Matt Plessner

Matt Plessner is a singer-songwriter now based out of Texarkana, TX.  He got his official start as a recording artist in St. Louis, MO. His influences are vast-running from the 60s hippie artists to recent alternative and punk bands.  Originally from the small town of Eureka, IL, Matt began studying music at age 4 on violin.  He also played other instruments such as cello and trumpet before he finally began to play guitar at age 10.  Matt‘s father taught him to play the melody of “CC Rider, and from there, Matt spent most of his waking hours figuring out songs by popular artists by ear when he wasn’t studying for school like he should have been.
 
At age 15, Matt began writing songs.  In high school, instead of a social life, he spent most of his time writing songs, trying to form various bands, and exploring other instruments such as Bass, Drums, Harmonica, and eventually, mandolin and piano.  Matt studied for two years at Illinois Central College (where he fronted the local three-piece band “The Bitter End”) before transfering to Principia College, where he graduated with a Mass Communications degree.  While in College, Matt released the rough EP “SevenAlive” days before attending an abroad study in Peru.  While the record was sold in the local bookstore at the college, Matt also marketed SevenAlive on the streets of Peruvian cities such as Arequipa and Cusco.  A track from SevenAlive, “Millions,” earned a small reputation on the campus and between close friends for being Matt’s signature song.  
After returning to the states, Matt began working on his first full-legnth and self-recorded/produced album, “We Meet Again.”  One of his songs, “Amantani Lullabye,” which was written on the Peruvian soil of Amantani Island in Lake Titicaca, found its way onto the record and was a large influence on the album’s theme and artwork.  Matt spent a year working on the album, which was finally released on July 24, 2007.  A few tracks from SevenAlive, including “Millions,” were rerecorded for the latter release.  Though Matt played almost all of the instruments on the record, it did feature a few “local” musicians also attending Principia College.  The closing track “Smoke,” for example, featured renown Principia College singer/songwriter George Clements.  
Matt spent the following summer playing in local places in Northern Michigan promoting the release of the album.  A radio interview on the local college radio station WNMC featured three songs, “Millions,” “The Quiet Type,” and “Score,” as well as live performances of new songs.  Matt moved to St. Louis two months after the release of “We Meet Again,” to promote himself and the album. He played shows and open mics extensively, eventually selling over one hundred copies of the independently produced cd through his own marketing techniques.

He spent a year and a half in St. Louis recording music with fellow bass player/DJ Jason Clyde, who agreed to record with him. As a result, “Aurorageddon,” Matt’s full length Sophomore effort, was released in October of 2008. The album contained a more acoustic and tighter choice of songs, which Matt calls “the album I have always wanted to make.” Many of the songs were written during the Summer of 2007 (Right after the release of “We Meet Again.”) The album name comes from the name of a girl who he says “backstabbed him hard enough to write three times as quickly,” the same rate he does now. In shorthand, Matt has found his true sound with “Aurorageddon,” which set the tone for future ablums. Matt spent the year promoting the album, playing in many different cities. It was during this time Matt started pursuing a career in radio. After 5 months of tour/looking, he finally re-located to Texarkana, TX where he became a radio personality as well as a musician. Matt has spent this time gathering up a new fan base and touring across Texas and Arkansas, playing in such cites as Dallas, Shreveport, Austin, and Little Rock. Matt also spent this time recording the follow up to Aurorageddon. "The original formula for the new album was to continue the tone of the previous effort," he says. "I didn't originally want to my acoustic/lyrical trademark. After i recorded about, oh, 10 songs i started realizing it sounded too much like Aurorageddon. I didn't want that. So i scrapped that formula and started a new one." In late October of 2010, Matt released "Radio Killed The RockNRoll Star" as a result. Once again self produced, "Radio" featured a much more densely produced and heavier sound. Currently, Matt is touring to support this album. !!! Start Code To Apply Top Banner !!!!