Live at Leeds Festival in England...Recording Session at Woozyfly Studios in NYC...
Bassist Matt Williams has certainly begun to leave his mark in the world of music. Equally comfortable performing on upright, 5-string and fretless bass; his versatility has lead to work with artists of various genres and backgrounds.
Matt cites an early education and family influences as what ultimately propelled him professionally to music. While earning academic awards and district honors as a bassist in high school, Matt was also busy outside of school developing his rock and pop chops. Only a freshmen, he and his childhood bandmates were regularly selling out regional shows.
Sparked by his diverse hometown, Matt's interests soon grew to include funk, soul, and R & B. Equipped with nothing more than turntables, bass, and a tape recorder, he and the innovative DJ Cast were soon producing soulful tracks for local underground hip-hop artists. By his senior year, Matt was frequently sitting in at the famed Wetlands music club in NYC as bassist for the Black Lily Ladies of Hip Hop Series; which featured then emerging artists such as Jill Scott , Erykah Badu , Macy Gray , The Jazzyfatnastees , and keyboardist/producer Scott Storch .
Music clearly a part of his being, Matt headed to New Orleans, Louisiana - the birthplace of American music. Attending Loyola College of Music on a full scholarship, Matt elected a dual major in performance and music industry studies, further honing his playing and music production skills while developing a thorough knowledge of the business. Loyola afforded him opportunities to study with a world-class faculty, work as an assistant engineer in the school's state-of-the-art recording studio, and perform as bassist for the university's top combo and award-winning big band, the latter of which would feature jazz luminaries Brian Blade , Dave Liebman , Nicholas Payton , and Steve Turre .
Outside of his intensive academic studies, Matt absorbed the various indigineous sounds of New Orleans, learning on the bandstand from musicians who would seamlessly blend dixieland, second-line, brass band, and afro-caribbean influences to fit almost any musical situation. Performing in styles ranging from traditional and modern jazz to gospel and funk, his experiences as a bassist in the city enabled him to adapt New Orleans fluid musical approach to his own style of playing. Matt has performed or recorded with countless New Orleans based players prevalent in today's jazz, funk and rock scenes, among them quintessential drummer Johnny Vidacovich , keyboardist/vocalist Ivan Neville , guitarist June Yamagishi (Papa Grows Funk) , and saxophonists Tony Dagradi (Astral Project) and Tim Green (Rebirth Brass Band , Anders Osborne) .
While in New Orleans, Matt also co-founded the band Mental Metropolis, in which he played the roles of bassist, songwriter, and producer. Known around the city for an authentic live sound that combined Matt's "diggin' in the crates" NYC based hip-hop mentality with the other members more southern influences, Mental Metropolis was soon playing shows for a growing fanbase at venues such as Tipitinas and House of Blues . The band's eventual notoriety and following resulted in them being asked to share the stage with hip-hop legends such as Outkast , The Roots and Run DMC . Mental Metropolis also made cameo appearances on episodes of MTV's The Real World during its New Orleans season. Though the band still does rare live performances, Williams and other members Bionik Brown , RC Holmes , and John Brewer have primarily gone on to successful solo endeavors.
Since graduating from Loyola in 2004, Matt has returned to New York where he is active as a performer, educator, and recording artist. He has certainly been on the move, performing or recording as bassist for NYC acts such as jazz-fusion quintet Avatar , afrobeat band Wonderland Orchestra , and latin-pop vocalist Chloe Temtchine . His most current endeavors have featured him touring internationally as bassist for progressive rock outfit Coheed and Cambria . While not on tour, Matt has been involved with numerous one-time engagements with many talented New York based musicians including drummer Adam Deitch (John Scofield Band , Wyclef Jean) , guitarist Matt Dickey (In The Loop) , and saxophonists Ryan Zoidis (Soulive) and John Ellis (Charlie Hunter Trio) . Despite his hectic schedule, Matt still continues to maintain his New Orleans network, having recently filled the bass slot on tours throughout the Northeast with Big Sam's Funky Nation and RC Holmes .
