Each month we feature one member from our community to learn more about them and their contributions to the industry.

This month we spoke to LA-based singer/songwriter Matthew Moran! 

Hey Matthew! Thanks for joining us in the Artist Community. Can you share a little bit about how your journey started as a musician?

I began playing guitar after watching my father play the banjo and record Dylan's, "Blowing in the Wind" on a cassette recorder. I started writing songs when I was around 13 years old. I wrote sporadically until 2006 when my production greatly increased. While living in Arizona, I began playing an open mic at Cave Creek Coffee Company - which led to performing in their wine bar and opening for national acts in their 300 seat outdoor venue, "The Camp."

That’s great. And you’ve been doing a lot of exciting projects since then...can you tell us about a few that really stand out?

Performing with fellow artist Emiko and producing a rock n roll Christmas Song with her in 2020. Also, I've been fortunate to have performed with musicians far more talented than myself - including my lead guitarist, Steve Schmitt - son of legendary recording engineer, Al Schmitt.

What an inspiring opportunity. Speaking of which, what would you say inspires your creative process when making music?

I write a LOT of songs while on the move. Driving between Los Angeles and Arizona, Vegas, & Salt Lake. The outdoors is a huge mind-expander for me. I've also written songs while out hiking - recording ideas into my phone or just letting lyrics rattle around as I get my dogs out. Coffee and early mornings are also "creativity enhancers."

I’m sure there are many artists who can relate to that! Can you share with us a quality or skill that has been essential to being a musician or part of the industry?

Knowing yourself - a willingness to work on specific areas of improvement. Also, I believe in straight-forward and unambiguous conversations with band mates, venue owners, and others in the industry.

That’s an amazing tip. So you talked a bit about others in the industry - can you tell us what you love most about connecting with your fans?

Stephen King said that a writer feels as though they have something to say but are surprised as hell when somebody reads their work. I like being pleasantly surprised when someone tells me they enjoyed a certain lyric. It feels like we are in on a secret together.

So true! You’ve been such a valuable member of our community so we’d love to know...is there a Bandsintown feature you really love?

The calendar/website (Wordpress) integration. It makes it simple for me to post shows in a single location and allow it to be distributed to other outlets.

Thank you so much for joining us today, and for your engagement in the Artist Community. We absolutely love seeing your posts!

​​To connect further with Matthew directly, find him in the Bandsintown Artist Community!

Next month, we’ll pick another community member to spotlight...and it could be you! Keep an eye out 👀

Website - https://matthewmoranonline.com/

Bandsintown - https://www.bandsintown.com/a/286385-matthew-moran 

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/songwritermatthewmoran 

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/MatthewMoran/ 

Twitter - https://twitter.com/MatthewMoran