The Matt Lewis Band is on everybody’s watch list right now, if you have a chance to catch them in action take it now while you can still see them in an intimate setting…
Their latest studio album – which yields some epic moments – only tells half the story. Vague Concern, the title of the new album, shows a more somber side of the Salt Lake City based quartet. Lyrically and musically this release is a lot different from the first two Matt Lewis Band albums, but it certainly does not disappoint. The Matt Lewis Band is known for their non-stop tour schedule. In the past four months alone they’ve played over seventy shows and aren’t planning on slowing down. Spreading what Lewis calls a “vibe of unity and fun,” he and band mates Chad Bates, Camron Levanger, and RB Graves are constantly on the road bringing the Matt Lewis Band sound to your town.
Drawing heavily from the sunny So-Cal sound of acts like Jack Johnson and G-Love, and the roots, rock sound of Tom Petty, Ben Harper and others, the Matt Lewis Band has a full, relaxed sound. Their self-titled 2004 debut is marked by the easy grooves and rhymes of tracks like “Killing Time” and “Gravity,” the punk-pop crossover of “Away From Myself,” and the dorm room sound of “In For a Ride” and “River.”
The constant throughout this genre-hopping is Lewis’ rapid-fire vocal delivery. Akin to having the Barenaked Ladies’ Ed Robertson or Blues Traveler’s John Popper front Sublime, the sound is at times familiar but never really boring. And the band, drawing from influences as diverse as singer-songwriter Kris Kristofferson to rock legends Led Zeppelin create a funky backdrop that isn’t afraid to break into a jam or mellow out for a soft acoustic set.
This love for the stage is the band’s strongest asset. It has allowed them to capitalize on the strengths of the album, and constantly reinvent themselves and their songs. Growing from their reggae heavy roots, the Matt Lewis Band is quickly becoming a funky soul jam band with an amazing live show.
This is a group that, in both the literal and figurative sense, is going places. So keep your ear to the ground: the hardest working up-and-comers in showbiz are bringing their eclectic mix to your town – and every other town along the way.
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