Matt Jaffe

Matt Jaffe (born April 20, 1995) is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist and founder of the band Matt Jaffe & The Distractions.

Matt Jaffe
Background information
Born (1995-04-20) April 20, 1995
Greenbrae, California, U.S.
GenresRock, Power pop
Post-punk, New wave
Occupation(s)Singer-songwriter
InstrumentsVocals, guitar
Years active2009–present
LabelsElm City (ECI)
Associated actsMatt Jaffe & The Distractions
Websitemattjaffemusic.com

Biography

Raised in Mill Valley, California, Jaffe learned classical violin when he was five. When he was ten, he picked up the guitar to compose his own songs, learning his first chords by watching David Byrne play in the Jonathan Demme /Talking Heads concert film, Stop Making Sense.[1] Four years later, Jerry Harrison, keyboardist and guitarist for The Talking Heads, discovered Jaffe at an open-mic showcase.[2]

Harrison was impressed by Jaffe's songwriting skills and offered to record some of his music. Before entering his junior year in high school, Jaffe recorded 50 acoustic demos in Harrison's studio in Sausalito, California. During their collaboration, Harrison became a friend and advisor.[3][4]

The last known lineup of Jaffe's band, The Distractions (referencing Elvis Costello's first backing band, The Attractions), consisted of Paul Paldino on bass and Cole Bailey on drums. They released their five-song EP, Blast Off, in 2015. Former Uptones co-founders Eric Din and Paul Jackson played guitar and keyboards respectively on the recording. Matthew King Kaufman produced four of the songs on the release.

In 2013, Jaffe entered Yale University, but left school a year and a half later to continue to pursue music.[5] While touring to support the EP, the band has opened for Mavis Staples and The Damnwells. The band embarked on its first extensive U.S. tour in 2015, opening for Blues Traveler.[6]

Jaffe currently resides in the San Francisco Bay Area. His current backing band consists of Rob Dietrich on bass and original Distractions drummer Alex Coltharp.

Discography

Blast Off (2015)

California's Burning (2017)

The Spirit Catches You (2018)

Undertoad (2021)

Kintsugi (2021)

References
  1. Bose, Lilledeshan. “Dig Singer-songwriter Matt Jaffe’s Intellectual Power Pop”, Myspace Artist of the Day, May 15, 2015. Retrieved June 30, 2015.
  2. Brown, Jacob. “Matt Jaffe’s Rockin New Track Turns Out To Be His Carly Simon Moment”, Blackbook, April 14, 2015. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
  3. Liberatore, Paul. “Press Play: Matt Jaffe and the Distractions ‘Blast Off’”, Marin County Independent Journal, Marin County, April 23, 2015. Retrieved April 23, 2015.
  4. Short, Steven. “Bay Area Beats: Matt Jaffe & The Distractions”, KALW Radio, San Francisco, March 3, 2015. Retrieved on March 3, 2015.
  5. Vaziri, Aidin. “Mill Valley man quits Yale, charts new career path in music”, SFGate, San Francisco, June 23, 2015. Retrieved on June 23, 2015.
  6. Steffen, Chris. (September 8, 2015) "Song Premiere: Matt Jaffe & the Distractions, 'Holding On,'" AllMusic. Retrieved on August 22, 2016.
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