meettheband

Matt is from Morganton, NC. His birthday is May 3, 1981. His hobbies are hiking, canoeing, biking, and old Ford trucks. His favorite musicians are Chris Cagle, Keith Urban, 3 Doors Down, and Los Lonely Boys.

Matt has always enjoyed music and started taking guitar lessons when he was 8 years old. He began playing in church and still plays Christian music almost every Sunday. New country is his main interest, but he also enjoys bluegrass, new rock and pop music. His goal as a musician is " to play the best I can with the ability God has given to me, and to express who I am through what I play in a way that other people can relate to. As long as I enjoy what I do, and people want to hear me play guitar, I feel like I have achieved my success as a musician".

John, his wife Gina, and their three girls moved to Morganton from Asheville, NC in July 2009. He is also the worship pastor of the new church plant in Morganton, NC "Journey Church".

"At 17, God called me to serve him with my whole life. Growing up in the home of a worship pastor, my dad modeled for me how to live. Playing Jazz Bass for 5 years in College put me through school. I then enrolled at New Orleans Baptist Seminary. After graduating, I then worked at 3 other churches in the southeast. I was a contract bassist in the Shreveport Symphone for 5 years and was honored to play bass for "The Velvet Fog" - Mel Torme` in 3 of his Christmas shows in 1998. My hearts desire is to be a genuine person, to love God, and show His love to others" (Matt. 5:16)

John is a welcome addition to our band.

Originally from Oak Ridge, Tennessee, Shawn got involved in music at the early age of 11. Beating the back of his father's car seat when taking trips to see family motivated his dad to buy him his first set of drums. It didn't take long for Shawn to have the drum sticks taken away from him and replaced with brushes. In his own words, "I was kinda pointed in the direction of soft soul, R&B, and Big Band music from the fifties, you know - the Ink Spots, The Mills Brothers, Buddy Rich, and more because of the soft touch which was pounded into my head for a year, until I developed a touch of my own, then I got my sticks back".

He'll tell his age with this next line, "I cut my teeth on what was known as the rock and roll era with such music as the Beatles, Rolling Stones, The Monkeys and others from the 60's and 70's. In high school, he joined a band called Southern Express. His interest then turned toward a career in radio as a disc jockey. After 17 1/2 years, he retired and got a real job which brought him to North Carolina. Here, he got hooked on the drums all over again and joined a local band based in Morganton.

Shawn loves performing in front of all the fans. You can tell by the smile on his face, and all his antics behind the drums. For those of you that know him and have seen him perform before, - "look out, cause here I come again!!!!