1bluebass is a Chicago-based multi-instrumentalist and composer who moonlights as in Information Security during the day. This project is where sonic experimentation takes center stage, often blossoming from sample-heavy foundations or even spontaneous mash-ups, yet invariably rooted in live instrumentation captured within the confines of his home studio.
Think of these tracks as the vibrant soundtrack to those in-between moments, the creative sparks ignited while tackling everyday tasks like laundry.
With a newfound voice emerging from the quiet introspection of 2020, 1bluebass now blends intricate instrumental arrangements with personal narratives. The debut release under his own name was a labor of love years in the making, crafted in the after-hours once the workday and family duties were done.
This is the way.
Influences as diverse as Les Claypool’s adventurous basslines, Miles Davis’s innovative spirit, Frank Zappa’s genre-bending audacity, and Tom Morello’s sonic textures converge with the raw energy of rock and roll and the historical resonance of studios like Stax, Muscle Shoals, Sound City, and Rockfield.
While acknowledging the profound impact of “3 outrageous boys from New York”, 1bluebass carves his own path through a unique fusion of funk, blues, jazz, electronic textures, and classical sensibilities, all anchored in a bedrock of rock and roll.
Matt’s musical journey is a winding one, beginning with formal studies at Indiana University under Marcos Cavalcante before venturing into performance with the southern Midwest band “Blue Label.” After a detour that included an award-winning stint as a professional baker, he returned to his musical pursuits, earning a BA in Music from Columbia College Chicago in 2001, where he studied composition and bass with Doug Lofstrom and furthered his knowledge with Frank Dawson, Frank Donaldson, and Joe Cerqua.
As a bassist, Matt has shared thestage with luminaries such as Marcus Belgrave, Frank Dawson, and Bobbi Wilsyn, and contributed his talents to groups like Congo Square Theatre, Equinox, Radio Hour, King Rabbit, UnderScore Theater, Columbia College Chicago Theater, and La Fete du Funk. He also explores other sonic territories under the moniker “31ric” and has been actively involved in the Chicago theatre scene as part of Underscore Theatre Company.