A little about me
I am Matt Lars Maxwell. I sing, write, record, produce music, perform it, and occasionally pretend to be an amateur at general construction and fixing cars. Thank you YouTube.
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You can find me actively with Concrete Alibi, Seize Freedom and Matt Lars.
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I picked up a guitar when I was 12, took four group lessons at Boscov’s department store in Binghamton, NY. Not your typical story of "love at first play", in fact, I rarely played for the next year. What I did know was that I wanted to be a musician. That meant I needed some skill on various instruments in order to write and sing well crafted tunes. I continued working at guitar and of course, I learned to love it. Who wouldn't!
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I began performing regularly in Danbury, Connecticut at places like The Empress Ballroom, Club Eleven, and Cousin Larry's. After a few years, and a few bands I set my sites on Los Angeles. I drove to California in an old beat up van that I bought for $500. At any moment the engine sounded like it might explode. The exterior was a number of different colors, due to all the junkyard replacement parts like doors, hood, bumper and grill. So, before my drive from Connecticut to California, I painted the van with a roller and some cheap white paint in my buddy’s driveway, while it was snowing. That van was packed up with my life. I left just enough space on the back seat, so I could crawl in a narrow opening and sleep in the back row. After 40 hours of driving, I arrived in Los Angeles with auditions lined up with three different bands.
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In Southern California, I continued to perform and play in venues like The Whisky, and The Viper Room in various bands. I had a lot of fun. However, I never seemed to get any further than playing gigs and recording demos. And so I took a break from performing. More recently I have restarted releasing music and pursuing songwriting in various genres.
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I married my best friend and currently we live in South Carolina.
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My identity is not defined by what I do, but how I treat others.
© 2023 Matt Lars. mattlarsmusic@gmail.com