Matt T Mahony (BE), artist name of Matti De Rijcke, is a guitarist, singer and songwriter located in Ghent’s thriving music scene. Since the early days of blues and roots club Missy Sippy, he has organized the now legendary ‘Sunday Sessions’ every first Sunday of the month. As host, he always puts the heat on his guests. Besides the extremely talented Missy Sippy All Stars, a lot of established names have joined him on stage: Steven De Bruyn, Alan Gevaert,… up to and including Guido Belcanto.
It was also in this club that Matt T met the skilled harmonica player Steven Troch. Matt T became permanent guitarist with the Steven Troch Band and in addition to many concerts in the benelux, they won the Belgian Blues Challenge at the end of 2019. The same year he released his own first EP ‘Matt T Mahony : live at Missy Sippy’. Here some review quotes : “Honest, delicious blues that we can never get enough of.” (Luminous Dash) “Five songs, one word…Amazing!” (Rootsville), “Matt T Mahony sings and hits the strings like the big boys do.” (Jazz & Mo’)
Finally, the release of the long-awaited new album is here! ‘Good man blues’ represents a wandering in search of a lost sense of home. The artwork was created by designer Mark Schmeitz. He drew inspiration from one of Matt T Mahony’s favorite films, Wim Wenders’ ‘Paris, Texas’. In a melancholic mood, you cast your eyes on an arid landscape where the scorching heat makes you wonder if it is reality or rather a reflection or shadow you see.
The music reflects this feeling just fine. A blues-dripping guitar, cutting harmonica, deep grooves at the bass and exotic rhythms in the drums provide the foundation for Matt T Mahony’s songs. You hear a clear foundation of blues tradition but also wild organic improvisations that lean more towards Jazz. It’s a fresh innovative wind blowing through the blues landscape. It’s as if El Fish merged with Dans Dans to form a reincarnation! Or Marc Ribot taking The Black Keys under his wing.
Matt T Mahony
