Common Orchids

About

Common Orchids is the solo project of one Matthew L Lowers. The Essex born, self-taught multi-instrumentalist has played every guitar riff, bass note, drum beat and egg shaker you will hear. Rooted in blues rock, garage rock with acoustic strumming and funk vibes thrown in the music is brimming with melody and grit. If Guitar music is dead, then nobody told Matthew! Full of catchy riffs that both nod to the past and embrace the future. So how did this Common Orchid grow? Many years of playing in original bands is tough when you dont get the break, Matthew pursued a career as a firefighter. He did not leave music behind but took a break from the live circuit and playing in bands, those bills need paying and as any struggling musician will tell you, it's hard out there. The love of playing and writing continued and he explored ideas in his free time. But life has a way of catching you out and after a long term relationship break up which led to him spending over a year of his life sofa surfing with just his acoustic guitar as his only constant possession, it was time for some serious soul searching. Time spent travelling in Europe resulted in Matt ending up in Romania where he learnt amongst many things how to make moonshine. This time away made him revaluate what he wanted from life. Heading back to London, he met his girlfriend (now wife from Romania) they lived in Stoke Newington before heading north out of London to Hertfordshire. Matt began trying out new songs he had written. By chance he came across a poem written by Essex writer Andy Prangnell. Old friends from their hometown. Matt felt inspired to use it in a song he was working on, (Outside the Circle) the bones of a beautiful composition was created and so the start of a new project. Common Orchids!