Matt Hires (born August 5, 1985) is an American singer-songwriter from Tampa, Florida. Drawing inspiration from influences as disparate as The Band,

Sufjan Stevens Sufjan Stevens ( ; born July 1, 1975) is an American singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. He has released nine solo studio albums and multiple collaborative albums with other artists. Stevens has received Grammy and Academy Award nomi ...

, Wilco and Ryan Adams, Hires became the first artist to sign with F-Stop Music, an imprint of

Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over its first 20 years of operation, Atlantic earned a reputation as one of the most i ...

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,

Post-hardcore Post-hardcore is a punk rock music genre that maintains the aggression and intensity of hardcore punk but emphasizes a greater degree of creative expression. It was initially inspired by post-punk and noise rock. Like post-punk, the term has been ...

, and Emo scenes, Hires later developed an interest in artists like Tom Petty and Bob Dylan, 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.

A&R executive, Gregg Nadel, fell in love with his sound. Soon Hires began working with producer Eric Rosse (

Sara Bareilles Sara Beth Bareilles (, ; born December 7, 1979) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She has sold over three million albums and over 15 million singles in the United States. She has earned various awards and nominations including nin ...

, Tori Amos,

David Archuleta David James Archuleta (born December 28, 1990) is an American pop singer. At ten years old, he won the children's division of the Utah Talent Competition, leading to other television singing appearances. When he was twelve years old, he becam ...

), 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 F-Stop Music/

, 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,

John Mayer John Clayton Mayer ( ; born October 16, 1977) is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Born and raised in Fairfield County, Connecticut, Mayer attended Berklee College of Music in Boston, but left and moved to Atlanta in 1997 with ...

, Matt Costa, Mat Kearney, and 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 South by Southwest, abbreviated as SXSW and colloquially referred to as South By, is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, Te ...

Music Festival and on the 2009 Mayercraft Carrier. He has also opened for Dave Matthews, Marc Broussard, 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

. Tracks from ''Take Us to the Start'' have appeared on '' Grey's Anatomy'', '' 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