Matt Friction
Encyclopedia
Matthew Bell, better known as Matt Friction, is an American musician, singer, and songwriter.
Friction's music career began in 1998 as lead singer and songwriter of the band Silent Friction. He later moved on to establish power pop
band The Pink Spiders
with Bob Ferrari
and Jon Decious. During a brief hiatus in 2009, Friction formed two new bands, Matt Friction & the Cheap Shots and The Dozen Dimes, both releasing individual material.
and graduated from Hume Fogg Magnet High School in 1999. He attended Middle Tennessee State University
from 1999 to 2000.
Friction played occasionally for Oliver's Army, where Bob Ferrari was the drummer. He also launched a solo project entitled Straight Jacket Valentine. Soon enough, both Friction and Ferrari decided to leave their own musical projects to make music together, recruiting Jon Decious as bassist, and Jamie Mechan, a second guitarist, who played with them only for a short while. After contemplating names such as The Pink Tigers and The Pink Diablos, they settled on The Pink Spiders.
with producer Jerry Harrison
. A new release entitled Matt Friction & the Cheap Shots and containing seven songs was published online in February 2010 through the band's bandcamp website.
His next project was doo-wop/garage outfit The Dozen Dimes, who began recording in February 2010. The band released a full-length album on its website, thedozendimes.com, on midnight, April 6, 2010, entitled Get Real Gone With... The Dozen Dimes. The 11-track release drew influences from a variety of musical genres, including doo-wop
, garage rock
, psychedelic pop
, and soul
. An early version of The Dozen Dimes' song "Maybelline" is featured on the Projects' MySpace page.
Friction's music career began in 1998 as lead singer and songwriter of the band Silent Friction. He later moved on to establish power pop
Power pop
Power pop is a popular musical genre that draws its inspiration from 1960s British and American pop and rock music. It typically incorporates a combination of musical devices such as strong melodies, crisp vocal harmonies, economical arrangements, and prominent guitar riffs. Instrumental solos are...
band The Pink Spiders
The Pink Spiders
The Pink Spiders are an American rock band, formed in Nashville, Tennessee in 2003. The band currently consists of Matt Friction , Bob Ferrari , and Brandon Jazz ....
with Bob Ferrari
Bob Ferrari
Bob Ferrari is the drummer for the band Dixie Whiskey and formerly the drummer for The Pink Spiders. He also had a one man band called Basemaster Bob. He was born on July 27 1982 in East Nashville, Tennessee...
and Jon Decious. During a brief hiatus in 2009, Friction formed two new bands, Matt Friction & the Cheap Shots and The Dozen Dimes, both releasing individual material.
Early life
Matt Friction was born and raised in Nashville, TennesseeNashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
and graduated from Hume Fogg Magnet High School in 1999. He attended Middle Tennessee State University
Middle Tennessee State University
Middle Tennessee State University, commonly abbreviated as MTSU, is a public university located in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, United States....
from 1999 to 2000.
1998-2003: Silent Friction & Early Career
Friction established the band Silent Friction with fellow members Nathan Hansen (bass), Kelby Caldwell (guitar), and James Nelson (drums) in 1998. They played on a regular basis at venues such as NXT Generation, Indienet and The Muse in Nashville. The band eventually formed a loyal fan base after touring several locations. In 2001, Nelson was replaced by Dan Sommers.Friction played occasionally for Oliver's Army, where Bob Ferrari was the drummer. He also launched a solo project entitled Straight Jacket Valentine. Soon enough, both Friction and Ferrari decided to leave their own musical projects to make music together, recruiting Jon Decious as bassist, and Jamie Mechan, a second guitarist, who played with them only for a short while. After contemplating names such as The Pink Tigers and The Pink Diablos, they settled on The Pink Spiders.
2009-2010: Subsequent projects
In 2009, with the Pink Spiders on hiatus, Friction announced that he was focusing on two new projects. One group, Matt Friction & the Cheap Shots, completed an album in the summer of 2009 in Sausalito, CaliforniaSausalito, California
Sausalito is a San Francisco Bay Area city, in Marin County, California, United States. Sausalito is south-southeast of San Rafael, at an elevation of 13 feet . The population was 7,061 as of the 2010 census. The community is situated near the northern end of the Golden Gate Bridge, and prior to...
with producer Jerry Harrison
Jerry Harrison
Jerry Harrison is an American songwriter, musician and producer...
. A new release entitled Matt Friction & the Cheap Shots and containing seven songs was published online in February 2010 through the band's bandcamp website.
His next project was doo-wop/garage outfit The Dozen Dimes, who began recording in February 2010. The band released a full-length album on its website, thedozendimes.com, on midnight, April 6, 2010, entitled Get Real Gone With... The Dozen Dimes. The 11-track release drew influences from a variety of musical genres, including doo-wop
Doo-wop
The name Doo-wop is given to a style of vocal-based rhythm and blues music that developed in African American communities in the 1940s and achieved mainstream popularity in the 1950s and early 1960s. It emerged from New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, Baltimore, Newark, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and...
, garage rock
Garage rock
Garage rock is a raw form of rock and roll that was first popular in the United States and Canada from about 1963 to 1967. During the 1960s, it was not recognized as a separate music genre and had no specific name...
, psychedelic pop
Psychedelic pop
Psychedelic pop is a psychedelic musical style inspired by the sounds of psychedelic folk and psychedelic rock, but applied to a pop music setting...
, and soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
. An early version of The Dozen Dimes' song "Maybelline" is featured on the Projects' MySpace page.
The Pink Spiders
- The Pink Spiders Are Taking Over! (2004)
- Hot PinkHot Pink-Graphic Design:The CD casing is designed to look like it's a vinyl record, reminding the listener to replace the needle, and breaking the track listing into sides. The design of the CD is even reminiscent of a vinyl single, for it is labeled as 33 RPM, and has the lines of the tracks on the...
(2005) - Teenage GraffitiTeenage GraffitiTeenage Graffiti is the third release by the band The Pink Spiders and the band's major label debut. The album was released on August 1, 2006. Soft Smoke, Modern Swinger, Hollywood Fix, Little Razorblade, and Teenage Graffiti, were carried over from Hot Pink...
(2006) - Subterranean EP (2008)
- Sweat It OutSweat It OutSweat It Out is the fourth release by the band The Pink Spiders. The album was made available on September 23, 2008 through Mean Buzz Records/Adrenaline Music.-Track listing:#"Busy Signals" - 3:10#"Gimme Chemicals" - 3:29#"Seventeen Candles" - 3:14...
(2008)