Biography
*The self-titled debut album from Matt Hinkley is now available through CD Baby or matthinkley.com!*
Born and raised in West Texas, Matt Hinkley is a rock ‘n’ roll songwriter, singer, and guitarist/multi-instrumentalist now residing in New York City. Despite his arrival in NYC as an actor and singer, Hinkley has traveled full-circle back to the days of jamming out to Billy Idol’s "Rebel Yell" on his parents’ coffee table, wearing nothing but his favorite pair of Scooby Doo underwear. The Billy Idol and Scooby Doo underwear may be gone, but the energy, passion, and musicality remain in full force.
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Hinkley has just release his self-titled debut album, Matt Hinkley, an original and refreshing collection of twelve infectious songs ranging from acoustic Americana to full-bore rock ‘n’ roll. The CD is on sale through his website, CD Baby, and iTunes, and draws comparisons to Wilco, The Beatles, and Ryan Adams while retaining a unique character all its own. Hinkley supports his studio effort with a vigorous live show- his record release show to a capacity crowd at NYC’s historic Bitter End was said to have rocked the venue as hard as it had been in twenty years.
Matt's songwriting is influenced musically by the country, blues, and folk of Texas, combined with the straight-up, explosive rock 'n' roll he was weaned on, and the tight songwriting style of classic artists like the Beatles. Lyrically, it's all about the decisions, events, and journeys that make up one's life, as well as the process of coming to terms with the fact that "when you reach that line, you cross that line on your own." His musical efforts have led him to perform across the country and at such NYC venues as Joe’s Pub, The Bitter End, Cutting Room, Crash Mansion, Ars Nova, Mo Pitkins, Pianos, Lion’s Den, and more.
In addition to his own projects, Hinkley lends his multiple talents to a number of other endeavors. He is the music director and guitarist/vocalist for Prefab4, a non-impersonating stage tribute to the Beatles that has performed in New Orleans, Omaha, and Illinois. In 2007, Hinkley assistant music directed and played guitar for PEG’s national tour of Beehive: The ‘60s Musical. Matt gigs regularly as a guitarist/vocalist/actor/accordionist with Joe Iconis, a Jonathan Larson Award and Ed Kleban Award winner rightfully known as one of NYC’s hottest up-and-coming theater composers- notable shows include Things To Ruin at Joe’s Pub, and The Joe Iconis Rock ‘n’ Roll Jamboree at the Laurie Beechman Theatre. Matt works as a guitarist and vocalist for Hank Lane, one of NYC’s premier entertainment booking companies. Matt also provides guitar, vocals, and other musical assistance to a host of other NYC-based writers and performers, including Craig Wilson, Amanda Droste, Robert Jay Cronin, Mat Leland, Joe Moore, Jonathan Larson Award winner Robert Maddock, and Nightlift Award Winner Lorinda Lisitza.
To hear more of Matt Hinkley’s music and to pick up a copy of his album, visit him at CD Baby, iTunes, or matthinkley.com.
Biography text from Last.fm, available under CC BY-SA.