We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Matt Lefler. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Matt below.

Matt, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. If you could go back in time do you wish you had started your creative career sooner or later?

If there was a clock where I could go back and start this sooner I would. I didn’t start sincerely following this path seriously until my late 40s. Which is a funny story. In 2018 I was not playing all that much, maybe 3 to 4 hours a week. I lived on the west coast and had to go back to my home town in MIchigan. I ended up leaving my guitar on the plane and was looking at two weeks where I had no instrument and knew that would drive me crazy, so I stopped at Guitar Center in Grand Rapids, MI and picked up an acoustic guitar. I knew they had a 30 day return policy and I could either keep the guitar or return in once I got back to Seattle. All of a sudden I was playing about 3 hours a day. I couldn’t keep my hands off the thing. I kept it and still play the heck out of that guitar.

I started playing in the mid 1980s. I never took it all that seriously until about 6 years ago. It was just something I continually did. There were times where I would practice a lot, 20 plus hours a week and other times where I spent around 2 hours a week on music. That lack of consitency is something I regret.

Given how far I’ve coming in the last few years I wish I would’ve had the confidence and dedication to pursue much earlier in life. I’m extremely grateful for where I am now though.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am a long time musician who grew up in a small town in northern Michigan called Traverse City. It was a beautiful place to grow up. I was raised in a trailer park by a single mom. I worked as a busser at a restaurant at age 14 when I bought my first guitar. The idea came to me when my mom asked me if I wanted to learn to play guitar. I loved the idea and reached out to my uncle, who at the time was considered one of the best rock guitarists in Michigan. He went down to Good News Guitar with me and spent a lot of time playing guitars in front of me and helped me pick out my first guitar. I still have it today.

Initially the main reason I played was the escape it provided. When I played the world would slow down and make more sense. It was easy for me to hit a flow state, despite not knowing what that was. I just knew it felt good. I went to school and worked 15-20 hours a week in a restaurant, so there wasn’t always a lot of time for me to pratice, but I just kept doing it. Then I discovered that I could sing.

My uncle took hours out of his schedule to jam with me any time I made the 40 minute drive to his house. I learned so much from him. He encouraged me to perform and invited me to sit in with his band. Although I was terrified, that was a turning point for me. I loved performing. I made more time to jam with him and continued to grow musically. He isnsisted that I sing more.

Eventually I met someone I thought I would spend my life with. We got married and had a child. She was not supportive of me playing music at all. She was jealous and made playing in bands difficult. I ended up choosing her over music and entered a lull in my playing. That relationship only lasted 5 years. We divorced when I was in college at Michigan Tech. I started to play a lot more and met some really great musicians up there, played in a couple bands and had a great time.

The point of this personal history is that I kept playing music. Even when times were tough, when I didn’t have much money, or my equiptment was subpar, I kept doing it. That’s what I’m most proud of. It’s the only constant in my life. It’s still as fun for me as when I was 14.

Now I work hard on music. I practice regularly and am in 3 different music projects, Dipped in Flannel a 90s acoustic experience, my solo performances and a friend’s band called Arbor Moon.

dippedinflannel.com
mattlefler.com

I moved to the Twin Cities in July of 2022 from the Seattle area. Once I got here I went out as much as I could and networked with local breweries and had over 40 gigs in my first year. I had over 45 in my second year. People tell me that I am easy to work with and really considerate of customers. They always get good feedback when I perform. The move here has been a pretty special experience

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

It’s important to understand that being creative takes a lot of work and dedication. If I have a 3 hour gig, it’s not just the time I’m at the gig that goes into it. With practice time, set up and tear down included along with vehicle and equiptment wear and tear, this is an expensive endeavor.

I always look for metrics when I perform and will work with businesses to meet their needs. What I have heard so far is customers spend 30-40% more when I am playing. It usually takes 4 to 5 performances for people to come out and see me specifically. Once that’s in place, it’s not unheard of for there to be 20 people there to watch me play and support the business.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

This story is more emotional than anything. Every performer I’ve known has had some level of imposter syndrom. I suffered from crippling imposter syndrome. It took a lot of work personally to get past it. I meditated, asked for feedback and dealt with performance anxiety. It was a process but I’ve largely worked through it. I still feel those feelings sometimes but have skills to go out and give my best. A large part of the process was working on my confidence and growing as a player.

The big pivot is now I believe in what I do and am grateful I get to do it.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://mattlefler.com
• Instagram: mattleflermusic
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/morrisson66/

Image Credits

Personal photos taken by myself and my wife. I have rights for all photos.