Matt Hires

Tuesday, September 28 • Doors 7pm • Show 8pm • $10 Flat • All Ages • $2 Minor Surcharge • Buy Tickets

w/ Camera Can’t Lie

When you listen to Matt Hires, what comes across is the sound of an artist self-assured, authentic, and at ease with being completely and utterly himself. On his debut F-Stop/ Atlantic release, Take Us To The Start, the 23-year-old Florida native fuses the intimacy of the great singer/songwriters with indelible pop/rock hooks and propulsive rhythms. The result is a mesmerizing collection of songs that are immediately enchanting, while becoming more deeply rewarding with each listen.

Produced by Eric Rosse (Sara Bareilles), Take Us To The Start is filled with delights, most notably Hires’s voice, an instrument striking in its warmth, expressiveness, and ability to convey a multitude of emotions within a single song. From the first notes of “Honey, Let Me Sing You A Song,” Matt’s vocals envelop the listener, creating an intimate, captivating realm.

It’s that voice that has hooked people since Matt first began playing. Growing up in Florida, he was introduced to music by his father, a drummer. “I grew up with music always around,” Matt remembers. At sixteen, with a growing interest in songwriting, Matt began playing guitar, specifically his father’s handmade guitar that Matt continues to use today.

Matt initially gravitated toward the punk and post-hardcore scene, becoming a fan of artists like Taking Back Sunday and Dashboard Confessional. But then his musical interests began to delve into the richer past, with classic artists such as Tom Petty, the Band, the Byrds, and The Beatles. It has made for a singular combination of distinct sounds. As Matt says, “When I first started singing, I was into the emo/indie scene. Then I started listening to Dylan and Petty, and somehow, my vocals ended up being a melding of those different styles – something old and new.”

After playing with friends for several years in his first band, Brer, where he got his first taste of recording, he went his own way. It was via MySpace that Matt came to the attention of Atlantic Records A&R exec Gregg Nadel, who recalls, “When I first heard ‘Honey, Let Me Sing You A Song,’ I was hooked immediately. It was the only thing I listened to for a week. His unique vocal tone immediately drew me in.” Nadel sent Matt an email, expressing interest in hearing more.

Amusingly enough, Matt didn’t believe the email was real. He remembers with a smile, “I thought Gregg’s email was a scam at first. But then I called the office, and it really was Atlantic Records.” Soon after, Nadel traveled to Florida to see Matt play, and was immediately taken. Nadel recalls, “He completely delivered on what I heard in the recordings – his voice was the real deal.” Soon after, Matt became the first signing to F-Stop Music, a new imprint under Atlantic Records.

This entry was posted on Friday, January 22nd, 2010 at 7:42 pm and is filed under Past Shows. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.