Emperor X

Emperor X
Matheny in 2012
Background information
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 an 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)

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.