Name of Band/Act: Matt Goodrich
When did band form: 2016
Members: Matt Goodrich
About the band: Matt Goodrich heard “Dirt Road Anthem” on the radio and asked someone who it was singing. They said Jason Aldean, so he started to listen to more of his music and learned some of his songs on guitar, and then taught himself to sing them. He eventually decided to write his own songs and entered a contest, Coast Country Showdown, in 2015. Goodrich’s self-penned and performed song finished in 2nd place and from there he decided to start learning more songs and continue writing. He started a Facebook page last year and kept practicing until he had enough material to fill a three-hour set. Goodrich performed his first show in May 2016 and has over 100 shows in his first year at venues all over Northwest Ohio. In a full circle moment, Goodrich had the chance to meet with Aldean who showed him how he played “Dirt Road Anthem” on guitar. Almost a year after he had first heard the song on the radio, Goodrich was performing the song in front of the crowd at the Hamler Country Fest.
Goodrich has compiled a list of shows he has performed and artists he has opened for in a little over a year. He has performed at Huron County Fair, Ottawa County Fair, Erie County Fair, Port Clinton Walleye Festival, Norwalk Strawberry Festival and many more. He won a spot on the main stage at the Country Night Lights festival in Athens last fall after submitting his original song, “Walk” in the artist invitational. Goodrich opened the show on Saturday at the festival which also included Brett Eldredge, Frankie Ballard, Chris Lane and Josh Thompson. In addition to the shows we have listed below, he will also be performing at the Sandusky County Fair and the K96 Summer Jam at the Huron Boat Basin.
Why you should see his show: Goodrich performs a solo acoustic show that gets as raw and honest as you will find. It’s just him and his acoustic guitar. He works without a safety net of vocal enhancements, backup singers or other instruments. He practices relentlessly to get to the heart of the songs he plays and emulate the artists that originally recorded them. He has amassed a list of over 150 songs to choose from in his sets and adds some of the originals he has written. If you go to his show you know you are going to hear favorite Country songs that are as close as he can get to the originals. He blends some newer and some older songs in his sets from artists including Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan, Eric Church, Kenny Chesney, Dustin Lynch, Cole Swindell, Garth Brooks, Luke Combs, Cody Jinks, Brad Paisley, with a little Johnny Cash, Lyrnrd Skynrd, and Bob Seger. For Goodrich the ultimate satisfaction is having someone tell him that “I love your voice, you sound just like……”whatever artist he’s covering.
Websites/Socials/Videos: You can follow Goodrich and get show updates on his Facebook page Here or on Instagram Here. He has also started posting videos on his YouTube Channel Here but has close to a hundred videos currently on his Facebook page.
Upcoming Dates: Wednesday, June 21 at Norwalk Summer Concert Series at the Norwalk Reservoir (6:30pm-8pm); Thursday, June 22 at Dock’s Beach House in Port Clinton (7pm-11pm); Friday, June 23 at Red Arrow Saloon in Clyde (9pm-12am); Sunday, June 25 at I-5’s Bar and Grill in Huron (3pm-7pm); Thursday, June 29 at The Cove Inn in Vickery (6pm-9pm); Friday, June 30 at South Bass Tap House on Put In Bay (6pm-9pm); Monday, July 3 at Red Fern Inn Winery in Marblehead (12pm-3pm) and Sunday, July 9 at The Bait House in Port Clinton (3pm-6pm).
