2003
• MSB's first show (July 4th)
2004
• MSB wins the 'State Fair Battle of the Bands'
• Played 40 shows this year
2005
• Released MSB full length, 'The World Goes Up'
• Released 'Live at The Jazz Lab' DVD
2006
• Performed MTV Real World party in Stillwater, OK
• Performed 50 shows this year
• Began touring regionally (TX, AR, KS, MO)
• Showcased at DFest in Tulsa
2007
• Release of MSB EP, 'Hall of Giants'
• Los Angeles tour dates
• Nominated for LA Music Awards
• Showcased during SXSW at Texas Rock Fest
2008
• Japan Tour (Hitachi, Tokyo, Kyoto & Mito)
• Release of MSB full length, 'We Want Change'
• 'The Saga Continues' music video released
• Showcased at DFest in Tulsa
2009
• Signed with Authentik Artists
• Released 'Self Portrait EP', debut solo record
• Co-writes with Graham Colton
• 'I'm So Blue' music video released
• Europe Acoustic Tour (Belfast, Dublin & London)
2010
• 'Love Struck' appears on MTV Real World
• 'I'm So Blue' featured in Nordstrom's nationwide
• LA tour dates (Viper Room & Whiskey A Go Go)
• Founded Nominee Design Studio
• Adjunct professor at ACM@UCO
2011
• Oklahoma Music Business 101 panelist
• Attended The 52nd Grammy Awards
• Spoke at Southwest Youth Leadership Conference
• Adjunct professor at ACM@UCO
• Nominee Design national client work with Toad The Wet Sprocket, Radiohead, Graham Colton, Matt Giraud and Dawes
I'm an artist. I write songs, play guitar and anything else I can get my hands on. I spend every possible moment working on creative projects. I love my family, friends, fans and my faith is at the core of everything I am.
I was born in Elk City, Oklahoma on May 12, 1981 and lived there until the age of five. I don't remember too much about these early years, but I do remember watching my parent's band rehearse in the basement and I remember breaking a small drum set they'd given me as a gift (I wanted to be a drummer so badly and played the heck out of that set). I vividly recall watching my grandfather perform. He was a bluegrass fiddle player, had started a bluegrass festival in Elk City and was always having musicians over to jam. He played constantly and on one occasion even played with the legendary Hank Williams Sr.
We then moved to Oklahoma City where I discovered a love for art. I would paint and draw every day. I'm not sure why I got so into it, but I loved it. By the time I was in second grade I became known to my classmates as an artist and would draw pictures for my friends during class. I naturally kept pursuing the path of an artist, knowing that's what I wanted to do for the rest of my life, but then I discovered music at the age of fourteen.
I had grown up with strong musical roots in my family but had spent most of my youth focusing on art. I picked up the guitar after going to a friends birthday party. He'd gotten a guitar as a gift from his parents, but none of us could play it. I remember thinking how cool it would have been if I could have played the guitar at that party and impressed every one. Then, I started thinking that girls would really dig me if I played guitar (It's funny how that's been the draw for generations of kids finding their way into music). Growing up with a dad who was a great guitarist and songwriter meant we had several guitar lying around the house, so I began to practice relentlessly and I found myself locked away in my room playing for hours on end - not leaving me much time to impress the girls,which oddly enough was the reason I started playing in the first place. Anyway, I became a little bit of a recluse through middle school and primarily a self-taught guitarist. I had approached art in a similar way, so I thought why not.
I started playing in bands in later middle school and writing my own songs. I also co-wrote songs with my brother, Joe, who started playing guitar around the same time I did. Music became a common language and strong bond between us. Joe and I started a band called 'Red Snow' where we played our very first show at our high school's battle of the bands, and we won! I was a freshman and Joe was a senior while our drummer was only in the eighth grade. I had gotten the taste of playing original music in front of a crowd and I was now officially hooked.
Playing music became my constant and I put art on the back burner until college when I switched majors to focus on art/design. I had just returned from a semester in Europe and realized that I wanted to focus on both music and art somehow and didn't want to necessarily have a fallback plan. After graduating college I formed The Matt Stansberry Band with some of my best friends I'd met during school and I knew that I wanted to push this new project as much as possible both musically and professionally.
The band originally formed around a common interest in rock, but primarily jazz music. The original sound of the band was pretty 'jammy' (think Phish, John Scofield, String Cheese, etc.). It's crazy looking back and seeing how much I've evolved and have changed my sound over the years. The evolution was pretty gradual over all, but if you went back and listened to my first record and then my stuff now you'd probably think it was a different person writing those songs.
We played locally for the first few years and band members came and went until we landed on a group that made a lot of since musically and when the band chemistry just felt right. Once we got the right guys in place I felt the itch to get out and play other venues in other states and in new markets. Two of my bandmates where from Texas so we hit there first, playing Dallas, Ft Worth, Austin, College Station and then started expanding into Kansas, Missouri and Arkansas. Some of the shows were amazing and some we just laugh about now. We kept after it though and ended up touring in Japan playing six shows in seven days and having the absolute time of our lives!
During the entire time I was forming the band, recording albums and touring all over the place I worked as the creative director for the leading PR firm in Oklahoma, where I headed up the creative department. It was a hectic time and not to mention I was married and we were expecting a second child. It's crazy how quickly my early/mid twenties went by. I enjoyed everything I was doing, but began to feel that long term I needed to concentrate all of my efforts into the music industry. At the same time the band had worn itself out, so I felt that I needed to leave the band and go solo, so I did. Then to keep things interesting I quite my job and started up my own entertainment design and branding company, Nominee Design Studio.
Within a few years everything had changed. I was on my own with music and on my own with art and design. I released my first solo record, Self Portrait EP, which was featured on MTVs Real World and Nordstrom stores nationwide. With my design business I was able to start working with artists such as Graham Colton, Toad The Wet Sprocket, Dawes, The Psychedelic Furs and work with record labels like ATO Records and Sony Music Japan. I then began teaching at the Academy of Contemporary Music (ACM@UCO) where I've been able to stretch myself tremendously as a teacher, speaker and presenter.
I'm not always sure where my life is headed but I know that things happen for a reason and I've been blessed to see all the hard work over the years build into something. So, for now I'm just enjoying the journey and letting God lead the way, so who knows what's next. I do have plans to release another record, grow my design business and continue to teach and speak, but I'll be honest, it's been a scary past few years...on the flip side it's also been brightest and most fulfilling years yet. I just entered my 30s and things are only getting better. I'm optimistic about the future and loving life. Thanks for taking an interest in me and I value your support and your friendship more than you know.
Much love,
