Listening to the gravelly purr of Smattering singer Matt Olson, you'd never guess he's the owner of a mile-running maw in casual conversation. Fifteen minutes into our two-hour chat, he's yammering at the speed of French about the old days in his once hyped, now defunct Minneapolis band Balloon Guy. He remembers a certain hefty $30 espresso bill paid for by a label flunky, and the time he hollered at Capitol Records CEO Gary Gersh on top of the record company's building in Los Angeles--and as his pace quickens, his barrages become wittier, making it harder to get a word in edgewise. It's as if he's challenging me... More >>>