Las Vegas Nights

Perhaps the only working musician in the world who’s resume includes walking 3200 miles across America, Matt Vrba is adding yet another accomplishment onto his impressive list, the release of his third commercial album, “Go”, this November.

Since the release of his first album (Everywhere In Between) in 2004, Vrba has criss-crossed the country dozens of times, logging well over 500 shows at venues ranging from NYC’s Rockwood Music Hall, and LA’s famed Viper Room, to huge festivals such as The North Beach Festival in San Francisco, and The Bite of Seattle. Throughout all his touring, Vrba has created a name for himself as one of the most charismatic and entertaining live performers around. Oh yeah, and he’s a pretty darn good songwriter too.

An old soul, who’s logged more life experience than most people twice his age, Vrba writes from the perspective of someone who has been there, and it translates over flawlessly into beautiful (and catchy!) tales of heartbreak, highway, and occasionally mustaches. His music has been in numerous national television programs, and several feature films. His new album, “Go”, is already generating quite a bit of interest from a number of publishing houses, networks, and record labels.

Vrba describes his music as high-octane Americana, which lands it in the neighborhood of the massively consumable country-crossover genre. While he can easily fit right in with artists like Glenn Phillips, and Ryan Adams, he doesn’t seem out of place when grouped with artists like Tom Petty and Keith Urban.

For “Go” Vrba once again lined up an all-star crew, and it’s quite evident on first listen. Pre-production began in LA with the help of legendary A & R man Don Grierson (who was responsible for discovering such bands as Heart, Cheap Trick, and The Indigo Girls). Once the tape was rolling, the heavy hitters came knocking. Vrba regulars Erik Schramm (Superdiamond), Chris Chard (Rye Hollow), and Adam Berkowitz (Wake, Noelle Hampton) laid down the groundwork, followed by a virtual who’s who of the Portland scene including Rob Stroup (who help produce and also played on many of the tracks), Paul Brainard, Jean-Pierre Garau, Breanna Paletta, and David Lipkind.

The aptly titled “Go” comes out of the gate strong and it’s evident immediately what kind of album you are about to hear…a good one. From the heartfelt “Extraordinary,” to the whiskey infused “Danville Train,” to the laugh-out-loud “Mustache Song,” Vrba’s stellar songwriting never lets up. Through the howl of the lap steel, the gentle roll of the grand piano, and Vrba’s uniquely powerful acoustic guitar playing, the 12 songs on “Go” (including a fantastic Willie Nelson cover) paint an amazing picture of life and love in the landscape of Everywhere America. Gas up the car, roll down the windows, pop in this cd, and “Go”!