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Writer's pictureJamie Shoemaker

Matt Gorman's Single "Lakehouse". The Anthem We All Needed This Summer...

I'm just going to be honest with all you right off the bat. You wanna know the first time I met Matt? Probably not one of my most professional moments. Back in June I went down to Nashville to visit some of the UPstar. Music family. That Friday, Matt was supposed to do a Live Stream on our Facebook page. At that point I had never really talked to Matt and didn't know much about him. As he was ready to go live, my dumb ass forgot to give him the password. I totally left him stranded and he was probably thinking I'm a huge asshole. At this point you're probably like, Jamie where is this going? Pick it up... Well, the next part you just can't make up. So, this was my last night in Nashville and had a few beers at this point and YOU WOULD NOT BELIEVE who I run into, sure enough the one and only Matt Gorman. I was super embarrassed, but we ended up having a great conversation and I may have apologized like 100 times... Now me and Matt are buds for life. But what a hell of a way to meet.


Get To Know Matt


Matt got his first guitar when he was young and quickly developed a passion for music, even after an unpromising start. Matt went to one lesson and came out hating it! He didn't think it was for him and ended up putting music on the back burner for a chunk of time. In about 8th or 9th grade, Matt picked the guitar back up and started using Youtube videos to try and figure it out and put the pieces together. Matt recalls his younger self being so determined to figure out how to play and to get good just for the fun of it. When Matt got to high school, his main focus was on baseball which led to some amazing opportunities. Ironically, Matt went to a top notch music school with a high end performing art center and an insanely talented group of students and never got involved in the music program. As Matt looks back, a part of him wishes he had utilized his resources, took music more seriously and wasn't the athlete who was afraid to also do music. He is thankful for everything and believes that everything happens for a reason. Matt is happy with how things have played out. Matt gives credit to his buddy Joey Liechty who is his producer and guitarist. Joey has helped the music come to life and brings a whole new perspective to the music Matt is creating. Not only can Matt belt out the high notes, he also is a songwriter. Back in high school, Matt started writing after finding a connection with poetry in his English class and getting recognition from his teacher. The rest is history... Matt then began putting poems to the guitar and figuring out how to put together songs and be able to tell a story that others could relate to. Even with this musical breakthrough and starting to put the pieces together, Matt was still heavily focused on baseball. His goal was to get drafted. As a Freshman in high school Matt was their #2 pitcher throwing 90-92 mph and had looks from several ACC and SEC schools (for those who don't follow baseball, that is damn good!). Through the pressure of baseball and arm surgeries, Matt turned to music for a stress reliever and continued to fine tune his craft. Deciding to play college baseball, Matt decided to take the JUCO route and went to a school in Maryland. Once again he hurt his shoulder, which required another surgery. The doctor told Matt you can not get the surgery and be done with baseball or get the surgery and have a 50/50 shot of playing again. Contemplating quitting, Matt went ahead with the surgery, came back healthier than ever and got a scholarship to play at Division-1 Lipscomb. Being located in Nashville was the perfect way to chase both of his dreams. If everything don't happen for a reason I'll be damned. Being in Nashville for just over a year, Matt feels at home between the baseball boys, Joey Liechty and people he's met through music and the UPstar. Family.


"Lakehouse"... The song you use in your head to narrate the perfect summer of timeless memories.


It's hard to listen to this song and not have a smile on your face. A jam that I think we all needed for the summer months of the infamous 2020. Matt Gorman is going to be a name you want to keep on your radar in the coming years. With his raw and one of a kind voice, intertwined with relatable lyrics, Music City has got a good one making his way up the ranks. Whether you are thriving in your youth, staying up all hours of the night doing stupid shit or grown up with a family and kids, this is a song that makes you never take a second for granted.



Inspiration behind "Lakehouse"


Written By: Matt Gorman, Produced By: Joey Liechty


"It was during quarantine and I was home in Philadelphia. I got a snapchat from my friend Meg and she goes "you should write a song about this lake and sunset". I was like sure, why not? So, I sat down for a while and made a work tape of this song I wrote based off this idea. In my phone, the work tape is labeled "I don't know what this is, but it's cool". I sent it to Meg and she really enjoyed it. Some cool twists are in there, like "Annie's store". They aren't real places, but Annie is my grandma and I try to include my family in my music as much as possible. It's crazy to think this whole song comes from a snapchat. Meg was at Tellico Lake in Tennessee, I was in Philadelphia and it came together as this single."


Q & A With Matt Gorman


Q: Who are some of the biggest influences in your life that have helped you chase your dream in music?


A: "I try to stay away from using cliches, but in this scenario the biggest influence is my whole family. From my immediate family to my grandparents, aunts and uncles... I really feel like I'm the luckiest guy around with my support system. My family has always supported me, no matter what I was doing. When I was younger and wanted to be a skateboarder, they bought me a skateboard and said “go be Tony Hawk”. I picked up sports and it was the same deal. Now with music, I’ve found that I have a voice to be able to share some words. I'm so fortunate to be in Nashville, with my family helping to support me with school and everything else going on. My inspiration is 100% from my family. The texts I get everyday, the posts on social media of me singing and playing baseball means so much. And of course, my friends are all so supportive of what I do with music. I'm going to work as hard as I can so that I can - hopefully - make money one day to repay them for the opportunities they have provided me. I'm not in music for the money, but it's the least I could do for everything my family has done for me."


Q: What's it like balancing the life of a collegiate student-athlete and music?


A: "I'm really excited to see how Lakehouse does and my future singles. When I released my debut single "Back to You" around a year ago, I was kinda just testing the waters and didn't know what to make of it. Now that I dove deeper into music, it's going to be really busy between writing at least once a day, studio time and working with my videographer, Hunter Franklin, for pictures and other content. Looking at my music calendar I have something each day for the next three weeks. Since school has started up, I have class Monday, Wednesday, Friday and have baseball practice everyday from about 3pm -7pm. It's definitely going to be interesting, but I like staying busy."


Q: Talk about the music community in Nashville and how has it impacted you so far


A: "Like I said, around this time last year I was just getting here and didn't know anyone. This whole scene was fresh. I didn't know anybody at Lipscomb, not even my roommate. Now I'd take a bullet for that guy. So when I realized that I could do the music thing here in Nashville, I got to meet these guys Jake Bryant, Hunter Franklin and Sam Fallon. They introduced me to this guy Joey Liechty who is a 20 year old producer. He created "Lakehouse" in his bedroom studio and without him I'm nothing. I told my manager Cait (Belber) that and said I will not sign a single thing unless his name is attached to it. Joey is a kick ass guitar player. I don't personally think anyone is better - besides maybe Slash - and he absolutely kills it. I started meeting people really around May/June. That’s when I met you. I met Cait last year, but we didn't start working together until around the same time. Through Cait, I met Jack Hummel who ended up being my first co-write in Nashville. Because of Cait and UPstar. Music, and especially you, I met Cole Bradford, Adam Scott, Jake Arch, Dave Hangley and Matt Burrill. But the coolest thing, especially from being from the north, which we both are, is that being so far from home I feel like I now have a family that has my best interest at heart. When you find your circle of people to write with and hangout with, nothing compares to that. I've never been this happy in my life! That happiness has made me a better person."


Q: If you could create a dream concert who's in your lineup?


A: "First would have to be Johnny Cash. I grew up listening to him and he was such an inspiration to me. Such a bad ass dude, it would be so cool to see him live. Mötley Crüe would be on the list, and honestly it's so easy to say, but Luke Combs. I haven't seen him in concert yet. Luke is one of my favorite artists right now, I really look up to him. Lastly, Willie or Skynyrd or actually both, because why not?"



If you haven't yet, go check Matt's debut single "Back to You" on your go-to streaming platform. And go stream the hell out of "Lakehouse", as it is about to surpass 90,000 streams on Spotify.



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