"Keep on Keepin’ onâ€â€¦There’s probably no better phrase that sums up the personality and music of Matt Moore. His songwriting seems to effortlessly meander through the Country, Blues, and Bluegrass genres, all the while exposing everything from American folklore to lost love. "My songs are just a reflection of how I grew up and who I am." As a child, Moore honed his skills while listening to artists like James Taylor, Willie Nelson, and Jim Croce. "I think I was most attracted to the power of a great story, a simple melody, and an honest voice."
Moore grew up in the suburban Atlanta town of Lilburn, GA, spending the majority of his youth on the baseball and football field working to accomplish his dreams of becoming a college athlete; however an injury his senior year would prevent him from going on to compete in college. Moore's focus began to shift towards songwriting and developing his band, OverflO, which he had started with several high-school classmates.
After graduation, Moore moved to Athens, GA to attend the University of Georgia. "I'd say my education came just as much from the bars and theatres downtown as it did from any classroom. Athens is such a great music town; the city provided me with an environment where I could expose myself to a lot of different music while still getting a great education. We spent our days in class, and the majority our nights and weekends playing in bars and venues across the southeast." Several people began to take notice, as OverflO started to build a significant grassroots following in the college market through their impressive live shows and independent CD sales. "I know our work ethic had a lot to do with our success. Driving 12 hours in a van with 8 other guys to play shows, most of the time hoping to break even, just to get out and expose what we were trying to do wasn't always easy with our schedule." Unfortunately, sometimes all good things must come to an end. "We had planned on taking our success to the next level after school; however some guys were offered other opportunities in the music and business world, and we decided to part ways."
Moore went back to what he does best, songwriting. "I knew I had to keep writing and getting better, so I consciously made an effort to work on my material everyday." Through connections from his previous band, Moore was encouraged to move to Nashville, TN and spend some time living and working in Music City. Shortly thereafter, Moore began opening as a solo artist for national acts like Dierks Bentley, Phil Vassar, and Sugarland; all without any new recorded material. "I purposely took a year off from recording to allow all of the changes sink in," says Moore, "I didn't want to rush the process."
January 2007 brought Moore back into the studio to work on demos that would become part of his solo debut. “I wanted to make an honest recording, and I was really fortunate to involve a lot of my friends in the process.†The new EP titled “24†gets back to the genuine roots of classic country, focusing on great songwriting and simple production. "I've learned so much over the past year, and I am excited about getting back out and performing to new audiences, hopefully earning fans one song, one handshake, and one beer at a time."
