Matt was born and raised in DeSoto, MO, a suburban area south of St. Louis. He has played guitar from the time he was big enough to hold it and began formal lessons at age 10. Around this same time, Matt was turned onto Rush by his older cousin, Rich. "The first Rush song I heard was 'Fly By Night'. I was hanging out with my cousins in their basement bedroom while our parents were socializing upstairs. Rich dropped the needle on 'Fly By Night' and I was instantly hooked. Soon after, I wore out an 8-track recording of 'All The World's A Stage' and then finally I purchased '2112' on vinyl with my own money. I became a Rush fan at the same time I was diving head first into guitar. Each day, I would spend hours practicing. And much of the time, I practiced along to the records of my favorite band, Rush. The band greatly influenced me in my formative years. Not only technically as a musician, but also how they approached their work, always espousing open-mindedness and individual freedom."

 

     From his late teens to present, Matt has played in a variety of original bands releasing several records and touring globally. He joined Thunderhead in 2013 and, as he explains, the appeal to join was both personal and professional. "I'd been in an original band with Billy for about five or six years when we were in our late teens and early 20s. Making music with him was a real thrill and we've remained good friends throughout the years. When I checked out his first Thunderhead show I was completely blown away. I'd never seen a band perform Rush songs and present the whole show with such accuracy. If I squinted my eyes just slightly, I really did feel like I was at a Rush show. Honestly, I've never been interested in playing for a cover band before and I don't even follow the tribute band scene. But being in a band with Billy again and paying tribute to Rush, a band that's meant so much to me? Count me in!"