Matt Maeson
Soul-baring singer/songwriter Matt Maeson hails from Virginia Beach, VA, where his parents played in Christian heavy-metal bands, and he was barred from listening to rock on the radio. Maeson grew up traveling with his parents' outreach ministry, gaining unlikely experience by performing in prisons and biker rallies. He himself fell into drugs, and then into jail, eventually getting out and working construction for 12 hours a day while doing community service on his days off. While his parents may not approve, rock influences like Johnny Cash, Kurt Cobain and Jeff Buckley radiate through his alternative/indie sound. These inflections come alive on Maeson's debut single "Cringe," which combines the stark urgency of his past with catchy pop songwriting. "Cringe" is lifted off Maeson's debut EP, Who Killed Matt Maeson, which follows the artist's first headlining US tour presented by Communion, founded by Mumford & Sons' Ben Lovett. Maeson drove from venue to venue alone in a humble Hyundai, creating the EP's six songs on the road. Who Killed Matt Maeson includes the stand out confessional "Me And My Friends Are Lonely," which was written on a whiskey-infused night of loneliness in the middle of Iowa.