You can take the boy out of Texas, but it’s hard to take Texas out of the boy. That same thing can be said about music, and it’s what comes to the forefront for Matt Venhaus and his upcoming EP release, A New Road. The project blends musical styles ranging from classic rock to that red dirt sound.
Venhaus, was born and raised in the Lone Star State and moved to Ohio in late 2016 to be closer to his girlfriend, Miranda. He was not only leaving his home state, but also a successful band he had performed with for years. Now, the transplanted singer & songwriter has begun a solo project that takes his passion for music and couples it with his love of singing and performing.
The songs on A New Road were all written by Venhaus, something he started doing more of after he transitioned from touring and contemplated his next move. The tracks on the project are almost like a chronological timeline of what he was going thorough during the time when he was writing them.
“A New Road is pretty much a synopsis of my 180° from being a newly single guy, fresh off of tour in Texas, to now having moved to Ohio to be with, and get engaged to, my now fiance,” Venhaus explained.
The first track is “Change Your Mind,” which Venhaus stated, “…is about realizing when you’ve done all you can and it’s just time to move on…” “Rather Have You” details the mind set when he thought he would be living the life single, but all of the sudden met the woman of his dreams. The chorus speaks of all the “free man” things he could do, but he’d rather have the girl. Finally, “All I Want” is about the love he has for his soon-to-be wife despite any flaws that she may think she has. Venhaus shared that the song is likely to be the first dance at his wedding.
Though Venhaus is just starting a solo career, he has been playing guitar since he was 11 and tried to start bands when he was in high school. He then joined Jagged Row, a female fronted rock band that he was with for 7 years. With the group he had the chance co-write lyrics, and did a lot of media work promoting the band and their shows. He has also worked as an audio engineer and recorded the group’s demos, as well as some for other bands in the area.
While with Jagged Row he had the opportunity to play shows that included a Main Stage appearance at the State Fair of Texas, Texas Motor Speedway, House of Blues and Whiskey A Go-Go in Los Angeles. Now, he has dreams of performing at honky tonks like the ones he grew up going to in Texas and wants to add to the highlights of his career with his own shows.
A New Road will be available for digital download starting this Friday, April 20 on iTunes, Google Play Music, Amazon and Spotify. You can find out more about Venhaus and his upcoming shows, including an appearance at Grillers Tavern in Columbus Grove, Ohio on April 26, on his social media on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
