That Grand Old Feeling

Many artists find inspiration on the road, but few do so with the keen eye and narrative talents of William Matheny. The West Virginia-based singer-songwriter finds inspiration for his brand of Appalachian Americana at truck stops and hotel lobbies, filtering his experiences through a perspective that’s equal parts curious and compassionate. On That Grand, Old Feeling, Matheny shares that perspective across nine new tracks. That Grand Old Feeling follows Matheny’s 2017 album Strange Constellations, which drew critical acclaim from outlets like NPR and PopMatters. Matheny wrote and completed That Grand, Old Feeling before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, recording the LP with producer Bud Carroll at Trackside Studio in Point Pleasant, WV. Carroll joins the proceedings on guitar, with Adam L. Meisterhans (guitar), Clint Sutton (drums), Jeremy Batten (piano, organ), John R. Miller (bass, vocals) and J. Tom Hnatow (pedal steel) rounding out the band. All of these fantastic players are fellow West Virginians and Matheny’s longtime friends. While That Grand, Old Feeling is a document of Matheny’s own journey as a seeker, he hopes that the album can inspire anyone else out there searching for meaning in their own lives, whether they’re searching at a truck stop or in an album of old photographs. “I feel like I've just been trying to recapture that youthful excitement my entire life, trying to regain that clarity and that feeling of purpose,” he says. “And it comes and goes. I mostly seem to be looking for it at gas stations and rest areas and at gigs. But I think a lot of people are probably looking for it in a lot of places like that, too. Pilgrim to pilgrim, I hope you find it.”