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Matthew Hirte (Songwriter - Singer - Guitarist - Composer - Engineer - Producer) |
"From about the age of six or seven I started to notice rock music. Everything before that is kind of a blur. When I was around my older cousins I would listen to the records they put on, like Fog Hat, Grand Funk Railroad, Bad Company, and Led Zeppelin. I listened in utter amazement. The power of it was overwhelming and it soon captivated my soul. At the age of nine I started to play the viola (a slightly larger version of the violin) after which I picked up the guitar. I started to learn my favorite songs and quickly began to write my own. Entering my teenage years I started to take my guitar and song-writing more seriously. I began playing in bands, seeking a career as a musician, and of course Corvallis, Oregon (where I grew up) wasn't the ideal place for this. After high school I went to college and majored in music theory. Although I was doing quite well I felt that it was not really what I wanted to be doing. I have always been intrigued with movie sound tracks and compositions of classical music, but at that point I was more interested in the fast lane of rock and like most young, naive musicians, I was going to "move to Hollywood and become famous". "I left for LA and wasted no time making friends in the music scene. I started playing in bands as well as recording demos and showcasing. Living in LA certainly brought on quite a few opportunities in meeting "industry people" and I soon found myself involved in many projects, writing and recording songs with some prominent musicians which started with drummer Dony Wynn. Dony and I met not long after I arrived in LA and began a friendship that would take me on a ride that most musicians could only dream to experience. If it were not for Dony I would have never met most of the people that I have collaborated with over the years. Nor would I have met the people and players around them, who all helped to encourage me and enlighten my perception of life as a musician. I thank them all." |
Dony Wynn (Robert Palmer, The Romeos, The Thompson Twins), bassist Frank Blair (Marvin Gaye, Robert Palmer. Watch Donny and Frank on youtube with Robert Palmer), bassist Kenny Gradney (Little Feat, Robert Palmer, Carly Simon), guitarist Leo Nocentelli (The Meters. Watch The Meters jamming with the Red Hot Chilli Peppers on youtube), guitarist Shane Fontayne (Lone Justice, Bruce Springsteen, Rod Stewart, John Waite, Bryan Adams. Watch Shane on youtube), the multi-talented Ivan Neville (Dumpstaphunk, The Neville Brothers, Keith Richards, The Rolling Stones. Watch Ivan on youtube), engineer/producer Jason Casaro (Madonna, The Call, PIL, Robert Palmer, Power Station), guitarist John Stahaley (Eric Johnson), engineer Micheal E. Hutchinson (Bill Champlin, Chicago, Bonnie Raitt).
Bassist John Taylor (Duran Duran, Power Station), drummer Jody Cortez (Stone Fury, Jodi Watley, Cinderella, David Crosby, Crosby Stills and Nash), guitarist Dave Reznick (Taxi, Lita Ford), bassist Dean Cortez (Hiroshima), pianist Steve Isham (Autograph).
Producer and bassist Bernard Edwards, partner to Nile Rogers) of the band Chic. Bernard produced many bands throughout his career: Sister Sledge, Diana Ross, ABC, Robert Palmer and Power Station to mention a few. Sadly Bernard died of pneumonia on April 18th 1996 in Tokyo, while on tour with Chic. The music-world certainly lost a great one that day.
Composer, producer, arranger & pianist Clarence McDonald – named "Writer Of The Year" (2011 BMI Writers Awards). Clarence's credits consist of great talents such as Billy Preston, Michael Jackson, Ray Charles, James Taylor, Tina Turner, Manhattan Transfer, Lionel Richie, Ceals & Crofts, and Bill Withers to name a few. Watch Clarence on youtube).
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