Emperor X

Emperor X
Born	1979 Louisville, Kentucky
Origin	Jacksonville, Florida, United States
Genres	Alternative noise pop noise rock lo-fi folk indie folk
Instruments	Guitar keyboard vocals
Years active	1998 – present
Labels	Bar/None Records Discos Mariscos Snowglobe Records Bakery Outlet Records Burnt Toast Vinyl Plan-It-X Records
Associated acts	The Cadets Applied Communications Beatcancel Neosporin
Website	http://www.emperorx.net

Chad R. Matheny, known professionally as Emperor X, is an American singer and songwriter.

Early life and career

Matheny got his start in music when he was given a Casio SK-1 by his grandparents at age 9, and managed to record his first album on a Tascam four-track before the age of 20.^[1]

Matheny tours across the United States regularly and performs around the world as well, including tours in Mexico, Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom, and the European Union.^[2]

In a self-described attempt to "address the diminishing utility of physical copies of music and the expanding role of marketing in the experience of art",^[3] Matheny often hides or buries one-off physical copies and associated visual artwork of b-sides at GPS coordinates and posts them online as a part of a geocaching game to unlock MP3 copies of the audio. For the release of the 2011 Emperor X album Western Teleport, 41 "translucent purple audio cassettes" were buried across North America, many of which remain undiscovered.^[4] This received a feature on NPR's "Weekend Edition" program.^[5]

Personal life

Matheny was a former high school science teacher,^[6] and in 2004 he stopped his pursuit of a master's degree in physics in order to dedicate his career to music.^[7]

Discography

Full-length albums

• The Joytakers' Rakes/Stars on the Ceiling, Pleasantly Kneeling (1998, self-released)
• Tectonic Membrane/Thin Strip on an Edgeless Platform (2004, Discos Mariscos) ^[8]
• Central Hug/Friendarmy/Fractal Dunes (2005, Discos Mariscos)
• The Blythe Archives Volumes One and Two (2009, Burnt Toast Vinyl/self-released)
• Western Teleport (2011, Bar/None Records)
• Nineteen Live Recordings (2013, Plan-It-X Records)
• The Orlando Sentinel (2014) ^[9]

EPs and singles

• Wuss/Strike/River/Preacher/Magnet/God/Unwuss (2006)
• Dirt Dealership 7" (2007)
• Defiance (for Elise Sunderhuse) (2010)

Tour-only releases

• Gasheater/Raytracer (2004)
• East Coast and Freedom From/Freedom To (2004)
• Everyone in Jacksonville (2006)
• Australia Tour Tape (2010)
• Several New Songs in Various Digital Formats (2011)

Soundtracks

• Matthew/Malena/Rebecca/Kalil: A Motion Picture Soundtrack for Michael Masarof's First Love (2016)

External links

• "Weekend Edition" Story on Matheny's Burial Project
• L Magazine review
• Interview with Artist Connection Podcast

References

1. Ubl, Sam. "Tectonic Membrane/Thin Strip on an Edgeless Platform Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2 March 2016.
2. Matheny, Chad. "A POORLY-FORMATTED BUT COMPLETE LST OF EVERY EMPEROR X PERFORMACE EVER SO FAR". Emperor X Official Website. Retrieved 2 March 2016.
3. Wasoba, Ryan. "Emperor X On Stock Responses And Performative Marketing". Riverfront Times. Retrieved 2 March 2016.
4. Matheny, Chad. "Western Teleport Nodes". Western Teleport. Retrieved 2 March 2016.
5. NPR feature
6. Deusner, Stephen. "The Most Underrated Albums of 2011". Salon. Retrieved 2 March 2016.
7. "Emperor X Biography". Bar None Records.
8. Ubl, Sam. "Tectonic Membrane/Thin Strip on an Edgeless Platform Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2 March 2016.
9. Eakin, Marah. "Emperor X tries to put Orlando on the map (again) with a new single, EP". The AV Club. Retrieved 2 March 2016.