Following a near fatal heart scare, Peter Case released his new, full band electric album Wig! on Yep Roc Records.

Is it surprising to you that a 3-time Grammy-nominated artist like Peter Case might not have insurance? Last nominated for his 2007 Yep Roc album Let Us Now Praise Sleepy John, Case like thousands of musicians and artists in the United States, was nearly a statistic of our now slowly recovering health care system. "I was told I needed a sophisticated diagnostic test and cost was definitely an issue," says Case of the period just before it was discovered one of his coronary arteries was 99% blocked. "I was moving into waters that were far too deep for me."  Peter’s condition would require immediate open-heart surgery. "I had no idea how I'd pay for it but the doctors just took great care of me and asked no questions. I owe them my life.”

One double bypass, five days in the hospital and a six-figure medical bill later, Case's friends and fans organized to raise the money for the cost of his care.  Benefit shows were staged in Austin, Houston and Nashville, as was a three-night extravaganza at McCabe's in Santa Monica, CA. The gigs featured heavyweight friends like master of ceremonies T Bone Burnett and performers Loudon Wainwright III, Dave Alvin, Richard Thompson, Joe Henry, Van Dyke Parks and many more. “My fans and friends really bailed me out and came through for me helping with my medical bills. I have a lot to be thankful for."

While on the mend, Case says for a good while he hung out listening to jazz records.  "I was in a very diminished chord kind of mood." But all that changed while prepping the reissues of albums by his early rock outfits The Plimsouls and The Nerves. “I had to do the mastering and spent quite a bit of time listening to the old records.  It really got me going, hearing those guitars."

Following an especially rocking sold-out comeback show at McCabe’s where he debuted the tunes he’d been assembling in his recovery months, Case began to work in earnest on a new album. “We played on a Friday, worked up some more songs on Sunday, entered the studio on Tuesday and at the end of Wednesday the album was mainly finished." Full-on electric and loaded down with dirty, raw blues riffs, Wig! was recorded largely live and definitely straight to analog tape. “It felt really good to rock again," says Case. Case is accompanied by DJ Bonebrake of X on drums and Ron Franklin, leader of the Minneapolis-based Gasoline Silver, on lead guitar.

So, did Case ever consider giving up rock for a more sedate post-op life? “I’m what you’d call ‘very extremely over committed’ at this point," he chuckles.


Once upon a time, there was a youg man named Matt Sever. He lived in Austin, TX, and he worked as a journeyman electrician. Every morning, when it was still dark outside, he would go to work, and wire houses all day long in the blistering Texas heat. When he would come home, again, it was dark outside. And then, sometimes, with no time to shower or change his clothes, he would go straight to the bars and nightclubs of Austin to play his songs for whomever would listen. And he would apologize for his appearance, and explain to the audience that he was an electrician, and he found a certain nobility in this, even if no one wanted to sit too close to the stage. So they called him Matt The Electrician, and he did not mind this, for he was proud of himself, for there is no shame in a hard days work.

But eventually, he quit his job as an electrician, to spend more time writing and playing songs, and the name stuck with him, because everyone needs an electrician sometimes. And there are some who say, that when the moon is full, and Jupiter is aligned with Mars, you can often hear Matt The Electrician in the distance, wiring a house, and whistling softly to himself.

Matt's song, "Valedictorian", was featured on a recent episode of the ABC TV show, Eli Stone, and the Lifetime show, Army Wives.
He has been a finalist in the Mountain Stage Newsong Festival, The Telluride Bluegrass Festival, and The Rocky Mountain Folks Festival.
He won the Texas Grammy Songwriting Contest, sponsored by the Texas chapter of NARAS.
And he has toured in support of The Weepies, Erin Mckeown, and Bob Schneider.

Matt continues to tour all over the world, and has recently released his 6th self-released studio album, “Animal Boy”.