One of Mid-Michigan's premier electric blues virtuoso guitarists will bring his musical skills to Mount Pleasant tonight. Award winning Saginaw native Matt Besey will play the stage at 10:30 tonight at Rubbles, backed by his bassist and drummer as they perform scorching rocking blues driven by Besey's fiery guitar style.
Besey has been endorsed by Saginaw blues legend Dick Wagner, who signed Besey to his record company in 1995, after turning heads toward his blazing guitar for many years.
Besey began playing guitar at age 11 with an enthusiasm which had him playing to large live audiences at festivals and clubs shortly thereafter. He even frequented CMU, playing the annual Gentle Friday festival two years. After jamming in several local bands, which included Dirt Peddlers and Delivery, he went solo and on to sharing stages with respected blues guitarists such as Larry McCray, Sharrie Williams & The Wiseguys Band (both Saginaw natives), Buddy Guy, G.E. Smith, Rick Derringer, Corey Stevens, Chris Duarte, among others. Sharrie Williams even took Besey to Buddy Guy's Legends in Chicago for a jam session on stage with Buddy Guy.
These days, Besey is preparing to record his sophomore effort. This full-length follow up to his self-titled debut, which was released in 1997, will take a more "rootsier rock direction," according to Besey.
"We want to go for a more stripped-down sound on this recording, instead of the less bluesy, more of a rock orchestra type of thing we did on the first one," he explained.
Besey said that he wants to possibly have half of the new release be a live recording, since the group is known for their memorable live performances and that is how they want to come off as a band. He said they want to come off more as a power trio and "not get too crazy or complex" like they did on their first album. For example, Besey arranged a string quartet for one of the songs on the debut.
Besey's first album did garner him a lot respect and it received much radio air play. He went on to win numerous awards in Saginaw's Review Magazine for several years in both rock and blues categories ranging anywhere from Best Guitarist, Best Male Vocalist, Best Songwriter, Best Blues Band, Best Solo Artist, Band/Musician Deserving Wider Recognition, etc. Besey even won Honorable Mention in the 1996 National Fender Guitars Jimi Hendrix Competition.
Besey cites Hendrix as a huge influence on his guitar playing. Other major influences include Stevie Ray Vaughan, Cream, Rush, Muddy Waters and the list goes on. Even Eddie Van Halen ranks high as the major guitar idol Besey claims to have first gotten his guitar playing on track.
"I have always listened to all kinds of music. But I always expressed myself best with the Blues," he said.
Besey now feels his music is maturing and taking form in a genuine sense after years of breaking ground for himself as a guitarist.
"It is always important to be real, and not be something you are not," he said.
Rubbles is located at 112 W. Michigan St.