Matt Skellenger The South Ivy 3
When did you first get into music? I grew up in a very musical household. My mom has played flute and piano for most of her life. There was always music playing in our house when we were young. I started playing Suzuki Violin when I was 4, piano when I was 8, and then discovered the Electric Bass, when I was 14. Who or What inspired you to pursue a career in music? The day I first played a bass at my buddy’s house in 8th grade I knew it was my passion. From that day forward, I haven’t thought of doing anything else. My parents were very supportive from the start. At the time, I started my biggest bass influence was Les Claypool from Primus. As I continued to learn bass, two people were incredibly inspirational and integral in my musical development: Ron Miles and Victor Wooten. How has your music evolved since you first began creating music? I grew up playing mostly rock music. As I continued to delve into the world of electric bass, I was influenced by a variety of styles and bass players. I started listening to more Jazz, Funk, Bluegrass, World Music, and other styles. I think live experiences also contribute to the music evolving. I’ve had many more years of live experiences since my debut solo album in 2003. Tell us about your album release,The South Ivy 3? How did it come about? The South Ivy 3 is an album of Trio, Duo, and Solo arrangements featuring me on Electric Bass, Dave Miller on Drums, and Matt Reid on Trumpet Flugelhorn and Cornet. The album was recorded live at Mighty Fine Productions by Colin Bricker last July. Due to the unusual circumstances of the pandemic, we weren’t able to get the full group into the studio. We took advantage of this opportunity to record some of the favorite tunes from our past albums in addition to the new track; The South Ivy 3. The album will be released digitally on Friday June 11th, 2021. In addition to the digital release, there will be a limited number of flash drives available at the album release show. Each drive will feature the full album plus multi camera video performances from the session. The video production
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