Meet Matt Novak

We asked Matt Novak, the Harrison Center's newest place-based singer-songwriter resident, to tell us a little bit about himself. We'll be posting Matt's music throughout his ten week residency. Stay tuned!

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My name is Matt Novak, but I perform and release my music under the moniker Ray Wyatt. I’m a born Hoosier, and have lived in Indianapolis for approximately two and a half years. I have been a songwriter for roughly seven years, and now I have the privilege and challenge of being the Harrison Center for the Arts' newest music resident. My residency will last 10 weeks, and I plan to write one song per week.

I foresee a few challenges but also points of growth, and one of those being that I have to record the songs I write. In the past, someone else has always been the man behind the curtain pushing the buttons and sliding the faders. Through those experiences, I have gained a basic knowledge of recording, but it will be fun to have control of the reigns and develop my skills in this realm.

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As a lyricist, I have never written detailed place-based songs. I plan to research the neighborhoods, buildings, and people I will be writing about, and through this I hope to get a better understanding of the city in which I now reside. I hope to impart some of this knowledge through my songs without having it sound like a lecture set to music.