 |
UPCOMING DATeS |
|
| July 11 | Wesminster MD |
| July 12-15 | Westminster MD |
| July 17 | Earlville, NY |
| July 24-25 | Cornish, ME |
| July 30-Aug 2 | Stony Plain, AB Canada |
| Aug 6 | Denver, CO |
| Aug 7 | Edgewood, NM |
| Aug 11 | Nashville, TN |
| Aug 12 | Nashville, TN |
| Aug 13 | Midway, KY |
| Aug 14 | Henderson, KY |
| Aug 20 | Gettysburg, PA |
bios / band
Matthew Wingate
Guitar, Mandolin & Vocals
The newest member of the band may also be the youngest,
but Matt Wingate brings impressive credentials and a mature, improvisational musicality seemingly far beyond his years, making
him a natural for
The Claire Lynch Band.
Winning Merlefest’s Doc Watson Guitar Championship in 1997 at the
age of 15, at a time when he was performing with his family
band,
Matt later honed his bluegrass chops performing across the
U.S. and
in Europe as Valerie Smith’s lead guitar player. He began performing with the Greencards in 2004, an experience that immersed
Matt in a musically broader, more progressive repertoire, deepening
his musical vocabulary and hisfacility with complex arrangements.
From 2006-08, his work as a member with a hot young band,
The Lovell Sisters, opened the door for Matt to play a more significant creative role,
lending a strong hand to the selection and arrangement
of material. It also gave him the opportunity to return to the Merlefest stage in 2008, coming full circle to play the festival that was so key to launching his career at age 15. That year, Matt also released a solo CD, A Good Dream, to excellent reviews.
Flatpicking Guitar Magazine featured Matt on the cover of its March/April 2009 issue, praising not only his flatpicking prowess, but also his “top notch” level of musicianship and his considerable talents as a singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist (including guitar, mandolin, bouzouki, bass, drums and dobro). Dobro phenom Rob Ickes’ appraisal is spot on, terming Matt "one of the most exciting young musicians in bluegrass music today. Matthew has great chops, but he's also got a lot of soul.”
Find out more about Matt by visiting www.myspace.com/matthewwingate.
Also check out other members of the Claire Lynch Band...
Matt Wingate :: Mark Schatz :: Jason Thomas
top of page