From a very young age, Matthew has enjoyed entertaining audiences of any size, within a variety of musical situations and styles! In school, he enjoyed the challenges and camaraderie of playing the tuba in the Concert Band. It was powerful and thrilling to provide the ‘low end’ and support for concert programs and various orchestras. He continued his music studies into the University of Massachusetts, then Holyoke Comm. College as a bass guitar major. Upon graduating in 1992 he entered the retail workforce to earn a living, and a variety of performing groups to hone his musical skills.

Beginning in 2000, Matthew made the jump to ‘career musician,’ supporting himself mostly by teaching private lessons and playing in working bands. He’ll tell you it’s been nerve-fraying, uncertain, unpredictable, and an absolute blast! Here is a partial list of groups Matthew’s been a part of:

—— Sweet Tragedy, 1992-1997 (‘A local heavy rock band that wrote some great original songs; I learned a lot about working as a group. Real good guys, it was a load of fun.’)

—— Impulse, 1996-2002 (‘A wedding/party band that taught me what it was like to really be a professional musician. We played lots of fun club gigs also, and forged lasting friendships.’)

—— Aquanett, 2002-present (‘I was born to play in this band, it’s the ideal situation for me, I hope the audiences can see that. And the group truly cares for one another and still digs playing together!’)

—— solo guitarist/singer, 2009-present (‘This is what my dad did, and in the ‘70s it was my first exposure to performing music for people. I love it, especially when folks recognize a song they remember and it makes them happy.’)