With 22 years already under his belt, Matt came to me wanting to focus on advanced concepts and solidifying his jazz chops. Dude has KILLER passion and loves the drums only second to his beautiful children. It is not uncommon for Matt to play a casino set in Atlantic City until 2:00 am and still make it a priority to get to the studio for his Sunday lesson (I would probably have a lot of excuses myself). Matt has build a career on the heavier side of hard rock, sharing the stage with acts such as Clutch, The Sword, Gwar, Vista Chino, High On Fire, and Lionize. Also very impressive is the staying power him and his bandmates (Kingsnake) have exhibited, currently on their 20th year together. Matt and I have been hard at work in the lab developing his linear playing and jazz comping with the help of Gary Chaffee’s Time Functioning Patterns and John Riley’s The Art of Bop Drumming (amongst others). Here’s to another 22 years, Matt!
Jon Ardito 