Creedence Clearwater Revival, Son Volt, Wilco, Grateful Dead, Neil Young, Rolling Stones, Blind Faith, Traffic, Cream, Bob Dylan, Mother Hips, Big Star, The Beatles, Buffalo Springfield, Tom Petty, Black Crowes, Derek and the Dominoes
Sounds Like
Son Volt, Mother Hips, Wallflowers, Sensations, Wilco, Traffic, Ryan Adams, Whiskeytown, Bob Schneider
Though known primarily as an alt-country and jam band, the Matthew Shadley Band prefers to not be confined within a genre. Mixing the introspection of a singer/songwriter with the self-assured spontaneity of garage rockers, the band moves stylistically in pursuit of an ever-changing muse. Summer Stone, released in December 2008, typifies the myriad styles of Matthew Shadley Brauer and his band mates.
Utilizing a variety of instruments, including a horn section in “Shadows” and “Bittersweet Sometimes,” the songs still retain the garage atmosphere for which the band is known, while songs like “Savage” and “Little Mrs. Lonely” carry on the alt-country style established early in the band’s career. With occasional forays into the jam band/stoner rock genres showcased in “Gypsy Dream,” “Summer Stone,” and the traditional “I Know You Rider,” the band shows a certain willingness to wrap itself in the ethereal. Following the Big Star inspired power pop of “Generations” and “Welcome to Niagara,” the band returns to Brauer’s singer/songwriter muse in “Santa Ana Wind.” The band finishes up with an unlikely cover of the Velvet Underground’s “Oh, Sweet Nuthin’.” All in all, the album is framed by memorable guitar riffs and peppered with interesting melodies and harmonies.
Born Matthew Shadley Brauer in Winston-Salem, NC, classic rock and pop comprised the majority of his early listening music experience. During his teen years he became a fan of progressive and jam-band music and began playing guitar in cover and original bands that followed these formats.
The Matthew Shadley Band made its debut playing an acoustic set at the 5th Annual Harvest Moon Festival held at the historic Southgate House in Newport, Kentucky. Shortly thereafter, Brauer and fellow guitarist Jason Scherrer added a more permanent rhythm section while Brauer moved to lead guitar and lead vocals. With Chuck Morgan on drums, Jason Peter keyboards, and Tom Legg on bass, the band evolved from folk to an electric alt-country sound that came to resemble a latter day version of Buffalo Springfield or the Flying Burrito Brothers.
After the 2004 release of Five Easy Pieces, the band maintained a busy schedule headlining venues and playing regionally throughout 2004 and 2005 with Steve Tertel eventually replacing Tom Legg on bass. They earned a reputation as “Cincinnati’s live show specialists,” and continued to reach a growing audience through broadcast and internet radio while playing larger venues and showcases, including the Midpoint Music Festival in Cincinnati.
The band slowed down its live schedule and began working on Summer Stone in 2005-06, with Brauer handling bass duties following Tertel’s departure to Dallas. The band went on hiatus later that year, while Brauer joined local rockers The Trojan Rabbit. In 2008, he returned to the studio with additional material and the determination to finish the project. The band is poised for a return to the stage with a slightly altered line-up sometime in 2009.
PRESS/REVIEWS:
"These guys remind me of the Wallflowers and have that sort ot straight-up-rock-on-the-verge-of-being-country sound." Jason Jump - Randomville.com
"A little Black Crowes swagger and some of the sweetest flow and rhythm since Traffic." Cincymusic.com
"...straight from the heart." CinWeekly
"Conceived as a side project from ethereal Prog rockers Staring at the Sea, guitarist Matthew Shadley (Brauer) started his own band in 2003 to explore a rootsier acoustic sound. Within a year, the quintet had secured a line-up, switched to an electric presentation...making an immediate impact on the local scene." Brian Baker - CityBeat Magazine
"Cincinnati's live show specialists..."
Jan Perry - Cincinnati Post
MATT'S DISCOGRAPHY (click the links below to find out more or to purchase CDs)
1992 Stop Look and Listen by The Toy Train Hold-up
