Take a young man, a creative free spirit, a kid at heart and put him in an office cubicle in the shirt and tie, buttoned down corporate world for 3 years. You can bet when he gets out of the cubicle to chase a dream, he's going to hit the ground running and never look back. That's Matt Wahl. Six years out of the cubicle and Matt shows no signs of slowing down. Six years, four CD's, about 150 shows a year. All this from a guy who owns his own record label, handles all his own booking and promotion, and tours as a solo act!
Matt Wahl was raised in Eau Claire, WI in a house full of music and he grew up listening to great singer/songwriters: Gordon Lightfoot, Harry Chapin, Jim Croce and Kate Wolf to name a few. So it's no wonder when Matt got his first guitar, an old nylon 6 string from his Grandma's attic, he gravitated toward the music of his youth. He started songwriting in high school and college and by his sophomore year at the University of Minnesota he had a handful of original songs and started performing at open mics in and around Minneapolis. He also changed his major from Economics/Pre-Law to Theatre and started acting in University productions. By his Junior year he had played his first solo gig and was hooked on music.
After graduation, Matt went to work for a big company in downtown Minneapolis, but set his sights on a career in music. For 3 years Matt put on a shirt and tie, got in rush hour traffic and spent his days in a cubicle. His nights were spent writing songs, booking gigs and working toward the day he could get out of the cubicle and on to the road. That day came in May of 1999. Matt had finished his first Cd, "Chasing the Daylight." He left the cubicle, moved back to Eau Claire, WI, started his own record label (Open Road Records) and began pursuing music full time.
Today, Matt tours throughout the Midwest winning fans everywhere he goes with his deep baritone voice and upbeat, insightful, original songs. Matt plays between 150 and 200 shows a year in all sorts of venues. In July of 2001, Matt released his second Cd, "Open Road," his third CD "Endless Summer Sun" in April 2003, and his fourth CD "The Fun Side Of Life" in May 2005. He shows no signs of slowing down, and he certainly has no plans to head back to the cubicle.
