Music
Press
If you don't have this CD, you're life is seriously missing something-a soundtrack. Matty Z has taken the everyday, the things we all go through, and put it to all to kick-ass music. Lyrics, or poetry, whatever you call it, there isnt one song on this CD (there should be more) that you won't think to yourself, "did he write that about me?" The music, and the tight-skill the band plays with, will have you hitting replay on your CD player for days. Pick this up; you won't regret it! - Sari Kolosky
Matty Z and the Brawlers live up to their name and come out swinging with their debut album. From the stand up and fight of "Define the Stain" to the every working man's "I Am the Robot", the I've lived it and don't want to hear it from you "Bitch About Love" to the plaintive prayer of "Saint Anthony", this 4-song disc leaves you hungry for more of the pure, unadulterated rock sound missing from today's mainstream offerings. - Rebecca Timmerman
You know, it’s funny...the longer I’m around,
the more frequently I find myself saying things
like “small world”or “what are the chances of
running into you here,”etc.My friend Mike
Roze eloquently sums that up as “the world’s
not getting any smaller, we’re just getting older
and we know everybody now.”So now, every
time I run into an old acquaintance or catch
myself using one of those phrases, I also find
myself remembering what Mike told me that
night at NYC’s Bitter End...thanks pal! Aaah,
as the great Johnny Genzale said, “I’m gonna
live until I die”!
Anyway, Matty Z (of M) is one of those guys
that keep turning up (I mean that in a good
way).He’s been on the scene for a while now,
but I’m really digging where he’s coming from
these days.I worked with Matty a couple years
ago in my studio (Homebrew Studio) at a time
when he was less sure of what direction he
was going in musically.Back then it was just
Matty and an acoustic guitar, very singer-
songwriter...and I liked it.It was kind of a
jumping off point for him as he attempted to
get out what he had inside and find his sound.
Well, he’s grown since then, musically and
personally, and the solo artist has evolved
into a three-piece band...I like this even more!
The band consists of Matthew J.Zmigrodski
III (Matty Z) on guitar and lead vocals, Joey
Cassella on bass and backing vocals and
Kevin Walters (Full Out Freak) on drums and
backing vocals.They just released their debut
EP—Take It Outside—available on iTunes
and CD Baby.Matty wrote the songs while
Joey and Kevin were responsible for the
arrangements.The record was originally going
to be produced by The Churchillsbut
scheduling conflicts prevented that from
happening.Instead, they tracked at Joey
Cassella’s home studio and produced it
themselves.Mixing was put into the hands of
Grammy winning engineer and remixer Ken
Lewis(Kanye West).
Musically the band’s personal tastes range
from ’50s rock to ’70s Bowie to Johnny Cash
to the Foo Fighters...nice! While they don’t
sound too much like any one of these, you
can hear some of the influences creep in and
out.I’ve heard others compare them to maybe
a harder edged Elvis Costello.Also, for those
that like their music live, The Brawlers’set is
definitely a little heavier than the acoustic
tinged recordings.
My favorite track right now is probably“Bitch
About Love.”This is also the song Matty is
pushing as the single, and rightfully so.I actually
remember the early acoustic version of this
song that Matty did by me.It’s somuch better
now, with the full electric band arrangement
and feel...definitely the right direction to take
with it.I love the blend of acoustic and electric
guitar, a very full sound.It’s got a really hooky
chorus and catchy verses too.This tune
reminds me a bit of local NY/NJ band The
Subterraneans, and that’s a great thing.
So check them out at mattyzmusic.com
and myspace.com/mattyz
If anybody cares to e-mail me with your
thoughts, you can reach me at
kevin@homebrewstudio.com
- Kevin Lacatena - Aquarian weekly
Discography
Matty Z and the Brawlers -"Take It Outside" EP Released June 2007
Single -"Bitch About Love"
airplay WPSC 88.7FM Wayne NJ
airplay WMSC 90.3FM Montclair NJ
airplay UpstageRadio.com
Photos
Bio
The '69 Mets...Rocky...Rudy...Matty Z and the Brawlers...
Matty Z and the Brawlers!?!?
That's right, folks, when you think of the long shot, of fighting for what is most important in life, and not stopping until you reach your goal, you will no longer think of Rocky or Rudy or the Amazin's; no, you'll think of Matty Z and the Brawlers. Bob Dylan says that "He ain't busy being born is busy dyin'" and Matty Z and the Brawlers were born to play. The creative child of three different musical fathers, Matty Z and the Brawlers is the blood, sweat, and tears of Matt Zmigrodski, Joey Cassella, and Kevin Walters.
Their story starts humbly enough with New York native Matty Z making the move to the Garden State with college under his belt, his beautiful wife in hand, and a six-string by his side. After a quick ride on the information superhighway, Matty fed the musical fire by playing lead guitar for singer/songwriter Edgar. Although the Edgar folk/pop rock love affair was short lived, the connection Matty made with band mate Joey Cassella was not.
Drawing on their chemistry from the Edgar days, the boys remained friends through the years and kept in touch about life, writing songs, and maybe even putting together a record. The timing was never right, though, so they each pursued solo endeavors and played in their share of bands to keep busy.
In 2006, Matty was to debut as a solo act and contacted his old friend and collaborator Joey Cassella to round things out. Needing to add some punch behind the strings, Matty also brought Kevin Walters aboard. Although Matty had not played with Kevin in the past, the chemistry was immediate for two reasons: Kevin's sheer brutality on the drums and his time in another band with Joey Cassella; the Fiona Sand Band.
Having been fighting the good fight separately for years, Matt, Joe, and Kevin decided that the only way for them was the Indie way, so they combined their respective lyrical and musical forces, put together a wide array of original compositions, and became Matty Z and the Brawlers.
The Matty Z and the Brawlers debut EP, "Take It Outside", is a shake your bootie, down home good time and marks a new chapter in the brawl for a better life. The album will be available in early 2007 with shows in the New York/New Jersey/Metropolitan area to follow. For more information on the band, for dates of the "Take It Outside" shows or, simply, to keep posted on the fight for a better life, visit www.mattyzmusic.com.
Take a stand, choose a path, get up and make life happen--today
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