Hit the road, Matt

Since the early ’90s, local musician Matt Sertich has done musical endeavors as diverse as leading a guitar-driven punk-rock band and fronting a synth-pop project. But now, he’s trying the one thing he’s never before attempted: going solo.

“I’ve been in bands since I was a kid,” Sertich says. “As I’ve gotten older, I’ve had to slowly but surely get out of that if I wanted to really grow, if I wanted to just be a singer-songwriter. It’s almost been a backward process for me.”

The Generals, which initially started as a punk band &#;agrave; la Green Day and Fifteen, eventually switched gears and re-emerged with a new sound in the mid-2000s. Now, Sertich, who will play on Thursday, July 10, at Fremont Park, is leaving that all behind, putting everything on the line and moving to Los Angeles to try to make it as a solo artist.

“I’m a lifer. This is all I really know what to do. I wait tables, I play music. I’m at the point where I want to do whatever it takes. I don’t have any obstacles,” Sertich says.

When he was younger, Sertich held a very narrow definition of success: Getting a record deal and getting on the radio. Now, as he prepares for L.A., he says he has a broader idea of what constitutes “making it.”

“Licensing is so huge these days, getting my music in a commercial, a movie—those are real opportunities. If you get on a film, a million people are going to watch,” Sertich says. “There’s no money to be made in touring if you’re a band no one’s [heard] of.”

The Generals released six albums during their run. Their last record, Keep Your Lights On, a combination of Coldplay-esque stadium rock and Depeche Mode-styled synth tunes, was released early last year. After its release, Sertich began working on solo material almost immediately, visiting the Generals’ practice space daily for more than a year to write and record.

“My routine was get up, drink coffee, go to the studio, rehearse, go to work, come home, get up, repeat,” Sertich says.

In June, he released his debut solo, The Only Way Out Is Through, which he’ll take down south with him as a calling card of sorts. The record, a mix of synth and piano-based tracks represents a shift with a more mellow sound than what was heard on the last Generals’ album.

“I grew up with a lot of punk stuff. Descendents, Misfits, the Damned, Hüsker Dü—just really good punk music—but I really love Elton John, Whitney Houston—just melody,” Sertich says. “As I got older, I just kept growing with my singing. I didn’t want to be afraid of what people thought, [but instead] write music like I love, like Elton John, Lionel Richie—just good songs,” Sertich says.

Working alone taught Sertich a lot. Not having another person to share creative duties with, he delved deeper into his craft. He’s even learned that he hasn’t been singing in the best range for his voice—his solo songs are in a lower register than the ones he sang for the band.

Sertich says he’s optimistic about his move.

“The Generals, we were spinning our wheels. We put 10 grand into a record. We believed in our music, we knew it was strong, but we weren’t really touring a lot,” Sertich says. “I’m going out there knowing what I’m going out there for. Sometimes when you make one big decision, it just starts to open things up.”