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Matthew Curry was so drawn to the guitar as a child growing up in Bloomington, Illinois, that his parents had to sometimes force him to leave his bedroom to go outside and play with friends. The obsession grew after he got his first electric guitar and started trying to replicate the music of Jimi Hendrix, ZZ Top, and Stevie Ray Vaughan.
“I was obsessed with it,” said Curry, whose first guitar was a miniature one made by First Act. “I would play in the mornings before school and all afternoon and evening after I got home from school.”
All that practice would make Curry’s music heroes proud – the 29-year-old can shred on his instrument and has a penchant for writing durable, catchy songs. He has been recording and playing music live for more than a decade, which includes time playing music in bars as a child. Curry has toured with the likes of Journey, the Doobie Brothers, Peter Frampton, and Steve Miller, a musician he is good friends with.
The sounds of Lynyrd Skynyrd, James Taylor, The Beatles, Albert Collins, Roy Clark, and many other musicians sparked Curry’s interest in music at a young age thanks to his dad, Paul, who played music constantly in the house and in his truck. On many evenings, Paul, who passed away in 2012 of a brain aneurism, would strum his acoustic guitar while sitting on the recliner.
Getting used to his First Act guitar took time for Curry, who is left-handed. Initially, he turned the instrument upside down to try and play it that way.
“My dad tried to get me to play right-handed, but it just didn’t feel right,” said Curry, who now lives near Nashville. “Thankfully, he was musically aware enough to flip the strings for me. He pretty much started teaching me chords and songs right away.”
Curry will return to his Illinois roots in June when he plays a string of shows in Ottawa, Urbana, Shelbyville, Peoria, Normal, and Monticello. He said playing music in Illinois feels like performing for a bunch of friends as the band and its fans feed off each other’s energy.
“I still see people who’ve been following the band and my career ever since I was 9 and 10 years old playing around in bars, doing cover tunes,” Curry said. “It’s a humbling thought that my music is still important to them after all these years.”
One of the bars Curry played at often as a youngster was at Memphis on Main in downtown Champaign, where he jammed alongside musicians such as Dave Lindsey and his band, as well as with a southern rock group called Renegade.
“I have a ton of memories of playing music in Champaign-Urbana. It was a huge part of my youth and musical upbringing, and I’m forever thankful for the musicians in that area who took me under their wing,” Curry said.
Curry’s 2016 EP, Shine, has a bombastic, energetic sound that calls to mind The Black Crowes and Jimi Hendrix. In 2019 he released Open Road, another album with high-energy, crowd-pleasing tunes such as “On My Way,” “Open Road,” and “The Great Midwest.” Alongside those albums, Curry released solid singles in 2022 (“Don’t be a Stranger”) and 2023 (“Barely Livin’”).
Though still young, Curry has the look, sound, and mentality of an old soul who can sometimes be jaded. Life on the road can be arduous, he said, but he plans on writing music and touring for the long haul despite the numerous offers he’s had to do other things.
“I always tell folks I’m not qualified to do anything else,” Curry said.
Curry’s band has kept busy playing numerous shows in 2024, but fans can expect fresh singles and a new album soon. The new record will be all-out rock and roll, Curry said, with a bit of his blues and southern rock roots shining through. The soon-to-be-released songs have gravitated toward the heavy guitar riffs and catchy vocal melodies Curry is so fond of and good at.
“I feel like the music, songwriting, and singing are always developing, and I think this new album will reflect that,” he said.
My full Q&A piece with Matthew Curry, published by Smile Politely, is available to read here.
Top photo shows Matthew Curry on Facebook.