Matt Lashoff
Saint Louis, Missouri, United States | Established. Jan 01, 2010
Music
Press
As Matt Lashoff tells me about his last 72 hours, he sounds like many other musicians I interview. He has performed three days in a row, and had little sleep in between. The difference is, Lashoff is describing his day job as a professional hockey player. The 2005 first round draft pick currently plays for the farm team of the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Toronto Marlies of the AHL.
In his spare time, the 6'2" 205-pound defenseman works on his other career, that of a professional musician. In May, Lashoff released his debut album Living On Heart, which was produced by Loren Harriet who has also helped several other professional athletes with their music careers, including four-time World Series champion Bernie Williams.
"Right now we are working on finding a label and getting distribution," says 25-year-old Lashoff, who also has played for the Tampa Bay Lightning and Boston Bruins organizations. He describes his 11-track first album as "bluesy with a pop influence."
Harriet approached Lashoff after seeing a segment about his music that aired on New England Sports Network (NESN) while he played for the Boston Bruins. "I didn't think [Harriet] was serious at first [but eventually] he was helping me choose my band which was like an all star team of some of the best studio musicians," says Lashoff, who had one assist in 11 games with the Leafs last season.
Those in the band included the likes of Kenny Aronoff, Leland Sklar, David Sancious and Brent Mason ― all of whom have worked with high profile acts such as John Mellancamp and Bruce Springsteen's E-Street band as well as being accomplished musicians in their own right.
"These guys were learning my music ― how cool is that?!" says Lashoff who cites Stevie Ray Vaughn, Kenny Wayne Shepherd and B.B. King as some of his influences. The album was recorded over a month in the summer of 2010, coinciding with the end of hockey season. The sessions were held at the Barber Shop studios in New Jersey as well as one other studio in New York State near where Lashoff works on his off season conditioning in Stamford, Connecticut.
Lashoff is serious about his music and plans on working on a new album this summer or next and is leaning towards pursuing a different sound than that of Living on Heart. "The new album will be more groove based and not so poppy," he says.
While Lashoff points out that hockey takes precedent in his life, he doesn't feel music has to necessarily take a back seat. "A lot of people ask me how do you separate the two, but they've always been a part of my lifestyle. When we were kids [he is speaking as well of his brother Brian who is also a professional hockey player and plays guitar on the track "Something I Know"] we would play hockey before school and then after school till it got too dark and our mom told us to come in, then we would eat, play around on the guitar and write songs." he recalls.
"Some guys go golfing in the summer, for me, someone heard my stuff and gave me a chance to put something out there, I know I'd be kicking myself when I'm older if I didn't do this." - Exclaim Magazine
On a perfect summer night to watch the sun set into the Niagara River, North Tonawanda’s Gratwick Riverside Park greeted a crowd of thousands on Friday night for the kickoff of the Rockin’ on the River free concert series, featuring a trio of bands headlined with a bang by Toronto-based dance-rock duo Ubiquitous Synergy Seeker, aka USS.
Set comfortably on a flat patch of riverfront grass, the sprawling space was lined with carnival-style food and drink vendors aplenty and two organizations running raffles (the Buffalo Zoo and SPCA of Niagara County), completing a scene well-suited to welcome the entire community.
Opening the show was Albany-raised journeyman pro hockey defenseman Matt Lashoff, whose quartet’s short set of original barroom blues-rock suggested his prospects on stage are similar to those on the ice – a somewhat gritty, stay-at-home player whose slapshot and Stratocaster chops are both good enough to go pro.
Toronto-area quartet Stereokid followed with a warm mix of rap, rock, reggae and funk that won the crowd from the opening catchy hook of its debut album’s title track “Mission for Love.” A prime-time prospect, the quartet’s well-received 30-minute set could easily have gone twice as long had it started earlier; though the Rockin’ on the River website lists opening bands starting at 5 p.m., Lashoff’s opening set began at 7 p.m. - Buffalo News
Discography
Living On Heart - 2011 (Full Length Record)
Part Of Me - 2014 (Single)
Photos
Bio
Matt Lashoff is best known as a hard-hitting National Hockey League defenseman for the Toronto Maple Leafs, but his music reveals a softer and more creative side full of passion and heart. Lashoff, a singer/songwriter from East Greenbush, New York, loves his one-of-a-kind situation and swears that the two careers go hand in hand. “I feel the best when I am able to perform the music. I play better hockey and perform better when I am able to play music. I wouldn’t have that outlet without it”, says Matt.
In May 2011, Lashoff independently released his full-length debut album entitled Living On Heart, filled with blues rock and pop influences. The album features Lashoff as lead vocalist and guitarist and a band of some of the world’s most influential and accomplished musicians. The CD includes performances by drummer Kenny Aronoff (John Mellencamp, Jon Bon Jovi, The Rolling Stones, The Smashing Pumpkins, Bob Seger), pianist David Sancious (Bruce Springsteen, Sting), bass guitarist Leland Sklar (James Taylor, Jackson Browne, Phil Collins), and acoustic guitarist Brent Mason (George Strait, Alan Jackson, Neil Diamond). Guitarist Tim Pierce (Bruce Springsteen, Michael Jackson, Christina Aguilera) also contributes his musical genius on “Save Me,” “Branch Ave,” and on the CD’s title track “Living On Heart”, while legendary slide guitarist Waddy Wachtel (Stevie Nicks, James Taylor, Linda Ronstadt, Jackson Browne) plays on “Cold, Cold, Cold” and “Hockey Night In Canada.”
Living On Heart is a collective mix of original songs, some written exclusively by Lashoff and others co-written with Danny Bernini (Blondie, James Blunt, Notorious B.I.G.). He also has recorded some of his favorite cover songs, including “Cold, Cold, Cold” (Lowell George), “Before You Accuse Me” (Bo Diddley), “While We Cry” (Kenny Wayne Shepherd) and “Hockey Night In Canada” (Dolores Claman). To create his own unique sound and musical style, Lashoff collaborated with top “non-traditional recording artist” producer Loren Harriet (Bernie Williams, Bronson Arroyo, Wayman Tisdale, Megan Mullally), who contacted Lashoff for a meeting after Lashoff did a music feature for the New England Sports Network. Lashoff credits hockey with giving him the opportunity and freedom to accomplish his lifelong goal of recording his first album.
Lashoff’s always dreamt of releasing his own music, as he grew up surrounded by music. As Lashoff puts it, “It was always band practice at the house.” His father, a guitarist and lead singer in bands since Lashoff was born, was in love with all sorts of music, from bluegrass and country to rock and roll. Lashoff knew from the moment he heard music by The Allman Brothers, The Marshall Tucker Band and Stevie Ray Vaughan that he needed to play. Originally starting on drums that his cousins had left lying around, Lashoff soon turned to the guitar, an instrument that was always in abundance at his house. Lashoff quickly mastered the acoustic and electric guitar, being heavily influenced by Vaughan, Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix.
Within a year of learning to play the guitar, Lashoff followed in his father’s footsteps and began singing. Lashoff reflects, “it was ingrained in me from my childhood listening to Eric Clapton, Sting, Phil Collins, John Fogerty and John Mellancamp, who were all great songwriters. I wanted to be able to perform those songs, and sing those songs too.” After he left his hometown high school to play hockey at the Avon Old Farms School in Connecticut, Lashoff was introduced to musicians of all types and began playing with a jazz band and touring around the area doing a Battle of the Bands competitions.
As for Lashoff’s passion for songwriting, Lashoff says, “putting music down on paper was my outlet for things. It is where I could create an outlet for my passion and creativity. And it gives people in the hockey world a new light about the players.” His songwriting really developed when he again moved high schools to Ann Arbor, Michigan, where Lashoff wrote songs on many instrumentals. After being draft in the first round of the NHL, Lashoff spent the next few years writing songs as much as possible and getting a repertoire of music together.
Armed with a plethora of original songs, Lashoff’s desire and passion is to get his music out for people to listen to, enjoy and relate to. He wants people to see hockey players in a different light – to share his unique perspective. And to do that, he is willing to go wherever it takes him. Excited about performing live, Matt is ready to play and present is unique brand of rock, blues and pop music to the public.
Band Members
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