- Artist
- Date: May 18, 2025
- Stage: Farm
Matt Michienzie originally hails from Foxboro, MA. For the past five years, Matt has resided in Los
Angeles, where he plays with his countrified, bluesified, and grassified band. His passion as a
songwriter is vividly clear: Matt sings from his heart and gives it his all in everything he plays.
Whether fronting a bluegrass group, jam band, or country band, Matt is able to combine his
influential and eclectic music curiosities in a very tasteful and unique way.
Not unlike many California grass bands, MMB is a progressive bluegrass project. The roots of the
band are in bluegrass…although they have a keen interest in incorporating other genres into their
sound, such as jam, soul, or traditional country. The band currently consists of fiddle, mandolin,
guitar, and bass. In December 2022, Matt Michienzie Band flew back east to Matt’s neck of the
woods to open for Tim Reynolds and TR3 at the Narrows Center for the Arts in Fall River, MA. This
would begin their travels as a band. In summer 2022, the band made their Grass Valley debut at the
Father’s Day Festival, hosted by the California Bluegrass Association.
Just recently, the band won 1st Place Band at the Topanga Banjo and Fiddle Contest – one of the
longest running contests of its type. In October 2023, the band competed in the Battle of the Bands
at Huck Finn Jubilee in SoCal and took home first place. The current band members are Julian
McClanahan (fiddle), Nate Schwartz (mandolin) and Chris Jackson (upright bass).
The band has opened for the Kitchen Dwellers, AJ Lee and Blue Summit, Water Tower Band, Hot
Buttered Rum, Tim Reynolds, etc…
On their 2024 slate, the band played at the Long Beach Bluegrass Festival, Topanga Banjo Fiddle
Contest, Rambling Peaks Festival, The Western Swingout Festival, Huck Finn Jubilee, Road to
Winter Wondergrass and more…
In the summer of 2024, Matt Michienzie Trio went to Europe to play 6 shows, including the Green
Parrot Bluegrass Festival in Cologne, Germany and also the Herbe Blue Festival in Western France.
In 2025, they will be playing at numerous festivals, including as a California Showcase (main stage)
band at the California Bluegrass Association’s Father’s Day Festival.
In April 2025, they released their first EP called, “Bluegrass in the City of Angels”. The album
features original music and bluegrass covers, alike.
