Today we’d like to introduce you to Matt Tedder.
Hi Matt, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I began playing guitar at eight years old. My dad, who enjoyed playing simple country songs in his spare time off work, had some acoustic guitars around the house but it wasn’t until an old Fender electric guitar was pulled out from underneath his bed that I became interested in playing. I started taking lessons, and by 11 years old I found a teacher that would help me lay a strong foundation in blues guitar, a genre I oddly gravitated towards since no one in the family actively listened to it. My early heroes at that time were Stevie Ray Vaughan, Freddie King, and Jimmy Reed to name a few. My parents took me to a lot of blues jams in the area and it was there that I learned to play with a band, giving me the confidence to form one of my own. So, I did and through my teenage years, I played all around DFW from dive bars to festivals, but I had a hunger to see somewhere new outside of my hometown. I set my sights on Nashville and moved there in 2013 at 17 years old. I didn’t have much of a plan when I got there, had just a few songs of my own written, and was pretty “green” as they say. I had quite a few ups and plenty of downs there, but to make a long story short, Nashville wasn’t all I thought it would be, and after a little over two years I wondered what my next move would be. I had no idea it would be receiving an email from The Voice TV show asking if I would be interested in auditioning. With a song of my choosing, “Hoochie Coochie Man,” by Muddy Waters, set as my blind audition song and being able to accompany myself on guitar, I thought why not give it a shot. To my surprise, Adam Levine turned, and I made it into one more round. I look back at this experience with some reservations, afraid of being continuously penned as the guy from The Voice. I returned to Texas riding the wave of momentum from the show and went into a studio to record my first EP entitled after my feelings of what I’d just experienced, “California Mercy Me.” The DFW scene took me in with open arms and I began playing out more than ever before. Shortly following this release, I turned 21 and began enjoying the bar life. In an effort to run away from “that guy from The Voice” I ditched my name and formed a rock n roll band called Polydogs. We recorded an album and released it in 2019. It was received well locally, and we seemed to be on our way to bigger and better things. During this time though I was drinking a lot and experimenting with different types of drugs, unaware of the steps I was taking down a troublesome path. Definitely seen as a curse, 2020 came with the pandemic, but for me, it turned out to be somewhat of a blessing. Spending more time at home and being able to evaluate recent years’ pros and cons, I realized how little alcohol and drugs were benefitting my life and if anything, they had just made me lost. It was during this time that I also began listening to more music I grew up with, blues and classic country, that my dad had ingrained into my musical vocabulary. I began writing more music in that style and it just felt so much more authentically me than what I had been doing with Polydogs. So, in 2021, I decided to get sober and leave the band to return to myself instead of running as I’d done before. I was clear-headed and had my sights set on new goals for myself when tragedy struck early that year. My father was diagnosed with late-stage lung cancer and passed away within a month. It was the most difficult and painful time in my life, and I’m sure no one would’ve batted an eye if I reached for a bottle. I chose not to, knowing it would just mask the pain short term and I wanted to do better for myself in a way that would honor his love and belief in me. I chose instead to dive into music deeper and work harder than ever before. I began playing on my own and with a band under my own name again, almost 4-5 nights a week, and joined a classic country band on guitar. That is what I’ve been doing up to this day. Earlier this year I recorded a new album in Austin TX with Gordy Quist of The Band Of Heathens and expect it to be released in late spring of next year. The album is my proudest achievement thus far, highlighting my early influences in blues, country, and rock n roll.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Not by any means. I have had many crossroads along the way. Sobriety, the loss of a loved one, and the constant effort to stay motivated in an industry that can sure get you down to name a few. But I’d say the pros far outweigh the cons. I get to do something that I truly love for a living, and I try not to take that for granted.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’d call myself a guitarist first. That is what comes most naturally to me and I’m lucky to employ that skill in my own work as well as others. I’ve played on quite a few artists’ albums and get calls to join artists I like on the road or locally to play guitar in their groups. Singing and songwriting would follow, an area I’ve grown more comfortable in recent years. I would say I’m most proud of my upcoming album. It combines all my efforts in guitar, singing, and songwriting to the best of my current ability. I would say my versatility sets me apart from others, seeing that I love and play many different styles. Country, blues, rock n roll, and western swing are my stronger suits. Jazz will be my final frontier one day.
Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
I like to play golf. Used to a lot through Middle and High school. These days I don’t get to play as often as I’d like to.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.mattteddermusic.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/matttedder
- Facebook: facebook.com/mattteddermusic
- Youtube: youtube.com/mattteddermusic
Image Credits
Brooks Burris
