Press
His songs somehow find their way through Matt’s mind and from pen to paper without Matt having to really think about writing or any specific lyrics, and that art has followed him into his other endeavors. Matt owns and operates his own record company, Full Bloom Records. Right now, he’s the only artist under his label, but he is looking to work with other artists in the near future. Matt is also a part of the productions of his music videos and has actually created his own live show on Facebook and YouTube called, ‘The Friday Night Gamble.’ - Connect Iredell
"Hotamighty! Matt Walsh is in the groove with a variety show of crazy characters, werewolf roadies and music videos for his latest album, Burnt Out Soul—a solid release recorded at the legendary Columbia Studio A in Nashville, Tennessee...Clocking around 1,000 viewers each week, Walsh’s variety showcase, The Friday Nite Gamble plays more like an R-rated Hee Haw than The Lawrence Welk Show— if Hee Haw was filmed in an attic in High Point. Centered around musical guests, The Gamble splashes comedy skits with album spotlights, stories from the road, and a chug-along or two. Episodes are filmed live over Facebook, starting at 7 p.m., and rebroadcasted on Walsh’s YouTube channel..Recorded at Columbia Studio A in Nashville— the same used by Bob Dylan, Elvis Costello, Ray Price, Johnny and June Carter Cash, and Patsy Cline— Burnt Out Soul features eight tracks of timely topics, befitting the artists who’ve graced the gear before.“The early ‘70s API console we used was stationed in Studio A after recording The Band’s ‘Last Waltz,’ and Peter Frampton’s ‘Frampton Comes Alive,’” Walsh said, reveling in technical awe of vintage equipment in the legendary space, “to know I made my album using that same console blew my mind.” - YES! Weekly (Greensboro NC)
"There’s not a script for the show (The Friday Nite Gamble) and everything is completely unfiltered. It’s a gamble because no one ever knows what’s going to happen during the broadcast or how it will come off but it’s certain to be interesting. Let’s roll the dice!" Walsh said...The show is still evolving as Walsh and his crew learn what works and doesn't work well on camera. So far, they're trending in the right direction as the "Friday Nite Gamble" averages roughly 1,000 viewers each week on Facebook when it broadcasts on Friday nights at 7 p.m. - The Statesville Record & Landmark (Statesville NC)
"Captaining a crew of songs with mixed musical heritage, Matt Walsh centers the album with an easy vocal delivery, counting happiness on the Country sway of “The Door”, making a plea over the Garage Rock Funk in “Sugar”, and sliding into the psychedelic march traipsing through “Happy or Blue”...Burnt Out Soul is the fourth solo release from Matt Walsh as he balances recording with a full schedule of artistic endeavors that include songwriting, filmmaking, and acting. The spirit of Mose Allison shuffles alongside Matt Walsh in “Leaving Blues” while sends a shout out to the heavens for “Don’t Shut My Party Down” as Burnt Out Soul hops on a train rail beat for the title track." - The Alternate Root Magazine (Palm Springs CA)
“it made me have to step up to a higher level,” Walsh says. That’s what it’s all about for me. If I am not challenging myself, if I’m in my comfort zone, then what’s the point?... the new album is “by far” his best, sonically speaking, thanks in large part to an old 1970s API console that had previously been used as a live recording unit for, among other projects, The Band’s The Last Waltz and Peter Frampton’s Frampton Comes Alive.” - Mountain Xpress (Asheville NC)
"At the halfway point, “My Next Move” recruits harmonica as a very stylish display of singer-songwriter prowess enter the cautious yet playful instrumentation, while “Leaving Blues” takes a nostalgic approach where precise percussion and keys guides a soulful setting. “Happy Or Blue?” exits the listen, and recruits meticulous electric guitar amid an almost classic rock like exit with the superb songwriting that has characterized Walsh’s career...Certainly a varied take on Americana, Burnt Out Soul is an impressive listen by an artist who should be on everyone’s radar." - Take Effect Reviews
About two weeks after the country began shutting down last March, Matt Walsh realized that music venues weren’t going to open back up anytime soon. He got away from music for a while, but then he began thinking back to when he was 5 years old, singing through a vacuum cleaner hose. Then he began having visions of all the variety and late night shows he used to watch as a child. “Everything from David Letterman to Arsenio Hall to ‘Hee Haw,’” he said. “I decided to have one of my own, and that it would center around North Carolina singer/songwriters, people who do original music.” Thus was born “The Friday Nite Gamble.” The show, which Walsh produces in his attic, livestreams on his Facebook page at 7 p.m. every Friday, and features musical performances, skits and occasionally a werewolf busting a move. - (Greensboro News and Record)
"Walsh had two weeks to write, arrange and rehearse for the album that would become "Burnt Out Soul." He said it was a challenge as he isn't one to just sit down and write lyrics. He said usually ideas just "hit" him, but with this album, he wasn't going to have that luxury. He said despite the tight timeline, it checked off some of his musical goals and stated more than once that he believes it is his best work." - The Statesville Record & Landmark (Statesville NC)
"For sure, he’s one of the region’s most prolific songwriters and performers, logging more than 200 shows a year...Despite his favored bold print shirts, there is a darkness lurking in his music that is offset by his sense of humor. He vibes as Mr. Jo Average and can swing from upbeat and boogie beats to soulful longings that explore the darker side of life. And he seems to have a thing for werewolves." - Blue Ridge Times-News
"Matt Walsh might be the hardest working musician in North Carolina. He’s constantly traversing the state playing solo sets or with his new band, The Movers. His latest album, The Midnight Strain, was released today on Full Bloom Records. The guitar-heavy collection stacks moments of country, rockabilly and soul and dips those sounds in a swampy murk of psychedelia. There will be an album release party at French Broad Brewery on Thursday, Nov. 15. Ahead of that show, Walsh and bassist Travis Lunsford gave an exclusive three-song preview of the new record at The Grey Eagle." - Mountain Xpress
"Just a heads up, when talking about Matt in any future press releases in advance of the festival, just tell the folks you can describe Matt Walsh and his music in 3 words….. “Whole-Lee-Cow” - Harold Donaldson / Planet Texas (MesquiteTexas)
“Statesville, NC singer-songwriter Matt Walsh's music has one of those genre-blending sounds that combines so many different styles, we just refer to it as "good music." - Dig Local (Asheville NC)
“‘The Midnight Strain’, boasts 11 all-original cuts featuring him on guitars, harp and bottles! A big favorite here is 'Drive Me Away'.” - Miskin Radio (UK)
North Carolina roots man Walsh has been creatively prolific since the death of his Low Counts band mate, Austin Hicks, in 2017. Late last year, he released his second album since then, “The Midnight Strain.” It opens with a title track full of country vibes (fiddle and steel guitar in the mix) and then hits multiple points on the Americana compass. Walsh brings it all. - The Roanoke Times (Roanoke VA)
"While Matt Walsh’s bio cites a blend of influences that includes everything from rock to jazz, the foundation rests upon driving blues guitar riffs that are music to my ears.Hailing from North Carolina, Walsh was exposed to early 1950’s electric blues at a young age and, listening to his music today, it is obvious that it never left him. Sprinkle in a world of other musical influences and you have a unique, original sound that is firmly tied to American roots music. Performing with his rhythm section The Movers, this is going to be a great way to spend a Saturday evening in Greenville." - ION Greenville (Greenville SC)
"His mother presented a background with rhythm, giving lessons with her love of Motown while his late uncle shared a record collection that included 1950’s electric Blues artists from Chess and Stax as well 1960’s Rock’n’Roll. The influence is a sound that organically includes the Blues that formed a soundtrack for a younger Matt Walsh, who in turn fills in the sound with his own touches of Country, Folk, and Psychedelia. The blending of genres becomes a fluid torrent on his recent release, The Midnight Strain. Matt Walsh cruises into “Drive Me Away” with the needle buried deep into electric Blues Rock as The Midnight Strain twists the radio dial for a Country ramble in the title track, picks out Folk Blues to introduce “Ike and Daisy”, and meditates on a mantra of trance riffs for “Guru Blues”. In 2010, Matt Walsh formed a band with drummer Austin Hicks as The Low Counts, the no frills energy of the drum-guitar duo giving them a fanbase nurtured by three album releases prior to Austin passing away suddenly, Matt returned as a solo artist, releasing his first album in a decade in 2017 (Life After Rock’n’Roll). The Midnight Strainstirs a swampy groove into the Jazz-inflected melody of “Sitting on Empty” while Matt Walsh plucks and picks both acoustic and electric notes to hold off the ‘clowns and vampires’ circling in “Don’t Hold Your Breath”, barrels into “Here We Go Again” with a beat to match the stories resolve." - The Alternate Root Magazine
"His latest release is on his own label, Full Bloom Records, and shows his incredible ease at handling various genres. “The Midnight Strain” is its title and on the eleven all-original cuts herein, Matt covers blues, R & B, rockabilly, and even some hard-core honky-tonk...He uses cool twangin’ guitars for a “Peter Gunn”-ish (Go Google it if you are too young!) intro on “The Takeaway”...Take a good look at the cover of, “The Midnight Strain”, and you’ll get a good idea of what’s in the grooves. Yep–the two devilish-looking characters involved in a tug-of-war embody Life’s choices, and the constant pull of good choices against the not-so-good. Matt Walsh, thru these songs, tries to help us make the right choices or at least cope with the ones we do make!"- The Nashville Blues And Roots Alliance
"Walsh still has stories to tell as evidenced by Life After Rock ‘N Roll. While The Low Counts is its own thing Walsh’s new solo effort is a larger palette than that found on the duo’s albums. They are two different things, albeit connected by Walsh’s timeless voice. It begins with “Which is Worse,” a song letting listeners know that the singer fans know is still kicking but bringing something new. With lively, classic sounding piano playing it’s a catchy, radio-ready song. It’s well-rounded in that Walsh speeds up and slows down Life After Rock ‘N Roll with great effect. “Headlines” is acoustic driven, injected with electric guitar atmosphere. There’s the defiance of “Throwing Stones Against the Wall,” the apologetic and bittersweet “It Didn’t Take Long,” and tense rocker “Bad Advice.” “Somebody’s Got to Go” and “45 in the Cut” burns and smolders, the latter delivering a solid one-two punch with its dagger deep delivery. ‘Questions and Accusations” is like late afternoon back porch musing – it burns and sooths, like coffee and whiskey and the uncertainty of which to settle on. Walsh’s singing is pointed and underscored with dreamy slide guitar." - Avenue Music and Entertainment (Wilmington NC)
"After Matt Walsh's The Low Counts bandmate, Austin Hicks, died in March 2017, Walsh sat for a couple of weeks, unable to act. He was encouraged into a North Carolina studio, where he wound up with a burst of creative expression that resulted in what may be his best record yet, "Life After Rock N Roll." - The Roanoke Times (Roanoke VA)
"Matt Walsh blends blues, rock, country and many other genres into a sound that harkens back to another time. His finger picking guitar style and howling voice lend themselves to that sense of an earlier era. Walsh’s first solo record came out in 2007 and was followed by a prolific three-year run with The Low Counts. He’s returning to the stage with his second solo effort, Life After Rock N Roll. Released yesterday on Full Bloom Records, it features 13 tracks that cover a wide spectrum of genres." - Mountain Xpress (Asheville NC)
"Walsh’s range of skills have earned him strong reviews as a member of the Low Counts and as a solo performer.“Matt Walsh is a talented singer and guitarist who knows how to write a good tune, and how to get the best out of it,” according to Blues in Britain magazine.Music allows Walsh to stretch his creativity in multiple directions. He has enjoyed making movies and drawing since his childhood in Statesville, and goofy, funny music videos were a Low Counts staple. He has continued that tradition as a solo artist, working with director Michael Spears to make a trilogy of videos for songs from “Life After Rock-N-Roll” that feature Walsh as a pawn shop employee and a small-town sheriff." - Relish (the Winston Salem Journal)
“Life After Rock ‘N’ Roll” will take listeners on a journey filled with a blend of new sounds Walsh created in the wake of a loss. Walsh, 40, began recording songs for the album in April, about a month after losing his best friend and Low Counts bandmate since 2013, drummer Austin Hicks.“It was just me and him, and we kind of made a pact a long time ago that it would kind of be ridiculous, if we had a falling out or somebody wanted to quit, that the other one carry on (under the Low Counts name),” Walsh said. “There was no point in trying to replicate what we did or carry on the name so it was kind of pretty much gone.” - Statesville Record & Landmark (Statesville NC)
"Hard Luck” is rough-edged and magnificent. For a modern era, when a cover of classic is sometimes seen as a mandatory validation, it is a pleasant surprise to be presented with an album entirely of originals. The songs on the album are well constructed and written with that unique voice in mind. What "Hard Luck" does, above all, is present the Blues as they should be - tough, uncompromising and honest" - Blues Matters Magazine national publication
"He loves Old School Chicago Blues and has already gone a long way towards playing it with authentic tone and command of the guitar language. He can sing it too, and improves every time I hear him. He is young today and will keep this style alive on bandstands and preserve it as more than history. He may develop so much himself that he will take the style forward with his own contributions..." - Bob Margolin (former guitarist for Muddy Waters 1973-1980) Blues Revue Magazine national publication
"He sounds almost as if his band was blasting from a mono speaker deep in the South. But it works, with music that is easy-going yet scoarched with a sweaty grit best suited to a smokey juke joint." - Rod Pocowatchit - The Wichita Eagle ( Wichita, Kansas )
"Matt Walsh, a native of North Carolina has a command of the early electric blues sound that very few artists possess. If that were not enough to recommend this disc, his second, add to that the fact that he writes his own stuff and you have the makings of the best new blues artist to hit the scene in quite some time. It is hard to overstate how accomplished a musician and songcrafter Matt is. And calling him a "blues" artist underestimates him a bit as he has connections (obvious on this CD) to rockabilly and other forms and styles of "roots" rock. He has learned from some of the best musicians you've never heard of and some you have, but his sound is identifiably his. He rocks (the title track; "20 more miles" are good examples) and plays with soul and subtlety ("Sit and Wonder") equally well and his song writing is thoughtful, humorous ("Pointless Blues") and, at times, profound (the aforementioned "Sit and Wonder" as an example). If this man does not get some nominations for best new blues artist of the year, it will only be because this disc doesn't get the audience it deserves. If you want to know whether the traditional blues sound can be made current while staying true to the form, get this disc. You'll have your answer". - M. W. Russell - Swamp Rat Music (Manteo North Carolina)
"All of the songs are Walsh originals. Vocally Walsh sounds a bit like a hybrid of David Johansen and Tom Waits, which fits with the way that he plays the blues. Even when things move into acoustic mode (such as the fine "Sit and Wonder"), the arrangements still feel just about right..."Hard Luck" is mostly raucous, rowdy, good fun. Matt Walsh is a talented singer and guitarist who knows how to write a good tune, and how to get the best out of it. Fans of Magic Slim will certainly find much to admire here..." - Blues In Britain Magazine (Great Britain)
"Every song on the album was penned by Walsh. You really can't take a musical journey like this disc takes you on without playing your own music. Walsh has a lot of original ideas and works some out on this disc, but you know there are many more ideas still in his head. Give him time and he should be putting out shining gems in the future. Hard Luck is an excellent start to his recording career. This is a foundation that can launch him onto one of the Blues labels out there. He hits so many bases on this album that he will find a comfortable niche and blast off from there. He is not an artist who will be happy playing just one style" - Blueswax
"Matt Walsh...Soulful playing, great vocals...It's great to hear young musicians playing in the tradition. That's the only way the Blues will stay alive" - Paul Oscher (former Muddy Waters band member)
"and while distinct and impacting vocals are the key, it's Walsh's ability to craft what Blues do best - make you feel something - that really sets him apart from any number of second circuit Blues artists. Walsh's songwriting, while still young, is rooted in the ages-old traditions of Blues music...Walsh knows his Blues, almost as much as he knows his guitar, which he masterfully works using a finger-picking style as well as a slide". - Brian Dukes Up and Coming Weekly ( Fayetteville North Carolina )
"When you listen to him, you find yourself wondering just which old vault of Delta or Chicago blues did he find his songs in. You just KNOW you’ve heard that song SOMEWHERE, but it just won’t come to you. But you are wrong. Matt’s deep understanding of the blues allows him to create authentic but original songs that ring true to the soul. It is just astounding..." - Nonzine (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma)
Other than listening to the 3 or 4 slide guitar players who I consider to be the cream of the crop, I generally prefer to not even here it played. Hearing MATT on "WHY MY BABY AIN'T AROUND" just increased my favorite slide players to a complete handful...I'm certainly not joking when I say that if "HARD LUCK" should catch a bit of "good luck" and fall into enough right hands, MATT WALSH may just get himself a "Best New Artist Debut" nod..." - Mary 4 Music (Florida)
"With his perfectly coifed hairstyle and long sideburns, Walsh looks more like a rockabilly cat. In fact, the novelty vocal group Sha Na Na was one of Walsh's very, very early influences, and he's got the hairstyle to match. But the groove he puts out on Hard Luck is, without a doubt, deep Chicago blues. What's most impressive is that each of the dozen songs on the CD were written by Walsh. If this guy rode a time machine back to the early 1950s, he could probably line up a gig as a house songwriter at Chess Records..." - Blues Bytes
"And, by the way, he's even better live."It was worth to wait for his album to come, it's a killer! First thing I've noticed after pressing play button in my stereo is the sound - vintage, old school Chicago blues sound that you don't hear too often today. It's obvious he has spent lots of time listening to the classic blues stuff. His guitar tone is fat and dirty, just the way I like it. It reminds me of guys like Jody Williams - those players who knew it all, not only flashy solos but also deep rhythm patterns. Together with emotional vocals and his ability to write interesting songs that makes a total package. With some great musicians behind Matt's back he's recorded one of the coolest classic blues albums I've heard this year! With such an album he'll have lot's of good luck coming his way! It will be my pleasure to feature Matt's music in my shows. I'm sure my listeners will enjoy it as much as I do!" - Przemek Draheim radio host
"Of the many measurable indications of a musical artist's success sold-out shows, album sales, MySpace friends -- one that receives scant attention today is hair elevation. From Elvis Presley to Erykah Badu, it's clear that performers' ability to coif that extra inch translates to their likelihood of going the extra mile. That trait has never been in question for North Carolina-born bluesman Matt Walsh, who has educated himself in the classic Chicago style and rockabilly. His slash-and-burn guitar has certainly been hair-raising for the old-school blues community, which has eagerly embraced his raucous style." - Ryan Muldoon - Richmond Times Dispatch ( Richmond Virgina)