Fans: 168
On the heels of recent Mile High success stories such as the Fray and Flobots, the Denver Post says this about Matthew Moon: “Tight songwriting and lush delivery prompt Colorado rock fans to tout this performer as the state's next breakout.” With over 300 live performances under his belt, Matthew Moon, a Denver-to-L.A. transplant, has a rich history of recording and performance experience, a solid touring and sales base, and boasts an “elastic” voice that’s compared to the likes of Paul McCartney, Freddie Mercury and Ben Folds. After seeing Moon’s set at California’s Del Mar Music Festival, Larry Richter (Eric Clapton’s management team) called it, “One of the best performances I’ve seen,” and promptly signed Matthew to a management deal. Shortly thereafter, Moon recorded his soon-to-be hit, “Don’t Change 4 Me.” The song, a catchy collaboration with Grammy-nominated artists Jesse Valenzuela (Gin Blossoms) and Danny Wilde (Rembrandts), was featured in the Budweiser 2008 Summer Olympics Promo on NBC and the end cap (closing credits) track for this past summer’s hit movie, “Soccer Mom.” While Moon’s catalogue is described as cool folk meets smart pop, he possesses a wide vocal range that lets him go from gentle to growl, as evident earlier this year when he fronted Velvet Revolver at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, UT. Moon was asked to front the band at the last minute when Scott Weiland missed his flight. With only an hour until show time, Moon downloaded lyrics onto his Blackberry and crammed en route to the gig. As Matt took the stage and led legends Slash, Duff, and Matt Sorum, the crowd – which was full of Sundance celebs and pop culture icons – went wild with approval. The experience led to an onslaught of attention and rumors from online blogs and the print media, including LA Weekly, Popbytes.com, Blabbermouth.net, Music Connection and Laist.com. The question: Is Moon replacing Weiland? While the answer was unquestionably no, the stir caused Moon’s popularity to further grow. Notables: ¨ Moon has an extensive national fan base, which also includes 50,000 MySpace friends. ¨ Moon had two songs placed on Facebook Diaries, which boasts 68 million users. ¨ Moon is sponsored by Hyundai Motors, USA and his music will be featured in the brand’s mass marketing efforts in the fall of 2008. ¨ Moon’s “Foghorn Sound” is set to be used in “Truth About Kerry,” a 2009 major motion picture. ¨ Moon completed a solo tour this past summer, which also included select opening slots for Peter Frampton and The Doobie Brothers. ¨ Moon grew up in Colorado and then went off to study at Boston’s Berklee School of Music with the likes of John Mayer and Susan Tedeschi. ¨ Moon has released four self-produced CDs or EPs. A current resident of Venice Beach, CA, Matthew Moon is quickly emerging as one of the freshest voices in the west. His solid touring base includes frequent stops in New York City, L.A., San Francisco, Arizona, Utah, Seattle, Portland, Minneapolis, Chicago and more.
