Matt Wixson

I'm firmly planted in the ska scene, and don't often try to promote myself elsewhere. The fact that I play an acoustic guitar and sing some punk songs makes me fit perfectly amongst "riot folk" singers and so on. Coming from a scene where bands typically have half a dozen members or more, I tend to stick out quite a bit. My music tends to sound like Against Me!'s punk (well, old Against Me!, anyway) blended with stripped down authentic ska. It's simple but energetic, and serves solely as a vessel to carry the lyrics. Lyrically I draw heavy influence from NOFX or, to go back a bit further, protest singer Phil Ochs. I try to be straightforward in describing my personal woes or philosophical ideas, but I'm also inclined to inject humor whenever possible. I guess I'm funny enough that people want to call me a comedian, but I don't tell jokes anymore than NOFX does. I love making people laugh, but it's humor based on substance and reality. Humor is engaging and it seems to temper the feel of the preaching I guess. I'm gay and I don't shy away from discussing it on stage or in song, and while I used to be rather depressed and angry, I've learned to channel that emotion into positivity. People have told me that I "stole the show" before, which I imagine isn't what you think of when you hear of a solo performer. For all of 2007 I was the keyboardist of CT-based ska-core act the Flaming Tsunamis. In that year I learned a lot about touring (having done one full national tour, three regional tours, and a three-week stint in the UK) and it taught me how to handle my own tours. I just completed a successful 3-week tour in July, and am looking for the right financial window to hit the road more often.