In the second installment of the “Get to know your blogger” feature, we are pleased to offer a wonderful interview with the man behind You Ain’t No Picasso. For me, visiting You Ain’t No Picasso is a daily custom; I usually visit more than once.

Providing people with a first look (and listen) to acts like The Light Footwork and then just today, posting a solo Colin Meloy show containing new material. Dedicated is a word that I think summarizes the work that Matt Jordan puts into his site, and I think it reflects in his writing. For proof you only need to check out his amazing interviews of Sufjan Stevens and Boy Least Likely To.

Thank you Matt for taking the time to answer the questions, and thank you for giving us a great daily read at You Ain’t No Picasso.

Matt (in green) with We Are Scientists

Let’s get some general background on you. You currently are going to college in Kentucky, correct?

Yup. I’m a 19 year-old, second year student at the University of Kentucky. I studied pre-pharmacy for a year until a skiing-incurred concussion gave me the freedom of mind needed to realize that this was a waste of my time. After a summer spent piddling around undecided, I switched to my true calling: journalism.

I want get an idea of your musical taste evolution if you will. What were some of the first albums/tapes/CD’s you bought?

Haha. Oh man, this is not the question I need to be answering. In all honesty, the first cds I remember buying were Gilbert and Sullivan operas. Not the most noble beginnings, huh? But after that I went the more traditional route for a 13-year-old and got into Green Day (nimrod. specifically), Smashing Pumpkins and Weezer’s blue album.

How about some of the more recent CD’s you’ve purchased?

Let’s see here…I think Deerhoof’s ‘The Runners Four’ and Minus Story’s ‘No Rest for Ghosts’ were bought on the same day. Also, this week I placed a preorder for The Light Footwork’s album ‘One State, Two State’ as well as buying some EPs and compilations from the fabulous Asaurus Records.

Where do you buy the majority of your records? Do you support a particular record store in your area, buy online, and if so, where?

Depends. Ideally I like to buy them from bands at their shows, but I’m in the middle of Kentucky, so that doesn’t happen too often. But usually I either purchase from CD Central in Lexington, KY (who have a wonderful reputation of supporting local music and are just great people anyway) or from bands’ websites.

When I started listening to music, there were certain musicians that led me in the path of a lot of other bands. Did you have any similar experiences with bands growing up?

Yeah, definitely. I think the Smashing Pumpkins saved me from a life of only listening to oldies or classical music when I hit my early teens. From there, the next two big bands that made me take notice to new types of music had to be Radiohead and Bishop Allen. Radiohead because, let’s face it, OK Computer is all kinds of flawless. It raised my musical standards by about a million percent. Bishop Allen is a different story though. I never really listened to any ‘indie’ bands until I randomly downloaded their album from my friend’s computer. After that I realized that unsigned bands have to work a lot harder to gain attention. So I’d say that basically lead me into the type of music I listen to today.

What are some of your favorite records of all time?

Oh wow. I guess I’ll just list some of the I’ll never get tired of hearing: Radiohead – OK Computer; The Apples in Stereo – Discovery of a World Inside the Moone (got it on vinyl last month. woo!); Neutral Milk Hotel – In the Aeroplane Over the Sea; The Unicorns – Who Will Cut Our Hair When We’re Gone?; The Smiths – Strangeways, Here We Come; The Clash – London Calling; The Beatles – Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (this album got me interested in music. We had it on cassette and I think I literally wore it out); Brian Eno – Taking Tiger Mountain By Strategy.

Any idea how many albums are in your collection?

Couldn’t tell ya. It’s really sad how poorly arranged my cds are right now. I count…17 laying out of their cases on top of my desk right now. I’ve got to start taking care of them before they leave me. But yeah, if I had to guess… I’d say 300 cds, 10 vinyl and about 200 on some form of computer medium.

If you could spend time with 3 musicians, who would you choose?
Wayne Coyne (Flaming Lips), Ted Leo (TL/RX) and Robert Schneider (Apples in stereo).

I’m sure you’ve seen some great concerts. Can you tell me what the first concert you saw was and when? To follow that up, are there any particular shows that stand out in terms of being favorites?

My first concert was a hastily-organized trip down to Nashville to see Weezer during the Green era. It was pretty sweet as first concerts go, but we could barely see the stage. Since then I’ve had the fortune to attend many, many great shows, but there are a couple that stand out. Seeing the Decemberists three times this summer was nothing short of amazing. Their live show is more like an elaborately staged production than members hitting instruments in unison. Additionally, I got to see The Apples in Stereo play an intimate hometown gig in Lexington this past September that blew my mind.

What are some bands that you haven’t gotten the chance to see live, but would really like to?

Right now I’m really hoping to see The Boy Least Likely To when they come to America. I’m in love with their album ‘The Best Party Ever’ and can only imagine how they’ll translate it to the stage. Also, I have to mention that not having seen Radiohead, the Flaming Lips or The Shins is one of the few failures of my life. I’ve got to remedy these problems.

How did you choose the name “You Ain’t No Picasso?”

Haha. I vividly remember picking it out from my playlist. ‘You Aint No Picasso’ is the name of an unreleased Bishop Allen song that I felt sorta reflected my feelings on life at the time when I started my blog. That and it just sounded kinda cool. But I think I made a good choice with the name selection. Actually, it’s kinda amazing how many emails I get addressed to ‘Picasso.’ One of my friends will sometimes call me that at random to see if I’ll turn around…I always do.

Can you tell me what got you into blogging, and are you surprised by the popularity your blog has attained?

A combination of a bit of heartbreak and the desire to spread musical suggestions to my friends lead to the start of You Aint No Picasso. I’d been reading Stereogum, LHB and Sixeyes and it started out as a way to kill a couple days, but eventually turned into something that has often been my reason for waking up. Haha. Am I surprised that people actually read my site? You bet. I can pretty much assure you that my readers are more musically educated and experienced than I am. Still, I’m glad that they seem to enjoy reading it almost as much as I enjoy doing it.

What are some of your favorite blogs? Music or otherwise.

Oh wow. Well, I’m going to have to go with Gorilla vs. Bear and Said the Gramophone. Both are amazingly on top of what’s going on in the independent music world, and to not read them at least four times a week is to turn your back on some amazing bands. As for non-music blogs, I must confess that I’m addicted to Boing Boing. I get to let my geeky side run wild as I comb through their updates.

Being a blogger you develop a unique relationship with certain artists, who you almost befriend, have you had any experiences like that?

Yeah, I’ve been very fortunate as far as that goes. There are a couple artists who I’ve supported through my blog who I’ve kept in touch with. The vast majority of bands I talk to are amazingly nice people who seem to honestly be doing it for the love of music.

How important do you think music blogs are in general? Do you think they will continue to be as popular as they are today?

I can’t decide if music blogs are given too much or not enough credit sometimes. In some cases (Arcade Fire and CHYSY) people tend to think that blogs are magical entities who have the ability to single-handedly make a band successful. But other times I think lots of people turn a blind eye to the fact that blogs are truly a great form of grassroots support. Will they continue to be this popular? I like to think so. However, I doubt that blogs will stay the same over the next two years. What changes are in store, I really can’t say; but I’d imagine that their ability to change with the times is going to be key to their survival.

Let’s get away from music for a bit. What are some of your favorite movies and television shows?

As far as movies go, I’ve got to say that it doesn’t get any better than Blazing Saddles and Fight Club. I couldn’t begin to estimate how many times I’ve watched either movie. Television shows are tricky, because I barely ever remember to tune in at a certain time. Having said that, let me also point out that I rarely ever miss an episode of the Daily Show, Colbert Report or Family Guy (it’s just not the same since they got cancelled, is it?) Also, I’m re-addicted to Mr. Show and Seinfeld. Typical college kid answers, I know.

Outside of music do you have any other interests or projects?

In a perfect world I would always have time to read. Unfortunately this isn’t a perfect world, so I’m often forced to re-read Chuck Palahniuk books while waiting for class to start.

A lot of people have a favorite t-shirt, do you have one?

I’m going to bend the rules on this just a bit and answer that my one true love in this world is my black high school soccer sweatshirt. I wore it every day through high school, and continue to do so well into college. If we ever bump into each other at a concert, and it isn’t the middle of summer, chances are great that I will be wearing this sweatshirt.

Matt with Robert Schneider and wearing his favorite sweatshirt.

In your opinion, what’s the best place to eat on your college campus?

Ah, finally a question for which I have some level of expertise. Tolly Ho on the corner of S. Limestone and Ave. of Champions in Lexington. It’s conveniently located on the same block as CD Central and barely a hundred feet from our radio station, WRFL. I used to go grab a morning burger after finishing my DJ slot at 6am.