Matt Hires (born August 5, 1985) is an American singer-songwriter from

Tampa, Florida Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and ...

. Drawing inspiration from influences as disparate as The Band, Sufjan Stevens,

Wilco Wilco is an American alternative rock band based in Chicago, Illinois. The band was formed in 1994 by the remaining members of alternative country group Uncle Tupelo following singer Jay Farrar's departure. Wilco's lineup changed frequently d ...

and

Ryan Adams David Ryan Adams (born November 5, 1974) is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, artist, and poet. He has released 23 albums, as well as three studio albums as a former member of alt-country band Whiskeytown. In 2000, Adams lef ...

, Hires became the first artist to sign with

F-Stop Music In optics, the f-number of an optical system such as a camera lens is the ratio of the system's focal length to the diameter of the entrance pupil ("clear aperture").Smith, Warren ''Modern Optical Engineering'', 4th Ed., 2007 McGraw-Hill ...

, an imprint of Atlantic Records.

Biography

As a cabinet store worker by day and a musician by night, Hires always had a heroic passion for music. Hires' father, also a musician, introduced him to music at a young age, giving him the handmade guitar that he continues to play. Initially drawn to the

punk Punk or punks may refer to: Genres, subculture, and related aspects * Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres * Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...

, Post-hardcore, and

Emo Emo is a rock music genre characterized by emotional, often confessional lyrics. It emerged as a style of and hardcore punk from the Washington D.C. hardcore punk scene, where it was known as emotional hardcore or emocore and pioneered b ...

scenes, Hires later developed an interest in artists like

Tom Petty Thomas Earl Petty (October 20, 1950October 2, 2017) was an American musician who was the lead vocalist and guitarist of the rock band Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, formed in 1976. He previously led the band Mudcrutch, was a member of the la ...

and

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...

, which explains the uniqueness of his vocal and instrumental harmonies that dabble in both traditional and contemporary musical realms. Hires began his music career as frontman for Tampa, FL based band Brer. The band's debut record, Microwavable, was produced by Will Denton, longtime drummer for Steven Curtis Chapman. Atlantic Records A&R executive, Gregg Nadel, fell in love with his sound. Soon Hires began working with producer Eric Rosse (Sara Bareilles, Tori Amos, David Archuleta), and together they recorded his first full-length record.

''Live From the Hotel Café'', EP

Hires released his debut EP, Live From the Hotel Cafe, under

/ Atlantic Records, on October 7, 2008. Although only four songs in length, the EP gained him solid exposure, with critics comparing him to the likes of Jack Johnson (musician), Jack Johnson, John Mayer, Matt Costa, Mat Kearney, and Bright Eyes (band), Bright Eyes. But still, critics conceded that Hires has a sincerity and authenticity of his own. Building his fan base in preparation for his debut album, Hires appeared at the SXSW Music Festival and on the 2009 Mayercraft Carrier. He has also opened for Dave Matthews, Marc Broussard, O.A.R. (band), OAR, and Paolo Nutini.

''Take Us to the Start''

On July 28, 2009 Hires released his debut full-length album, ''Take Us to the Start'', featuring his first single, "Honey Let Me Sing You A Song." The album also features "You in The End", co-written by Sara Bareilles. Tracks from ''Take Us to the Start'' have appeared on ''Grey's Anatomy'', ''Private Practice (TV series), Private Practice'', ''Cougar Town'' on ABC and ''Life Unexpected'' on The CW.

Discography

Albums

EPs

Singles

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hires, Matt 1985 births 21st-century American singers American male singer-songwriters American rock guitarists American male guitarists American rock singers American rock songwriters Atlantic Records artists Living people Musicians from Tampa, Florida Singer-songwriters from Florida 21st-century American guitarists Guitarists from Florida 21st-century American male singers Rock Ridge Music artists