Celticfusion

As fiddle players are moving into Rock with bands like Audio Slave, Matthew is moving into their space! One of the few guitar players with the chops and experience to challenge these upstart violin players on their own turf, he is constantly re-defining the role of the guitar in modern music. By no means just another "tapper" or "hammer/pull speed demon", Matthew has re-invented lead guitar in a "world music" context. Afficiandos of guitar pyro-technics will not be disappointed however as none have yet figured out how his more extreme licks are played. If you ever wanted to see what the future holds for the fusion guitar, listen....Matthew Brooks is also an established painter and sculptor as well as a respected Art Historian and has been the featured speaker at many national forums including the Annual Wanderer Forum Foundation Conference in Washington D.C. (see: www.net1plus.com/users/artcatholic for more about his paintings and sculpture.) As a musician, he has been involved in music since early childhood. In the 1980's he was a vital part of the Boston Music scene. A roommate of Paul DeBartolo and Tommy (Lee) Gallo of Bang (later Spread Eagle) he performed with many popular Boston Bands and shared the stage with many others such as Steel Assassin, The Dream (later Extreme), Hunter, Crescent Heights, and many more. He formed the moderately successful Lanslyde Records which boasted "Thrash Queen"(the FIRST all female thrash metal band!), "Hunter", and "KillerFox" (whose album - "All You Can Eat" was voted "filthiest album cover of the year" in 1989!) as part of its roster.
All three of these bands were internationally sucessful and Matthew negotiated the European rights to these albums as well. A respected audio engineer as well as a producer, he also owned the sucessful recording studio SoundwurksNH during that time as well. He left the music scene in the early 90's both to concentrate on the visual arts and to escape a self-destructive lifestyle which was threatening to overwhelm his talents and abilties. He has since come back to his first love: Music.
HelticSkeltic marks a return to his Catholic Roots. Ireland has been the spawning ground for some of the world's most unforgettable music. Matthew re-interprets some of the most memorable pieces, and creates several of his own, in an album that will delight both "headbangers" and celtic music lovers alike.