"The Way That You Are” (originally titled “Balconies & Bended Knees”) was first written and recorded by my brother Jonathan Check back in 2006. As part of a grant he received at the time, he recorded the song along with a few others on his debut solo album at Mr. Smalls Theater in Millvale, PA (the studio of Rusted Root Founder – Liz Berlin). Out of all my brother’s many amazing compositions over the years, this one in particular always remained by far my favorite and holds a furthermore special place in my heart because of its masterful rendering on David Dye’s WYEP World Cafe Live at The Andy Warhol Theatre on Pittsburgh’s Northside at the album release that year.

Never expecting to record this song for any reason, I found myself toying around with it last fall, when I was assembling material for what would become Without a Throne.

Once I got down to Nashville and began to workshop the melody with Thomas Bryan Eaton (the album’s producer) and Miss Tess (the track’s featured vocalist), I was amazed by the new personality that the song took on. While it was already soulful, we added a three-part harmony that brought out an unexpectedly heartfelt texture. We also tweaked a drumbeat (rendered by Glenn Grossman) during the pre-chorus that gave the song an almost Motown-Esque vibe which I really liked. My favorite part of this recording is the piano playing. In the original version, my brother rips a rockin’ electric guitar solo which stands in striking contrast to the stripped-down melody that John Pahmer (the pianist on the session) teases out in this rendition. I can’t forget to mention the bass playing on this session as well (Eric Frey). With a couple of tweaks, he delivered a bass line that really made the song.

I just love the way that this version came out. It was truly a group effort of all the musicians in the room.

The Way That You Are

Matthew check | Live @ The Bitter End | August 24, 2022
© All Rights Reserved | 2022 
All songs performed by Matthew Check (BMI)

MUSICIANS
Matthew Check: Acoustic guitar & vocals 
Thomas Bryan Eaton: Electric guitar & vocals 
Mike Dimeo: Piano
Tony Tino: Bass 
Glenn Grossman: Percussion
 
PRODUCTION
Jason Borisoff: mixing 
Andrew Sheron: mastering 

PHOTOGRAPHY 
Shannen Bamford

ALBUM DESIGN 
Alison Darling 

MASCOT 
Fake Sammy

SOCIAL
@matthewcheck 
Matthewcheckmusic.com

The Way That You Are (Live @ The Bitter End)

The Very Beginning (Live @ The Bitter End)

Couple Of Reasons (Live @ The Bitter End)

The Shape It Appears (Live @ The Bitter End)

On My Mind (Live @ The Bitter End)

Further and Further (Live @ The Bitter End)

The Condesa Queen (Live @ The Bitter End)

What a Father Would Do [Absalom] (Live @ The Bitter End)

Old Wooden Floor (Live @ The Bitter End)

Okay With It (Live @ The Bitter End)

A Cincinnati based American roots musician whose career encompasses everything from Emmy-nominated bluegrass bands to critically-acclaimed solo albums, Matthew Check has never been afraid to mine his personal life — including the vices, victories, loves, and losses of a man who's spent much of his adulthood in a creative whirl — for musical inspiration.

Matthew Check

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