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The Philadelphia based band, Matter, was formed in March of 2000 by guitarist Justin Kolb, bassist Jonathan Kolb and drummer Nicholas Scurria (for more info on the members see About the Members below). Shortly after its inception, Matter added the talents of guitarist George Crego, and within weeks was playing a number of both well known and obscure classic rock cover songs weekly at Molly Maguire's in Fox Chase, PA. The gigs at Molly's kept the band busy for the summer and helped them solidify their musical direction. Although George was an excellent addition to the band, he eventually decided to go his separate way and pursue his own electric style of acoustic music. As the summer came to an end, the band decided to expand their horizons. They continued to learn new songs to help maintain the uniqueness of each of their performances. On New Years Eve Matter had an exhilarating show, in which George Crego made a final appearance. With his help Matter defined new boundaries and realized the indescribable energy that exists between the audience and the band. After the new year, the band looked forward and asked themselves the question: "What is Matter?" In the next few months they wrote a fierce assortment of new original songs. Their new songs have a taste of intricate lyrics and capture the intense guitar solos, solid bass lines and the energetic backbeat of the drums. Matter tastefully combines styles such as classic rock, blues and funk to make up their highly improvised music. A year after the birth of Matter, the band went to Producer/Engineer John Kloss in March of 2001 to make their first CD. The CD was never officially released but it was used in the band's promotional package. Now, Matter is planning to release a new CD in the upcoming months. In the mean time, they are playing at numerous venues around the Philadelphia area. Be sure to keep an eye out for upcoming shows! Justin Kolb: Prior to forming Matter, Justin graduated from Berklee College of Music and studied under Jon Finn, Norman Zocher and Bret Wilmott. For several years he played in a successful group called Planet Purpose. Throughout college he also participated in many other side projects and studio sessions in the Boston area. His experience and clever musical arrangements have enabled him to become an excellent bandleader. Currently he works at Kloss Studios as a Production Manager and Guitar Instructor. Jonathan Kolb: Jon has always had a strong interest in music. He originally started out playing the rhythm guitar but he soon found the bass to be his true calling. His song writing abilities and profound lyrics create an elaborate combination, which has a stylish influence on the group's vibrant sound. In the past he has promoted and organized several concert productions, in which he has utilized his innovative "video feedback" and his talents for operating light shows. His creativity is an essential ingredient to Matter's stage presence. Nicholas Scurria: Nick became serious about playing percussion in high school. He started out playing congas and gradually progressed to playing obscure instruments like the frame drum and the udu. It was no surprise when he easily transferred his knowledge of percussion to the traps. Although he graduated from Drexel University as an Electrical Engineer, he minored in music and never lost focus of his strong passion for drumming. He studied at Settlement music for a year and he is presently studying with jazz extraordinaire, Craig McIver. |