An Old Soul (despite the I.D.).Listening to Matt Mirabile craft a tasty riff with the rhythm section, echo a vocal line with a singular tone, or conjure up a solo with gusto, youd swear that he was just entering mid-life.Open your eyes and youll realize that you cant judge a book by looking at the cover.At 19, Matt Mirabile has built an impressive resume and garnered ardent fans with each performance the past seven years. He adheres to a philosophy that should serve as a primer for those guitarists with a pentatonic calling: Everything should be done for a reason, and it should have feeling with it.Perhaps Mirabiles perspective derives from the first time he met the blues. Receiving the tutelage and encouragement of Charlie Smith and the late Bill Hesch, Matt ventured onto the stage at age 12, jamming on Sunday evenings at the Northeast Blues Society Jams with various bands from the Capital District. It is a weekly ritual still near and dear to his heart, as recently he told one local journalist. The jams have been a priceless learning tool. The jams have not only featured the best in local talent but also the bigger names, a perk that Mirabile sums up as a wonderful thing.Equally impressive have been the performances on the big stage in front of thousands. At a time when a young man looks forward to securing his drivers permit, Matt played main stage of the Fleet Blues Festival in Albany, NY in July, 2003 as part of a roster that included Deborah Coleman and Bo Diddley. Two years later, Matt teamed up with vocalist Alison Jacobs to win the Northeast Blues Societys Colossal Contenders Competition by the largest margin in the history of the event and secure an invitation to the Blues Foundations International Blues Challenge in January, 2006 in Memphis.With a stellar band (featuring the vivacious singing and songwriting of Jacobs) and an impressive debut disc, 50fifty, Matt Mirabile is as ready as anybody can be to make his mark. Influenced by Lurrie Bell, Peter Green, Johnny Guitar Watson, Screamin Jay Hawkins, and Memphis Slim, this rising star is never far from terra firma. I dont want to sound like anyone else. I want to sound like Matt Mirabile. One listen to this soulful virtuoso, and you will appreciate that the future is now.
