Matt Mahaffey (born June 9, 1973) is an American multi-instrumentalist, record producer, composer, and recording engineer best known for his band

Self The self is an individual as the object of that individual’s own reflective consciousness. Since the ''self'' is a reference by a subject to the same subject, this reference is necessarily subjective. The sense of having a self—or ''selfhoo ...

and his composer collective Cake In Space.

Personal

Mahaffey grew up in Kingsport, Tennessee and was involved with music from a young age. He started writing songs and playing the drums at age 4 and would often perform with his brother,

Mike Mahaffey Michael Darren Mahaffey (January 21, 1967 – May 25, 2005) was a founding member of the power pop band Self (band), Self. Founded with his brother, Matt Mahaffey, in the early 1990s, Self-released two major-label albums and various independent and ...

, when they were growing up. By age eleven, he was playing drums at

Dollywood Dollywood is a theme park jointly owned by entertainer Dolly Parton and Herschend Family Entertainment. It is located in the Knoxville metropolitan area in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, near the gateway to The Great Smoky Mountains. Hosting nearly ...

, Dolly Parton's theme park in

Pigeon Forge Pigeon Forge is a mountain resort city in Sevier County, Tennessee, in the southeastern United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total population of 6,343. Situated just 5 miles (8 km) north of Great Smoky Mountains National Pa ...

. In the mid-nineties he moved to Murfreesboro, Tennessee and attended

MTSU Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU or MT) is a public university in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Founded in 1911 as a normal school, the university consists of eight undergraduate colleges as well as a college of graduate studies, together off ...

. He lived and worked for 10 years in Murfreesboro and co-founded

Spongebath Records Spongebath Records was an independent record label based in Murfreesboro, Tennessee during the mid-nineties. During its heyday, Spongebath was often viewed as the vibrant center of Murfreesboro/Nashville's (and the Southeast's) music scene with a ...

. He also formed the band

in 1994. In the early 2000s, Mahaffey relocated from Murfreesboro to Los Angeles, in order to be closer to his record label,

Universal Records Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as just Universal Music) is a Dutch–American multinational music corporation under Dutch law. UMG's corporate headquarters are located in Hilversum, Netherlands and its ...

, and to produce. He has a daughter with his former wife. As of January 2, 2020, he is married to singer-songwriter Leticia Wolf of local Nashville band The Dead Deads.

Work

Music production

Matt has performed with and produced for many artists. Some well-known artists he has worked with include

Pink Pink is the color of a namesake flower that is a pale tint of red. It was first used as a color name in the late 17th century. According to surveys in Europe and the United States, pink is the color most often associated with charm, politeness, ...

, Beck,

Liz Phair Elizabeth Clark Phair (born April 17, 1967) is an American singer-songwriter. Born in New Haven, Connecticut, Phair was raised primarily in the Chicago area. After graduating from Oberlin College in 1990, she attempted to start a musical career ...

Tenacious D Tenacious D is an American comedy rock duo formed in Los Angeles, California in 1994. It was founded by actors Jack Black and Kyle Gass, who were members of The Actors' Gang theater company at the time. The duo's name is derived from "ten ...

, Lupe Fiasco, Snoop Dogg,

Phantom Planet Phantom Planet is an American rock band from Los Angeles, formed in 1994. The band consists of Alex Greenwald (vocals, rhythm guitar), Darren Robinson (lead guitar), Sam Farrar (bass guitar) and Jeff Conrad (drums). The band is best known for ...

, Beyoncé,

Butch Walker Bradley Glenn "Butch" Walker (born November 14, 1969) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer. He was the lead guitarist for the glam metal band SouthGang from the late 1980s to early 1990s as well as the lead vocalist ...

Hellogoodbye Hellogoodbye (sometimes styled as hellogoodbye) is an American pop rock band that was formed in Huntington Beach, California in 2001 by singer Forrest Kline. They were signed to Drive-Thru Records and released their first full-length album ''Zom ...

, Forever the Sickest Kids,

Miranda Cosgrove Miranda Taylor Cosgrove (born May 14, 1993) is an American actress and singer. She was the highest-paid child actor in 2012 and was included on ''Forbes'' magazine's " 30 Under 30" list in 2022. She is known for her career on television, parti ...

The White Tie Affair The White Tie Affair (also known as TWTA) is an American pop band from Chicago, Illinois, consisting of vocalist Chris Wallace, guitarist Sean-P, drummer Tim McLaughlin and keyboardist Ryan McLain. In early 2007, the band signed with Epic Record ...

Keith Urban Keith Lionel Urban (born 26 October 1967) is an Australian-American musician, singer, guitarist and songwriter known for his work in country music. Recognized with four Grammy Awards, Urban also received fifteen Academy of Country Music Award ...

The Sounds The Sounds are a Swedish indie rock band. Formed in Helsingborg in 1998, the group's musical style has been compared to new wave acts such as Blondie, The Cars, the Epoxies and Missing Persons. Their debut album, '' Living in America'', was r ...

, L.E.O. and

Smash Mouth Smash Mouth is an American rock band from San Jose, California. The band was formed in 1994, and was originally composed of Steve Harwell (lead vocals), Kevin Coleman (drums), Greg Camp (guitar), and Paul De Lisle (bass). With Harwell's depa ...

. In 2005, Matt began producing with

Jeff Turzo Jeff Turzo, as singer/programming and songwriting/production partner in the electro-rock band God Lives Underwater (GLU), spent the better part of the 1990s as a producer and touring artist, first signed by Rick Rubin to American Recordings in ...

(

God Lives Underwater God Lives Underwater was an American rock band, formed during 1993 in Perkiomenville, Pennsylvania by vocalist/programmer David Reilly and guitarist/programmer Jeff Turzo. They were later joined by guitarist Andrew McGee and drummer Adam Kary ( ...

) under the moniker

Wired All Wrong Wired All Wrong is a nu metal band formed by musician/producers Matt Mahaffey of Self and Jeff Turzo previously of God Lives Underwater. The two have been longtime friends since a mix-up of their bands on MTV. Partly due to the unfortunate death ...

's first full production,

's ''

Zombies! Aliens! Vampires! Dinosaurs! ''Zombies! Aliens! Vampires! Dinosaurs!'' is the debut studio album by American indie pop band Hellogoodbye. Record producer, Produced by Matt Mahaffey, Jeff Turzo, and Forrest Kline, the album was released on August 8, 2006 in the United States b ...

'' yielded the platinum single, "

Here (In Your Arms) "Here (In Your Arms)" is the lead single from Hellogoodbye's debut album, ''Zombies! Aliens! Vampires! Dinosaurs!'' (2006), released on August 8, 2006. The song peaked at number fourteen on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and was certified platinum ...

". Matt recently contributed to Lupe Fiasco's certified gold album ''

Lasers A laser is a device that emits light through a process of optical amplification based on the stimulated emission of electromagnetic radiation. The word "laser" is an acronym for "light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation". The fir ...

'', and Beck's Grammy winning Album of the Year 2015,

Morning Phase ''Morning Phase'' is the twelfth official studio album and twelfth overall by American singer Beck. The album was released in February 2014 by his new label, Capitol Records. According to a press release, ''Morning Phase'' is a "companion piec ...

Performance

Mahaffey played various instruments with Beck throughout 2005's

Guero ''Guero'' is the ninth studio album by American musician Beck, released on March 29, 2005, by Interscope Records. It was produced with John King and Mike Simpson of the Dust Brothers, who had worked with Beck on his 1996 album ''Odelay'', as wel ...

tour and 2006's The Information tour. In the past, he has performed with artists such as

Mandy Moore Amanda Leigh Moore (born April 10, 1984) is an American singer, songwriter and actress. She rose to fame with her debut single, "Candy (Mandy Moore song), Candy", which peaked at number 41 on the Billboard Hot 100, ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Her de ...

and

Mika Mika is a given name, a nickname and a surname. Notable people and fictional characters with the name include: People known just as Mika * Mika (singer) (born 1983), Lebanese-born British singer-songwriter Michael Penniman, Jr. * Mika (footbal ...

Film

Mahaffey has worked with various film makers including

Ivan Reitman Ivan Reitman (; October 27, 1946February 12, 2022) was a Czechoslovak-born Canadian filmmaker. He was best known for his comedy work, especially in the 1980s and 1990s. He was the owner of The Montecito Picture Company, founded in 1998. Film ...

Michael Mann Michael Kenneth Mann (born February 5, 1943) is an American director, screenwriter, and producer of film and television who is best known for his distinctive style of crime drama. His most acclaimed works include the films ''Thief'' (1981), ...

Jeffrey Katzenberg Jeffrey Katzenberg (; born December 21, 1950) is an American filmmaker, animator, and media proprietor. He became well known for his tenure as chairman of Walt Disney Studios from 1984 to 1994. After departing Disney, he was a co-founder and C ...

Andrew Adamson Andrew Ralph Adamson (born 1 December 1966) is a New Zealand film director, producer, and screenwriter based in Los Angeles, where he directed the Academy Award-winning animated films '' Shrek'' and '' Shrek 2''. He was director, executive p ...

, &

Hans Zimmer Hans Florian Zimmer (; born 12 September 1957) is a German film score composer and music producer. He has won two Oscars and four Grammys, and has been nominated for two Emmys and a Tony. Zimmer was also named on the list of Top 100 Living G ...

(for film score). He wrote "Stay Home" for the ''Shrek'' soundtrack, and subsequently produced the music for the surprise endings of ''

Shrek ''Shrek'' is a 2001 American computer-animated comedy film loosely based on the 1990 book of the same name by William Steig. It is the first installment in the ''Shrek'' franchise. The film was directed by Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jen ...

'', ''

Shrek 2 ''Shrek 2'' is a 2004 American computer-animated comedy film loosely based on the 1990 picture book '' Shrek!'' by William Steig, produced by DreamWorks Animation and released by DreamWorks Pictures. The sequel to ''Shrek'' (2001) and the ...

'', and ''

Shrek Forever After ''Shrek Forever After'' is a 2010 American computer-animated comedy film loosely based on the 1990 picture book '' Shrek!'' by William Steig, produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by Paramount Pictures. The sequel to '' Shrek the T ...

''. Matt recently contributed to the film score of '' The Boss Baby: Family Business''. He also was the composer for '' Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Movie''.

Television

Mahaffey and his brother,

, wrote and performed the infamous

Expedia.com Expedia Inc. is an online travel agency owned by Expedia Group, an American online travel shopping company based in Seattle. The website and mobile app can be used to book airline tickets, hotel reservations, car rentals, cruise ships, and vacat ...

tagline. Matt has also written jingles and composed music for Pedigree, Jumbone, Medicare, and

Lexus is the luxury vehicle division of the Japanese automaker Toyota. The Lexus brand is marketed in more than 90 countries and territories worldwide and is Japan's largest-selling make of premium cars. It has ranked among the 10 largest Japanese ...

.Music credits at solid music co.
/ref> His music has been featured on numerous shows including ''

CSI: Miami ''CSI: Miami'' (''Crime Scene Investigation: Miami'') is an American police procedural drama television series that ran from September 23, 2002 until April 8, 2012 on CBS. Featuring David Caruso as Lieutenant Horatio Caine, Emily Procter as Dete ...

'', ''

DanceLife ''DanceLife'' (also known as ''J.Lo's DanceLife'' in the UK) is a 2007 dance-oriented reality show, featuring and produced by Jennifer Lopez. The series follows the lives of seven dancers trying to break into the world of professional dance and ...

'', ''

Entourage An entourage () is an informal group or band of people who are closely associated with a (usually) famous, notorious, or otherwise notable individual. The word can also refer to: Arts and entertainment * L'entourage, French hip hop / rap collecti ...

'', MTV,

E! Entertainment E! (an initialism for Entertainment Television) is an American basic cable channel which primarily focuses on pop culture, celebrity focused reality shows, and movies, owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of NBCUnive ...

, ''

Dirty Sexy Money ''Dirty Sexy Money'' is an American prime time drama television series created by Craig Wright. It ran on ABC from September 26, 2007, to August 8, 2009. The series was produced by Berlanti Television and ABC Studios. Wright served as an ex ...

'', '' Weeds'', and '' 60 Minutes''. Matt wrote and produced the music for Nickelodeon's ''

Ni Hao, Kai-Lan ''Ni Hao, Kai-Lan'' is an American animated children's television series produced by Nickelodeon Animation Studio. It began as a series of three interstitial shorts on Nick Jr. called ''Downward Doghouse''. The first full episode was initially se ...

''. Mahaffey also played the Muppet character "Animal" in a drum-off with Blink-182 drummer, Travis Barker, on '' Jimmy Kimmel Live!''. He provided the Score and Songs for Disney's

Henry Hugglemonster ''Henry Hugglemonster'' is a CGI children's animated television series produced by Brown Bag Films. The show is designed for children aged 2–7. It is based on the 2005 book ''I'm a Happy Hugglewug'' written and illustrated by Niamh Sharkey. Th ...

, Nickelodeon's ''

Sanjay and Craig ''Sanjay and Craig'' is an American animated sitcom created by Jim Dirschberger, Jay Howell, and Andreas Trolf for Nickelodeon. Produced by Will McRobb and Chris Viscardi, the series revolves around Sanjay, voiced by Maulik Pancholy, and his be ...

'', ''

Nella the Princess Knight ''Nella the Princess Knight'' is an American animated children's television series created by Christine Ricci Ph. D., premiering on Nickelodeon on February 6, 2017. Toys produced for the series are manufactured by Vivid Imaginations. Plot ''Nel ...

'', ''

Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles ''Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' (also known as ''Rise of the TMNT'' and ''ROTTMNT'') is an American animated television series developed and executive produced by Andy Suriano and Ant Ward, and based on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turt ...

'', ''

The Barbarian and the Troll ''The Barbarian and the Troll'' is an American puppet comedy television series created by Mike Mitchell and Drew Massey that aired on Nickelodeon from April 2 to June 25, 2021. Premise In the land of Gothmoria, Brendar is a fierce warrior p ...

''. He is currently providing Score and Songs for ''

Karma's World ''Karma's World'' is a computer-animated musical comedy streaming television series created by rapper Chris "Ludacris" Bridges, who also co-starred in the show. It was released on Netflix on October 15, 2021. Produced by 9 Story Media Group in ...

'' and ''

Dogs In Space During the 1950s and 1960s the Soviet space program used dogs for sub-orbital and orbital space flights to determine whether human spaceflight was feasible. In this period, the Soviet Union launched missions with passenger slots for at l ...

'' for Netflix. Mahaffey is Emmy and Annie Award nominated.

References

External links

MattMahaffey.com
– Matt Mahaffey Official Website {{DEFAULTSORT:Mahaffey, Matt American rock musicians Living people 1973 births