Music: Faulty wiring? Nah, it's just Matt the Electrician

One's sorely tempted to talk about the gentle power, comedic jolts and tasty musical juice that flow from the mouth and fingers of Austin-based singer/songwriter Matt Sever.

Sparked by the same sort of "make it funny but keep it real" impulses and raspy-voiced, folk-rocking tunes that energize kindred spirits Loudon Wainwright III, Bob Schneider, Steve Forbert and Dan Bern, Sever has made quite a name for himself in his adopted hometown, where his latest (sixth) full-length album, "Animal Boy," is one of the most popular discs on the University of Texas station KUT radio and in local record shops.

But its Sever's stage name - Matt the Electrician - that most know him by. The moniker helped him get his foot in the right doors (literally) and has inspired all of this story's um, high-watt descriptiveness.

"I moved to Austin to be a journeyman electrician," said Matt the E in a phone chat earlier this week, prompted by his shared show tonight with fellow Texan Jess Klein at Psalm Salon, the intimate, "living room concert"-style showcase in Overbrook Hills.

"My dad, a general contractor in Corvallis, Ore., had gotten me into carpentry and electrical work. I thought the latter would be better to do in Texas after my move there, to avoid working in the 100-degree sun. But as it turned out, I spent a lot of time in attics, where the temperature gets up to 130, 140."

To chill out and (you should pardon the expression) recharge his batteries, Sever would repair after work to local watering holes, where he'd entertain with his frisky original tunes - and apologize for his sweaty, just-came-from-work appearance by explaining his day gig.

Thus the nickname "Matt the Electrician" was born, helping build his image as a genuine, blue-collar guy and also bringing him into contact with some of the town's better-heeled musicians.

"Guys like Charlie Sexton and Jon Dee Graham started calling me to come do wiring work at their house. They figured they could trust me better than some unknown in the Yellow Pages 'cause I was one of them - a musician who also did electrical work, or an electrician who was also a musician."

Another guy who employed his services and became a pal was Bruce Hughes, a musician/producer who's toiled in Poi Dog Pondering, Cracker and recently Jason Mraz's touring band, and who now produces Matt's albums. "Truth is, I met more musicians that way, than going out to clubs."

Sever hit his crossroad in 2002. His musical career was building nicely - he'd already put out two indie albums and was readying the third. Now the chance to get his master's electrician license was also looming.

"If I took the test, I could have become a supervisor where I worked, or gone off to start my own company and made a lot of money. But then the door to music would have closed. That spurred me to quit my day job and embrace the music full time, and I'm glad I have," he said. "I'm my own boss, I make my own hours, and I've gotten to see a lot of the world."

The mellifluous "Osaka, Japan" on the new album celebrates one of his favorite towns. "I've been over there several times now. I still don't speak the language, but we communicate through the music. At home, I tend to focus on the drawn-out story songs, the funny business. Over there, my promoter has convinced me that my most dramatic ballads are most effective. The listeners might not get the exact meaning, but they connect to the mood in my voice."

Another big part of his thing - Matt the Electrician connects with the Austin crowd with a weekly gig (when he's home), where he invites the audience to suggest the idea for a song. The next week, he must come back with a finished song on the theme.

"I'm not one of those guys, like Lyle Lovett or Patty Griffin, who can make up a song out of thin air. So when given an idea, I have to relate it, connect it to my own life. Take the song 'College,' [off 'Animal Boy'] for example. The original title suggested to me was 'Dean's List.' I used that in the song, but wrote it entirely about my own experiences [at Northern California's infamously drugged-out Humboldt State], where I basically floated through."

His wryly stated conclusion is, "College was a waste of time. I could have done better working in Whole Foods or seeing the world, as my younger sister did. She's now the most successful of us three kids."

Another fan's suggestion - to write about a customer complaint department - wound up as a sticky note on his computer screen, right next to a note he'd written to himself to "send a thank-you letter to Angela," a Wal-Mart employee who saved his butt when his car battery died.

Modeled after an especially poignant song from the rock musical "Hair," his "For Angela" (another standout on the new album) drollishly lets on that's he's not a fan of the hyper-chain but now has lots of empathy for its employees - and hopes they unionize soon.

"There's often musical soundtracks playing in our house, like 'Guys and Dolls' or the movie version of 'Hairspray,' " allowed the now 37-year-old Sever. "Of late, my wife [a custom crafter of high-end Western wear] and kids have gotten into 'Bye Bye Birdie' and 'West Side Story.' My wife and I actually met in high school, doing a musical together called 'Snoopy,' the sequel to 'You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown.'

"I played Charlie Brown, she was Peppermint Patty, who's always kind of into him but doesn't know how to show it 'cause she's kind of butch. So she keeps punching him in the arm. They have an awesomely messed up relationship."

Matt the Electrician with Jess Klein, Psalm Salon, 5841 Overbrook Ave., 8 tonight, $16 advance, $20 at the door, 215-477-7578, www.thepsalm.org.