Music of the Mountains: Matthew "Matt" McCloskey

Having grown up in New Jersey, Matthew “Matt” McCloskey moved to Fort Collins in 2020. After five years, he now considers Colorado his home.McCloskey first started playing in his pre-teens, performing in open mics at around 13 years old. His parents, who were also musicians, frequently took him to a local coffee shop for the open mic there, and he’s never stopped playing gigs.McCloskey started writing songs by the time he reached his late teens, collaborating with his high school band and writing his own material. Before moving to Colorado, he played in a rock band called The Punch Bowl with Ryan Harford, Chris “Softy” Pertain, and Chris Amato. They released a self-titled album in 2018 before taking an indefinite break, reuniting in 2024 for a three-night local tour.McCloskey changes the balance of originals and covers in his shows depending on how long they last. For much longer gigs that last at least three hours, he’ll typically perform more covers, but for gigs that are fewer than or around two hours, he’ll balance originals and covers as much as he can.Our theme song is courtesy of singer-songwriter Brittney Wagner. Stream her record Better off Dead here. Support the showThank you for listening to The Mountain-Ear Podcast, featuring news and culture from peak to peak! Additional pages are linked below.If you want to be involved in the podcast or paper, contact:Barbara Hardt, our editor-in-chief, at [email protected] Hickman, multimedia producer, at [email protected] Lammers, podcast host, at [email protected] inquiries: [email protected] to our website for all of the latest news. Subscribe to The Mountain-Ear in print and online.Submit local events to promote them in the paper and on our website.Find us on Facebook @mtnear and Instagram @mtn.earListen and watch on YouTube today.Share this podcast by scrolling to the bottom of our website home page or by heading to our main hub on Buzzsprout.Thank you for listening!