Matt Lindauer

"As one of the people who regularly puts himself out there at the Martini Red open mic on Monday nights, Lindauer has already introduced his guitar skills and songwriting ability to many locals. His latest digital release, available for download on his Web site, seems an appropriate companion to this live persona. Informed by a close study of blues, bluegrass and other parts of the rich musical heritage of America, songs like "Still Life" and "Spitting in The Wind" are Lindauer's care packages for the listener. Accompanying delicate finger-picking patters and swinging chords with lyrics that give away his interest in philosophy ("We're just a product from where we begin/ and I'm doing my best with a bullet-proof vest/ spitting in the wind"), the songwriter introduces us to his abilities with the patience and vibrance of a wild flower in the morning, starting with the acoustic stuff, and ending with layered, more frenetic electric arrangements ("Impatient Prophecy"). This free EP is more than worth a listen."
Ben Johnson, Advance Weekly Entertainment - AWE, Ben Johnson

"First up for music was Matt Lindauer, a skilled guitarist who churned out a Jimi Hendrix-style rendition of The Star Spangled Bannar in observance of Flag Day, which is today. After Lindauer, AWE Best of Staten Island winners The Nashville Attitude performed an excellent set of country rock, which wafted accross the giant space..."

http://www.silive.com/entertainment/music/index.ssf/2008/06/rock_the_harbor_is_up_and_rock.html - SILive (Staten Island Advance)

"Lindauer is a gifted songwriter and multi-instrumentalist; many minds may have the ability to create, but few have the mental dexterity to present those ideas so adroitly without compromise. The lead-off track 'Other Things Contagious' aptly displays the meticulously melodic guitar playing that graces the rest of the album. 'Impatient Prophecy' delivers the lines 'I feel her whispers bleeding/makes me stand up tall but my shoulders are sinking/and I think I could breathe but I'm caught in the meaning/of the words you breathed so softly on the ceiling' with great passion. Among the album's many other poetic gems are the striking first two lines of Pacific Moon 'what is God but the love we need?/what is life by the spirit we breathe?.' Gibney's drumming is ebullient and atypically jazz oriented, with traces of Mitch Mitchell. A stunningly mature debut effort, 'An Outerbridge Brocade' closes with a sincere acoustic number that further demonstrates the range of influences Lindauer has absorbed, and the unique way in which he makes each one seem his own."

- JC

We're not sure how we stumbled upon Matt Lindauer's MySpace page (maybe he "friended" us?), but the Staten Island guitarist's songs quickly became a regular listening exercise. From his bluesy, rocking stuff with a few friends as Monk Mode, to more intimate recordings on acoustic, slightly distorted electric, or a classical guitar, Lindauer has both technical skill and a knack for putting together strong melodies.

On Wednesday, the young songwriter will be the musical component of Geoff Celis' film night at Martini Red, and it will be a good chance to see Lindauer do his thing -- especially since he's heading to Yale in the fall to pursue a PHD in Philosophy, and this spring and summer performances will likely be his last local outings for a bit. Music and Philosophy, eh buddy? You must be looking to make the big bucks.

"I actually broke my collar bone when I was about eleven," chuckles Lindauer while explaining his musical evolution. "I was out of school for a while, but my right arm was in a sling, which is almost the right picking position. So I spent all of that time watching Hendrix and Clapton videos, trying to learn without much technical knowledge what the greats were doing."

When he got back in school, Lindauer's appetite for learning guitar remained, and it wasn't long before he was venturing further afield, exploring experimental blues outfits like Captain Beefheart, jazz and Bossa Nova. Even though he was living on the South Shore, Lindauer felt like going north for High School was a better move -- so he can also say he's the product of the Curtis High School guitar ensemble, which took him to play venerable venues like Lincoln Center.

Since then Lindauer's been around a bit, spending time in Ireland and other places soaking up music and other things, and upon returning to S.I. to live in St. George and work toward graduate school, Lindauer was happy to find the local scene alive and well with active musicians and artists, and became eager to get out and play.

"I don't like people who try and comodify coolness," says Lindauer, "I think people who are legit musicians, and legitimately interested in music, don't need to be validated by a scene. The scene should be about mutual respect and also support, and a lot of musicians here seem to reflect that, and that's encouraged me to talk about getting gigs." - AWE Weekly Entertainment