Website:
Music Style:
Alternative
City:
Chicago
State:
IL
Country:
USA
Band Description
Elliot Matsu mixes alt-rock indie production techniques and straightforward composition with mature, adult-contemporary themes.
Additional Band Websites
Artist Biography
Elliot Matsu grew up in Chicago. His musical career began at five years old when he
was enrolled in the Suzuki School of Music to study piano. Suzuki stresses that students
learn music first by ear rather than by sight reading.
At the age of 10, Elliot decided that rock 'n roll was his calling. His interests evolved from
The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and The Beach Boys to Guns 'n Roses, Metallica and
Motley Crue. His style changed from JC Penny's catalog offerings to stone washed jean
jackets, boots with chains on them and t-shirts with the arms cut off. His first guitar was an
Olympic White Fender Squire Stratocaster, kinda like Yngwie Malmsteen’s. Under careful
cultivation, his hair mushroomed into a thick, puffy mullet.
It was at this time that Elliot hooked up with guitar hero George Bellas to learn how to play
the guitar like all of his new idols. George was signed on Shrapnel Records, and played
with many big shred/metal names and gave lessons on the side. Although Elliot's
shredding abilities stopped far short of his teacher's, his guitar playing and solo
composition remains heavily influenced by his teacher's neo-classical style to this day.
With his new licks, kicks, denim and mullet, Elliot set out to destroy the world in his first
band, 'Hyperten-shun' (yes, it was spelled wrong "for effect"). The band played a few
school dances before it's members graduated from junior high school. Elliot's next band
was formed in high school and was called 'Obduracy.' Obduracy played thrash metal at
local clubs and released a few home made ep's on cassette tapes. Aside from playing in
bands, Elliot held jobs as a bus boy, a telemarketer for a carpet cleaning company, a
mattress delivery helper, a UPS delivery helper, an ice-cream scooper at Baskin Robins
and a Nordic Track sales person.
After Elliot graduated from high school it was off to college and goodbye to mullets and
metal. While at college he self-released a few albums and ep's attempting a more pop
rock sound. These were recorded on Alesis ADAT machines (which were very new and
cool at the time) with Elliot performing all of the vocal and instrument parts. One such
release, titled "Autonomy," was financed by his college roommate and released at retail.
Upon graduation from college, Elliot headed to New York City. Hestudied to get his
masters degree in entertainment business at NYU while recording bands and artists in his
apartment at night. He spent time working at Billboard, Sony Music, TVT Records and
Roadrunner Records. He hooked up with producer Jonathan Appell (engineer/producer
for Bette Middler, Carol King) and worked with many big studio musicians on his initial
demos including Shawn Pelton (Saturday Night Live, Sheryl Crowe, David Byrne), Steve
Wolf (Annie Lennox, Avril Lavigne) Mark Slutsky (Gavin DeGraw, PINK), Vinnie Zummo
(Shawn Colvin, Joe Jackson), Rick Skatore (24-7 Spyz), Mark Shulman (Jewel) and Gregg
Gerson (Billy Idol).
Aside from his solo work, Elliot also played bass in a band called 'On The Lam' with
childhood friend Matt Friscia, who worked at BMG in New York and would go on to play
drums in the Poster Children and Team Rockit. Matt eventually started Firetone Records
and released Elliot's debut album, "2nd Avenue." The record continues to spin on radio
stations and podcasts throughout the indie music world. One of the singles, "Cry," hit #30
on the small market adult contemporary charts here in the states. His other single,
"Something Wrong," has gotten much attention in the independent music scene and was
played on the runway at the 2008 Fall Fashion shows in New York.
Elliot also played lead guitar in underground NYC punk band Odd Zero, and produced
their last LP, Another Odd Zero To Dread. The band was together and playing frequently
in rock clubs during Matsu’s second solo release, The Value of Power, which was
received well on the indie rock and internet radio scene and included singles “Ellie,”
“Down on Bowery,” “Hot Pink Limousine,” “Stars,” (featuring Shawn Pelton from SNL) and
“Who Am I?”
was enrolled in the Suzuki School of Music to study piano. Suzuki stresses that students
learn music first by ear rather than by sight reading.
At the age of 10, Elliot decided that rock 'n roll was his calling. His interests evolved from
The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and The Beach Boys to Guns 'n Roses, Metallica and
Motley Crue. His style changed from JC Penny's catalog offerings to stone washed jean
jackets, boots with chains on them and t-shirts with the arms cut off. His first guitar was an
Olympic White Fender Squire Stratocaster, kinda like Yngwie Malmsteen’s. Under careful
cultivation, his hair mushroomed into a thick, puffy mullet.
It was at this time that Elliot hooked up with guitar hero George Bellas to learn how to play
the guitar like all of his new idols. George was signed on Shrapnel Records, and played
with many big shred/metal names and gave lessons on the side. Although Elliot's
shredding abilities stopped far short of his teacher's, his guitar playing and solo
composition remains heavily influenced by his teacher's neo-classical style to this day.
With his new licks, kicks, denim and mullet, Elliot set out to destroy the world in his first
band, 'Hyperten-shun' (yes, it was spelled wrong "for effect"). The band played a few
school dances before it's members graduated from junior high school. Elliot's next band
was formed in high school and was called 'Obduracy.' Obduracy played thrash metal at
local clubs and released a few home made ep's on cassette tapes. Aside from playing in
bands, Elliot held jobs as a bus boy, a telemarketer for a carpet cleaning company, a
mattress delivery helper, a UPS delivery helper, an ice-cream scooper at Baskin Robins
and a Nordic Track sales person.
After Elliot graduated from high school it was off to college and goodbye to mullets and
metal. While at college he self-released a few albums and ep's attempting a more pop
rock sound. These were recorded on Alesis ADAT machines (which were very new and
cool at the time) with Elliot performing all of the vocal and instrument parts. One such
release, titled "Autonomy," was financed by his college roommate and released at retail.
Upon graduation from college, Elliot headed to New York City. Hestudied to get his
masters degree in entertainment business at NYU while recording bands and artists in his
apartment at night. He spent time working at Billboard, Sony Music, TVT Records and
Roadrunner Records. He hooked up with producer Jonathan Appell (engineer/producer
for Bette Middler, Carol King) and worked with many big studio musicians on his initial
demos including Shawn Pelton (Saturday Night Live, Sheryl Crowe, David Byrne), Steve
Wolf (Annie Lennox, Avril Lavigne) Mark Slutsky (Gavin DeGraw, PINK), Vinnie Zummo
(Shawn Colvin, Joe Jackson), Rick Skatore (24-7 Spyz), Mark Shulman (Jewel) and Gregg
Gerson (Billy Idol).
Aside from his solo work, Elliot also played bass in a band called 'On The Lam' with
childhood friend Matt Friscia, who worked at BMG in New York and would go on to play
drums in the Poster Children and Team Rockit. Matt eventually started Firetone Records
and released Elliot's debut album, "2nd Avenue." The record continues to spin on radio
stations and podcasts throughout the indie music world. One of the singles, "Cry," hit #30
on the small market adult contemporary charts here in the states. His other single,
"Something Wrong," has gotten much attention in the independent music scene and was
played on the runway at the 2008 Fall Fashion shows in New York.
Elliot also played lead guitar in underground NYC punk band Odd Zero, and produced
their last LP, Another Odd Zero To Dread. The band was together and playing frequently
in rock clubs during Matsu’s second solo release, The Value of Power, which was
received well on the indie rock and internet radio scene and included singles “Ellie,”
“Down on Bowery,” “Hot Pink Limousine,” “Stars,” (featuring Shawn Pelton from SNL) and
“Who Am I?”
Press Release
Elliot Matsu's Full Length Album, "Swim," Set To Be Released Late November
Elliot Matsu's full length album, "Swim," is being digitally released in November 2014 and promises to be his best work yet. The independent artist and ex-Odd Zero guitar player is on his fourth solo album. "Swim" gels guitars with electronic instruments and a mature, adult rock thread which hints at multiple influences of the last 40 years and offers a truly independent and original alternative to the Coldplay's and Muse's of the world.
Potential singles from the album include "Swim," "Inside Out," "Down, Down," "Sit With Me Awhile" and "Decide." For true indie fanatics, it is interesting to note the entire album was done yet again on a Tascam Portastudio on a shoestring budget.
Elliot Matsu has been in the indie music scene for over 15 years producing and playing with many fantastic artists in NYC and Chicago. Elliot's singles from previous records include "Something Wrong," "Cry," "Amanda," "Ellie," "Hot Pink Limousine," "Stars," and "Killing With Swords."
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