Matthew Smith is an Atlanta native who has been performing in the local music scene for nine years. He started out as a lead guitarist and background vocalist for an alternative rock band called The Rorschach Test in high school.

Shortly thereafter, he began songwriting and formed a band called Liquid Ice with fellow songwriter and cousin, Michael Luther. It was during this time that he discovered a deep passion for folk music and the deeply personal messages contained therein. He continued with Liquid Ice until the group dissolved in 1998.

After taking a couple of years off to concentrate on songwriting, he emerged in 2000 as a solo artist frequenting local open mics around Atlanta, placing a heavy emphasis on variety, intensity and energy. In the early spring of 2001 he released his debut CD entitled A Progression of Sorts. On the CD, he explores the different ways that folk music and modern rock can coexist in an acoustic environment.

In addition to his solo project, he has joined a group called twelvedollarpen, which combines the talents of three other local singer/songwriters with his own. They provide "in-the-round" evenings of music sporadically around town as their schedules permit.

He has also, most recently, returned to his roots by playing lead guitar and singing backgrounds in a local group called The Likes of Which.

He has not, however, given up on his solo material. In addition to the twelve cuts on the CD, he has a vast collection of original songs, and is planning to return to the studio sometime in 2002 to record a full band record, adding yet another element to his folk-rock experimentation.

Studio efforts from twelvedollarpen and The Likes of Which are also in the works, as well as a possible reunion with Liquid Ice.

full name - Matthew Montgomery Smith

birthdate - January 14, 1975

place of birth - Northside Hospital, Atlanta, GA

family info - I have two children: Dorian Michele Smith (DOB - 3/5/98) & Justin Montgomery Smith (DOB - 3/26/02). Both kids were made with the help of Debi Taylor.

favorite drink - Dr. Pepper (hands down!!)

favorite beer - Bass Ale

favorite vegetable - fried okra (my grandma's recipe!! mmm, mmm, good!)

vegetarian? - Hell no. I need my red meat, and white meat, and the other white meat. Just to clear up any confusion: I am the other, other white meat

guitar names - Martin HD28V (Marlene) / Takamine Santa Fe (Bubba) / Fender acoustic (Picasso) / Fender Strat (Whitey)

hobbies - I don't really have time for hobbies most of the time. But whenever I get the chance, I love playing video games and taking road trips. ("Hi, my name is Matthew & I like long, romantic walks on the beach...")(blah, blah) Realistically, I enjoy playing guitar and singing for my kids, and just playing music in general.

top 5 favorite bands/artists (all time) - (in no particular order) Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Simon & Garfunkel, Bob Dylan, Toad the Wet Sprocket

top 5 favorite bands/artists (current) - (in no particular order) Elvis Costello, Elliott Smith, Wilco, Joseph Arthur, Flaming Lips

what is in my CD player right now - (and I highly recommend all of these titles!) Cowboy Bebop - soundtrack / Beck - Sea Change / Ryan Adams - Demolition / Elvis Costello - The Very Best Of

thoughts? - I want to hear from you people about all sorts of stuff. I'm gonna start posting cool emails that I get here on the site. So, if something cool happened to you, or you did something stupid, let me know about it. I'll post it here.