actually left the hotel, which was like a big deal, getting out of the bubble. They didn’t have food, so we were like, “Let’s go!” we went out into the world and went down to this restaurant."
     
    L.com: If you could get out of the bubble in any city, which one would you choose?
    RT: "That’s hard, I’ve been in New York for 17 years, so - it’s my favorite place to be out of the bubble. But, I do like Denver, I love a lot of places overseas. Overseas, you have a lot more time to do things because you’re not travelling on a bus, so there’s always like travel days. You’re in the city and you can actually go do things. It’s a blessing and a curse."
     
    Can we expect to hear any Matchbox 20 hits at the Palace? Probably not too many, according to Thomas:
    RT "“I don’t like to do a ton of Matchbox stuff... because we’re still a band and so we’ll be out playing those songs. If I do Matchbox, I usually like a couple of tributes to Matchbox and do a couple of acoustic versions in the set. But now I’ve got ten years of solo work that I want to get to, as well. I can only get so much in in two hours.”
     
     


    Cover photo: RobThomasMusic.com
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    About Michelle Eigenheer

    A Louisville transplant beginning to appreciate all the city's small things.

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