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Matt took up the guitar against the best advice of family and doctors. Being a bit of a loner with
no friends, mountains of enemies and parents that wanted him killed, Matt took solace in the guitar
and the whole damn thing blew up! In and out of bands and trouble through high school and college,
Matt developed a penchant for Bud Light and guitar solos - as well as a regular gig playing the
solo acoustic circuit. Here he made a small name for himself and a dedicated following with the
police and FBI. His parents came to every show seeking handouts and doling out advice.
By 1995 Matt joined Tweakness Jones. A 4-piece ensemble that blended funk, rock and art with
indirect references to Victorian tradition. They toured around the Midwest promoting their album,
Namaste, which some say can still be heard somewhere out in deep space. In keeping with rock ’n’
roll cliche, the band tore itself apart with infantile wars over who gets to drive and who wears
the best haircut. It’s likely none of them did. 1998 was a pivotal year. Matt left his home to
start a new life.
It wasn’t long before he was playing music again, but now in the Bluegrass state. Somewhere along
this dusty road, Matt met a talented bass player named Todd Starns and the two formed Mourning
Woody. This heady nod to the late Woody Guthrie would produce 1 album, We’re Better Than We Sound,
and a host of poor decision- making. People still talk about the shows, never mentioning the actual
music, but it’s been verified that no-one ever got hurt.
Life imitates art and often gets in the way of it too. Matt started a family in the mid-2000’s and
lost his focus and mind. With the music on the back-burner, Matt settled into a period of
domesticity and indolence. From this ma- laise spawned the unlikely Jump the Curb.
Sometimes a 4-piece, sometimes a 3-piece, Jump the Curb is the culmination of years of preparation,
tireless commitment and unwavering perseverance.
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