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Matt Duke

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FEATURED SONG
Kingdom Underground ([Acoustic Version])
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Kingdom Underground ([Acoustic Version])
Released: Jan 1, 2009
Label: Rykodisc

General Info

  • Genre: Acoustic / Alternative / Rock

    Location Philadelphia, Un

    Profile Views: 549425

    Last Login: 6/28/2012

    Member Since 3/21/2005

    Website www.mattdukemusic.net

    Record Label Rykodisc / MAD Dragon Records

    Type of Label Indie

  • Bio

    ...... .. .. .. .. .. .... ...... .. .. .. .. .. .... ...... .. .. .. .. .. .... ...... .. .. .. .. .. .... ...... .. .. .. .. .. .... ...... .. .. .. .. .. ...... .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ...... .. .. .. .. We've all heard the old song about the hip bone being connected to the leg bone, but what about the heart-strings and the grey matter? That connection is harder to make – but it's one that Matt Duke manages to forge with the whip-smart, emotive songs on his second Ryko album, One Day Die – an album which touches on the darkness implicit in that title and uses it as a springboard to redemption and rebirth. "You could look at the title and think, 'wow, that's dark,' but it's not meant to be morbid, it's meant to raise questions about how to cope, how to get past the darkness," says the 25-year-old South Jersey native, who grants that he went to his own dark place last year after suffering a hand injury that was serious enough to jeopardize his ability to play guitar again. "As strange as it sounds, that was a blessing in disguise," explains Duke, "because it was something of an enforced break that made me reconsider everything. When I started again, I found myself taking a completely fresh approach – one where I was willing to just experiment with no reservations." With the help of producer Jason Finkel, Matt accelerated his healing process and dug deep to craft 11 songs. The pensive songwriter began to expand his horizons both sonically – evidence the doomy, string-laced opener "MLT" and the ethereal "Lay," which brings to mind the delicate tension of the late Jeff Buckley – and in the incisive wordplay he works so effortlessly. Duke's impressionistic lyrics – delivered in a pure tenor that cuts straight to the bone -- shine bright, particularly throughout the edgy "Kangaroo Court" and on the guitar-driven "Needle and Thread," in which Duke assumes the role of the troubadour yearning to find "open arms at the bar for the prodigal son that often goes astray." Such quests make up the heart and soul of One Day Die – an album which finds Duke asking questions of himself and which grabs listeners by the lapels and shakes them into a similar frame of mind. He literally puts them on the therapist's couch for the roiling "Psycho-Babble," and then reminds them – in the unflaggingly beautiful "Shangri-La" – "I know Shangri-La is somewhere near/ I've seen it, I've been there." That paradise aside, Duke has been to a lot of places since he began his musical career. Writing and performing around South Jersey and Philadelphia while in high school helped him win the respect of soon-to-be-collaborators like Marshall Crenshaw, Suzzy Roche and Dylan sideman David Mansfield. Barely past his 18th birthday, Matt recorded a demo that caught the attention of Mad Dragon Records, a label run by students at Philly's Drexel University. Mad Dragon released Matt's critically-acclaimed debut album, Winter Child, paving the way for his signing to Ryko, which spawned the well-received Kingdom Underground, produced by Marshall Altman. "Those records were definitely a part of who I was at the time when I made them," says Duke. "But [One Day Die] really is me. Every character, every narrative is me in a lot of ways. With Jason's help, I realized that it's a good thing to get carried away. I got carried away a lot here." That's evident throughout One Day Die, an album that runs as much on adrenalin as it does on intellect. As Matt reminds us in "The Hour": "Wounds heal in good time Remember all of the joy and all of my love for you We all one day die And you'll be alright" Not just alright. Mended and made well. .. .. ...................... ...... .. .. .... .. .. ...... .......... .......... .......... .......... .. .. .. .. .. .. ...... .. .. .................... .. .. ..

  • Members

    ..MANAGEMENT CONTACT..Jason Spiewak & Marcie Jacobson for Rock Ridge Music - mdmgmt@rockridgemusic.com.. ..BOOKING CONTACT..Brian Jonas for Blackbird Artists Agency - brian@blackbirdartistsagency.com......

  • Influences

    ....OUT NOW!!!!..................TONY LUCCA, JAY NASH AND MATT DUKE ARE "TOTALLY F*CKIN' DOIN IT" ON NOVEMBER 23, 2009.. .. Just months after the TFDI tour ended, the "bromance" lives on! Tony Lucca, Jay Nash and Matt Duke are ready to re-live the experience with their fans by releasing the TFDI EP. During their recent tour, the trio stopped off at the League of Creative Musicians at SPACE in Evanston, IL to record four fan favorites with engineer Jim Reeves. .. Lucca, Nash and Duke set off on a 25-city U.S. tour on August 21, 2009 that culminated in the two-day singer-songwriter event of the year, Hotel Carolina. Lucca reminisces, "It was such a blast sharing the ride (and the stage) with Jay and Matt. It's one thing getting to know your tour mates' tunes, it's another thing to actually look forward to hearing them every night and getting the opportunity to record alongside each other in such a stellar environment. I was all too happy and proud to be a part of it." .. Through a series of video blogs, fans had the chance to watch the "bromance" blossom and get a sneak peak into their nightly shows and road trip across the United States. An inspired Nash was filmed on the blog singing "Totally F*ckin' Doin' It", a high-energy jingle turned motto, and the rest was history. From then on, the venues were filled every night with fans singing and chanting the jingle along with Lucca, Nash and Duke. Says Nash, "I miss Tony and Matt desperately. Singing TFDI alone, in my car in LA traffic just isn't the same." .. As the tour progressed, Lucca, Nash and Duke found new ways to collaborate on their music. Duke states that they "found some common ground with a number of albums that [they] rocked out to on the road, one of which was 'Music From the Big Pink' by The Band." Fans can hear this track on the TFDI EP with their rendition of "The Weight." Duke continues, "It's been awhile since I felt comfortable enough to sit down and jam with a group of musicians and it felt so effortless with Tony and Jay…and sitting here in my Lazy-Boy, sipping on a Tom Collins while donning my smoking jacket and fedora, I can't help but think, as I overlook the Philadelphia skyline, 'We were totally f*ckin' doin' it.'" .. ....TRACK LISTING:...... 1. Slow It Down.. 2. Sex and Reruns.. 3. Pretty Things.. 4. The Weight.. .... .. ........................ .. .... .. .. ...... .. .. ...... .. Acoustic Kingdom Underground EP.... ............ .. .. .. ...... .. .. ...... .. Kingdom Underground.... ............ .. .. .. ...... .. .. ...... .. Winter Child.... ............ .. .. .. ...... .. .. ...... .. XYX.... ...... .. .. .. ...... .. .. .. .. .. ...... .. .. ...................... .. .. ...................... .. .. ..

  • Sounds Like

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Comments

Post a comment...
  • Jane Lozano

    Thanks for Musical friendshi

    2 years ago
  • Stéph D.

    Hey!! :)
    How it's going in the studio!?
    Give us some news matt!!

    2 years ago
  • Crystal Cuhleer

    If you know anyone looking for more Fans or to get famous, tell em to hit up Capacity Productions! I got the banner on my page along with some other cool stuff =)

    -hit me up sometime!

    3 years ago
  • Ella Lee

    Hi there,we'd love to have your own opinion on the latest video production of our friends Tristrambros…and if you need a video for your web stuff, find them on Google! Have a nice day and thx 4 the add.

    3 years ago
  • S.J. Dibai

    Matt, you have been perhaps the most essential One Note Ahead artist throughout the years. Now, I am sad to report that One Note Ahead is taking its final bow. Thank you, and you can pay your final respects at onenoteahead[dot]blogspot[dot]com (sorry, but MySpace does not like blogspot links anymore).

    3 years ago
  • dB Sounds Management

    Thanks for the add Matt! Hope to see you and jam soon!

    -Dave E

    3 years ago
  • Alex.

    i love him & his songs.

    3 years ago
  • Make A Star

    Expose your music and compete free in monthly cash competitions on www.MakeAStar.com

    3 years ago
  • Séverine Art

    HelloOOoOOooOOOoooOOooOOoo !!!
    Happy easter....ciao !!

    3 years ago
  • Séverine Art

    A little hello !!
    Good day.....ciaooo

    3 years ago
10 of 1206More
“When I first started out, I didn’t know what style I was,” says Matt Duke, a South Jersey-born, Philly-based, 24-year-old singer-songwriter. “I still don’t and probably never will.” Matt stands out in an industry that loves to categorize. His second full-length album and first for Ryko, Kingdom Underground, came out in 2008 and rocked a fairly big sound. However, Matt tours primarily as a solo acoustic singer-songwriter, so his fans have come to expect a slightly quieter fare from him, which is how the Acoustic Kingdom Underground EP came about.

“It’s a nice complement to the album,” says Matt. “I’m used to going out and touring solo acoustic and the fans often say, ‘We like the record but we like what your shows sound like too,’ so this is for them. Regarding his Philly-and-beyond fanbase, Matt says: “I have seen blue-hairs, 14- to 18-year-old girls and college kids at my shows. And Myspace has helped exponentially.” Some websites have lumped him in with other artists such as John Mayer and Jason Mraz, which is okay with him.

Matt looks super-young – almost teenage – in photographs, but the sound of his voice and the gravity of his lyrical content make you believe he is an old soul who has been through a lot. “That’s exactly the image I am hoping to project,” says Matt, who incorporates pop, folk, jazz and rock into his repertoire. His stadium-ready Vedderesque voice may have mass appeal, but for now you are more likely to see him in a coffeehouse setting, following in the footsteps of some of his heroes, such as Ani DiFranco and Conor Oberst.

The Kingdom Underground Acoustic EP features six tracks that were largely inspired by Matt’s literary experiences. Although he dropped out of college after “15 minutes,” he has used many great novels as a jumping-off point for many of his finest tunes.

MANAGEMENT CONTACT

Jason Spiewak & Marcie Jacobson @ Rock Ridge Music - mdmgmt@rockridgemusic.com

BOOKING CONTACT

Brian Jonas @ Blackbird Artists Agency - brian@blackbirdartistsagency.com

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