23 year old Brisbane based drummer Matt McGuire is a force to be reckoned with. With over 44 million views to his YouTube channel, and praise from the likes of Marshmello and the team at Disciple, Matt definitely isn’t fucking around.

With a new show announcement up his sleeve, and a mini mix from Disciple, we check in with Matt to ask a few important questions:

STONEY ROADS: What’s up Matt? You’ve been drumming since you were 6 years old, what made you pick up the instrument? What influenced you to keep at it? 

MATT MCQUIRE: In the beginning when I was 6, it was my parents who initially inspired me to play after receiving a surprise drum kit. I was always hitting things in the kitchen which most likely would’ve been so annoying when I look back on it… maybe that’s why they decided to purchase me some drums lol. Always being exposed to different genres of music & watching them practice was very inspiring and made me believe I could potentially turn this noise I was creating into some type of beat or percussive rhythm. The most influential moment of my early career was when I got invited up on stage by the drummer for Michael Jackson. Sitting in his seat, behind his drums looking out over the crowd it was at this moment I knew exactly what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.

SR: Your Youtube Channel has a wide range of genres that you cover, do you have a personal favourite? What is your favourite cover that you’ve done? 

MM: I like to explore most genres and songs especially if I can connect emotionally in some way. I’m right into the heavier side of things like dubstep, heavy trap and hardcore/rock. My favourite genre to play would definitely be dubstep, it just feels so right and works well as it has that aggressive sound which relates to my childhood listening to hardcore music etc. My favourite cover would either have to be Bring Me The Horizon – Throne or Dubstep Mix 3 (Disciple Records) The Disciple Records family is unreal, it was a huge honour to be able to make that video with their support.

SR: What opportunities have been offered to you because of your talents? 

MM: Basically everything in my life has stemmed from drumming in some way. Having the pleasure to work with international artists recently has really been an incredible experience and I really look forward to 2017. I’ll leave it at that.

SR: What moment in your career are you most proud of? 

MM: I’ve been fortunate enough to have had many moments so far in my career that have really made me step back and think to myself… wow. From walking out on festival main stages to play drums with different acts to having the incredible support from major artists internationally for my drumming. I guess there is no real defining moment anymore, it’s all totally insane.

SR: Who are your favourite artists, what are you listening to at the moment?

MM: Favourite Artist? Probably the hardest question, I could say Zomboy or Bring Me The Horizon maybe even Led Zeppelin the list of favourites is huge. Right now, I’m actually listening to Disclosure purely because I’ve spent most of my day jamming out to heavy dubstep so I definitely need to chill out.

SR: You are from Brisbane, what do you think of your local music scene? 

MM: For bass music and all things dubstep I think it’s very strong. We are lucky enough here to have such a wild range of electronic events on every weekend whether you’re into bass music or acoustic all the way to radio top 40. Every weekend there is always multiple bass music events on that have such an awesome vibe so in saying that, Brisbane is smashing it.

SR: What does an average day look like for you? 

MM: Exercising, lots of emailing, studio recording, editing and of course practicing a lot. I like to split my practice sessions in two, depending on what I am doing on the day most commonly I’ll spend an hour a day just jamming out to whatever music I like which is always so much fun.

SR: What do you think makes you stand out from the other drummers? 

MM: I play with lots of expression and fairly emotionally I guess as I really like to lose myself in the music. I play with two Hi Hats instead of traditionally one which definitely has provided me with a signature style in a way so maybe that’s the answer!

SR: Where can fans catch you play?

MM: I’ll be announcing new shows late October so keep an eye out on all my socials!!!

SR: What’s next on the agenda for you?

MM: If I was allowed to answer this question, I would and it would take a while. Let’s just say, I’m working on some things I never thought I’d be able to or have the opportunity to.

FOLLOW MATT MCGUIRE

– Facebook – Instagram – Youtube –

TOUR DATES

Friday Dec 10th:
HELM CLUB, Sunshine Coast, QLD