Tallest Man on Earth isn’t short on gratitude

The Tallest Man on Earth isn’t even close. But he sounds like he might be one of the nicest.

The Swedish-born folk singer, whose real name is Kristian Matsson, seems appreciative of every bit of success since appearing on the American music scene in 2008. He performs at the Orpheum on Tuesday.

“I’m very excited to do these shows because the band – the band is a really good show – and I’m in my best shape ever and having so much fun on stage,” Matsson said in a telephone interview from Minneapolis, which he calls “kind of my home base in America.”

Noting that Swedes settled extensively in the area, he said, “The psyche and sense of humor in the Midwest works for me.”

Matsson, 32, made his name as a solo performer known for his Dylanesque songs and singing style, his skill on the acoustic guitar and his charismatic way with an audience. On his current tour through the Midwest, he’s playing with a band of musicians from the Minneapolis area.

Matsson said his stage name “started as a joke.”

“A friend of mine came up with that name, because I’m not very tall, I’m pretty short,” said Matsson, who is 5 feet 7 inches tall.

At the time, Matsson said, “I was playing in a rock and roll band. I did a couple acoustic songs on the side. I put them online. I didn’t really mean to do anything with them.”

Those recordings found an audience online, as songs do these days, and Matsson was able to prove in live appearances that they weren’t the result of any studio gimmickry. He has toured frequently and has released four CDs since 2006, the most recent, “Dark Bird Is Home,” in May.

Matsson’s story shows there really are no borders in music. Swedish popular music is best known for bands such as ABBA. Asked how he came to focus on American-style folk music instead, he said, “Well, we grew up with a lot of American culture. I was into rock and roll, and progressive rock, and glam rock and all that when I was a teenager.”

As he started listening to American country blues, which profoundly influenced artists like Bob Dylan, he found himself attracted to “the weirdness of it” – and also the familiarity of it.

“It does connect to old Swedish music,” he said. “I grew up in a rural area that is very known for fiddle music, where the songs just kind of linger on the border of going from minor key to major key.”

Matsson made a big splash in 2009 when he performed solo for one of the “Tiny Desk” concerts on National Public Radio. He garnered attention again this summer when he appeared with a band at the Newport Folk Festival, known for memorable performances by Dylan, Joan Baez, Pete Seeger and other folk music icons. On his Facebook page, Matsson called the festival “sacred ground.”

“It’s just something you hear about growing up,” he said. “Then all of a sudden you’re there, playing it, and it takes a while to figure out that you’re actually playing that venue. You kind of feel like sometimes you don’t know how you ended up there. It’s kind of mind blowing.”

The Orpheum show will be his first in Wichita, sandwiched between stops in Columbia, Mo., and Tulsa.

“It’s a big part of the country, the Midwest,” he said. “I want to play it all.”

Matsson called his current show “dynamic,” with selections from several of his CDs. “It gets loud, and then it gets quiet.”

He’s appreciative and not taking anything for granted. When not performing, Matsson continues to compose on the guitar and piano – and also to make sure he’s in shape. Asked what he was doing on his off day in Minneapolis, he said, “I try to relax, and we run and do yoga. Playing an hour and 40 minutes, I have to keep myself in shape, because I run around like an idiot.”

Having a band behind him hasn’t changed that.

“I interact with the crowd a lot,” he said. “I have to do that when I just play my solo shows, but I can still do that with the band.”

This story was originally published September 2, 2015 at 3:54 PM with the headline "Tallest Man on Earth isn’t short on gratitude."