Booking
booking@matthaeck.com
Other
info@matthaeck.com
Influences
Bob Dylan
Townes Van Zandt
Johnny Cash
Stephen Foster
Wilco
Hank Williams
Gram Parsons
Jeff Buckley
Tom Waits
Delta Spirit
Over the Rhine
Damien Jurado
Fleet Foxes
Austin Britton
Bon Iver
Radiohead
Pedro the Lion
Sufjan Stevens
Conor Oberst
Nickel Creek
The Beatles
Derek Webb
Sandra McCracken
Mark Berube
Dan Mangan
Aaron Bowen
The Good Book
Cormac McCarthy
C.S. Lewis
John Donne
Dostoevsky
Tolkien
Sounds Like
some of the people on the "Influences" list, and not so much like others...
Matt Haeck has lived all over. He's basically covered the Midwest and has spent time on the east coast, the west coast, and now finds himself settling in the South after a recent move to Nashville. All these places somehow seem to find their way into his music. Centered in that catch-all folk and "real country" category now dubbed Americana, Matt comfortably assimilates elements of northern soul, west coast harmonies, east coast pop and Midwest rock into his brand of country music. These places and the stories they hold combine with influences from Wilco and Stephen Foster to Cormac Mccarthy and the Old Testament to form the substance of Matt's songs.
His forthcoming EP Western States is an album about running, loving, losing, and longing. As a songwriter, Matt delivers food for thought with musical and lyrical hooks. As a singer, he brings grit, honesty, and soul. Working creatively within traditional forms, Matt provides his own unique take on them, embracing pop sensibilities, yet having no problem communicating deeper truths not found in your ordinary radio rotation. All the while, he's keeping an eye and an ear studiously and respectfully trained on those men and women long dead who gave us our rich heritage of American music.
-Austin Britton
Albums: -Pair of Sirens, 2008 -Western States, to be released Fall 2009
Kudos: -Best New Acoustic Artist, 2008 San Diego HAT Awards -Honorable Mention (Woo Hoo!), 2009 Billboard World Song Contest
"I think a bit of a dilemma is occurring. I’m tempted to call these times the resurgence of acoustic pop, though I’m obviously aware that acoustic pop has been, and will always be, near the top of the music scene. But lately (I’m talking this decade) it has delivered more than its typical share of wonderful artists rising to the top – with folks such as Sufjan, Bon Iver, and the Frightened Rabbit crew, among others of course, becoming major indie darlings. We’re seeing a plethora of these artists popping up on everyone’s favorites these days, and not only for those who like the slowcoustic business ;) .
With that lengthy intro, I introduce to you Matt Haeck, a captivating acoustic artist in his own right – as soon as I heard his music on MySpace I knew I needed to contact him for KR. And lucky for us, he’s one of the good guys! He responded very warmly, and now we get to display his music for your enjoyment. With a new EP, Western States, due out late this summer, Haeck, transplanted from the Midwest to San Diego (and now Nashville) has a piercing voice that slices right down to our very core, relying on our ever-so-macho outsides to break down and let him in. Occasionally mixing strings, keys, percussion, etc. in the form of The Quiet Light (his backing band) with that voice, Haeck is sure to make a great mark on the acoustic scene with his stirring pop. Those who know him already know this – he won 'Best New Acoustic Artist' of the 2008 San Diego HAT Awards. So yeah, you should probably listen."
"Pair of Sirens by Matt Haeck is a welcome breath of fresh air. With an open, free style, Haeck sings in a clear tenor, using the power of his voice and the lyrics of his songs to convey the thought or emotion that he's shooting for, instead of relying on the overwrought – and by this point trivializing – pop singer styling. Audra Franz sings backup harmony on a couple tunes, but otherwise it is Hacek's voice, and his alone, that carry this recording. Believe me, this disk has no embarrassing Don Henley moments. There is not a hint of Michael Bolton faux drama or excess. It's just singing as the Good Lord intended...
"Haeck falls into the tradition of the singer-songwriter from the time when that moniker meant that the writer was shooting for a profound statement, that the person strumming the guitar in the coffee shop had something important to say. The overall mood of all the songs on Pair of Sirens is ponderous, not downer sort of stuff like early post-Beatles John Lennon Plastic Ono depression, but Haeck has a few things on his mind – sometimes these thoughts are about relationships, sometimes about himself, or sometimes about the great country that we live in – and wants to be taken seriously. If this disk were to be played in one of Downbeat's blindfold listener tests, no one would mistake it for the soundtrack to Mama Mia or Hello Dolly."
waaaah!!! ok. oh i moved here at the end of september hahah.im going to school at portland state. its really great and i love it here. when is western states out? how is tennessee? how is krista? how is everything!!!!!!
Hey Matt! Looks like Nashville is treating you well...your tracks sound great! Still brewing beer, or are you too busy kicking musical *ss? Stay well, --Simeon
