About this Event
"A wonderful guitar player and great songwriter. In the Stevie Ray Vaughan area of virtuosity and originality. ”
— Steve Miller
Matthew Curry has built a multi-generational audience through a deep, pure connection forged with fans that have encountered him via headline appearances and cherished support opportunities from some of the most successful touring artists in the history of music. Simply, he is a singer-songwriter writing songs that draw from personal inspirations, incorporating elements of blues, rock, southern rock, and old school country in to his repertoire. His guitar playing is becoming world renowned, yet for Curry his perspective is broader sharing, "Of course the guitar is a HUGE part of my music, but something I really like to focus on is trying to make good songs. Songs people can relate to. Songs people immediately want to sing along to or tap their feet to. It is reaffirming to experience this wide spectrum of audience coming out, and when I'm on stage seeing a mix of young, old, and middle age, alongside an even split of males and females singing along to every song, I know that I'm headed down the right path."
Following the release of If I Don't Got You (2014) and Electric Religion (2015), Curry returns with the new EP Shine On. He is a prolific writer who aims to write and record a new release annually. When asked about the new songs, he prefers to leave interpretation in some cases to the listener, while being transparently forthcoming with others. The opener, "Blink of an Eye" finds the songwriter channeling inspiration from the Black Crowes, Eagles perhaps a bit of Chris Stapleton as he sings of the woes losing a woman, out of selfishness. The harder edged rocker "Caroline" is a feel good track. Curry offers, "the song presents that scenario where many young guys and gals face a young lady's father not pleased about the relationship, and the challenges of sneaking away for the sake of love. This one is a really fun one to play cause it always seems very easy for the audience to dance and sing along with it." The title track "Shine On" displays the artist's connection to the beauty of Memphis Soul and Muscle Shoals Southern Gospel Rock that shines with simple purity as he delivers the uplifting yet heavy lyrics. "Matter Of Time" follows with a softer, easy listening tone. Curry shares, "We've all experienced love that we thought would last eternity, and didn't quite end up working that way." The final track "Draw The Line" is a bit ambiguous by intent leaving the listener to find personal meaning. Curry continues to grow year after year as a writer, and is the antithesis of those who created in a confined space. The songs reflect his style and sound yet no two sound exactly the same. There is nothing cookie cutter about his approach or execution, and that trend seems to continue throughout his three offerings thus far.
Alongside a ton of headline dates across the U.S., and isolated appearances overseas, Matthew Curry has had the honor of touring with the Doobie Bros, Steve Miller, Peter Frampton, Journey, and others. He shares, "I've definitely learned a lot in doing this. And I've also been lucky enough to have befriended these guys as well. I've learned how the "'big boys' do it. and by that I mean a lot of different things. The production that goes into the shows, the energy and excitement that they put out when playing a live show, and many other things. But most importantly, in finding a great friend in Steve Miller, I've learned tons and tons about the music business. Sitting with Steve, he has enlightened me on what not to do and what to do. I've learned a lot about publishing, and the importance of owning your songs, and to have much better business. Steve has really taught me a lot, and really looked out for me when I was having difficult times with people I was working with. He is simply an awesome person I feel truly indebted to. Steve Miller articulated his thoughts about the young player to Ultimate Classic Rock offering, "..,wonderful guitar player [and] great songwriter in the Stevie Ray Vaughan area of virtuosity and originality." While Peter Frampton shared to 96.5 The Fox, "... someone asked me in an interview today if I thought there could be anymore guitar heroes. Well, hell yes of course and Matthew is one who will prove that to be true."
Curry is a Midwesterner who proudly articulates it is an honor to call that part of the country home. He offers, "We're more slow pace, say what you mean and mean what you say, decent type people around here. Somewhat unassuming. I think it also translates to my music as well - it is straight forward without the fads or gimmicks of the day." He grew up with a father deeply interested in the arts, and as he thinks back on a man who had such an influence prior to his passing, he reveals, "We both shared a passion for music that went deeper than anyone could know. My father's dream was to be getting to do what I'm doing for a living. Though it didn't quite work out that way for him, he had a great ear and great advice to help me as I was growing up. Losing him was the hardest thing that has ever happened to me, not a day goes by where I don't think about him, and not a night goes by where I don't lay down in bed and think about how much I miss him and the bound we had through music. Often times the thoughts that cross my mind don't only involve music though, I often picture in my mind floating down the river in the canoe with him, going fishing and camping with him and my brother, and learning about working on motorcycles from him, simple stuff like that makes me smile and remember all the great times we had together!"
Matthew Curry has played a hundreds and hundreds of dates throughout his young career, and as he continues to tour, he now finds himself with a very stable line-up of collaborators. On bass, Tim Brickner who has been with him the longest. His drummer is Francis Valentino, a heavy hitter with a dynamic stage presence. His rhythm guitarist Mike Nellas makes Curry's playing shine in the spotlight, while he is a strong background. The ensemble is billed simply as Matthew Curry, ditching the prior moniker simply per "The Fury" kept getting confused with "the Furry" or "the Flurries."
Matthew Curry continues to gain notoriety and his career in its essence is the definition of a bright future. It is his opinion that Rock n Roll is the genre within music that truly and deeply speaks from and to the soul. He simply aspires to build on the tradition that impacts listener in a way that is best shared as he states, "When you hear a great Blues or a great rock song, you can often get chills or it can make the hair on your neck stand up. I think the main reason being the soulfulness of both styles of music. That's one thing I've always strived for was to pour my soul out when I sing, play, or write. Because if you can do that, I feel like the better chance you will have of people latching onto your music."
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Mojo's BoneYard Sports Bar & Grille, Must be 21+ to enter, Evansville, United States
USD 20.52
