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.
You can find me actively with Concrete Alibi, Seize Freedom and Matt Lars.
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!
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.
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.
I married my best friend and currently we live in South Carolina.
My identity is not defined by what I do, but how I treat others.
© 2023 Matt Lars. mattlarsmusic@gmail.com