Prettier Than Matt
About this event:
Genre
Americana/Pop/Rock
Band Members
Jessica Skinner – Vocals & Ukulele;
Jeff Pitts – Vocals & Guitar
Hometown
Columbia, SC
Record Label
“It So Fluffy!” Records
Affiliation
ASCAP
About
Breaking hearts, collecting tips and jamming sweet since 2010.
Biography
More than just another acoustic duo, Prettier Than Matt has evolved into both an engaging live act and a potent, diverse studio creation with their latest EP release, Uncover. The undeniably likeable pairing of singer/keyboard/ukulele player Jessica Skinner and guitarist/singer Jeff Pitts combines her classic country and pop influences with the arena rock leanings of Pitts, with everyone from Dolly Parton and Ingrid Michaelson to Bon Jovi listed as their personal favorites.
The result? Rather than fading into a corner as background music, Prettier Than Matt command attention wherever they appear; they have made a name for themselves in the Carolinas and beyond with rock ‘n’ roll energy and easygoing acoustic accessibility that allows them to play in many different places, events, and situations and still appeal to a wide audience.
Uncover, recorded again with Kenny McWilliams in Columbia, South Carolina’s Archer Avenue studio, represents a creative leap for the group from a production and songwriting standpoint, especially with opening track “Heaven Forbid.” Echoing the spare, electric sounds employed by the Avett Brothers recent output, the tune’s minimalistic melody and prominent, rhythmic percussion couple with a lyric about taking time to relax—a timely and necessary message for musicians as busy as Skinner and Pitts, not to mention the average listener.
Pitts’ voice steps up to lead “Heart To Get,” and the low key vocal delivery and alternating lines between him and Skinner recall classic 80’s synth pop such as Human League or Depeche Mode.
The title track and “Miss You” find Skinner in more conventional country/pop territory where her powerful voice with a hint of twang just feels right. Including additional instruments such as the piano on the latter beefs up the sound without overwhelming the singers or the songs.
The ironically sleepy take of “Wake Up” features both Pitts and Skinner in nearly equal measure; the easy harmonies and familial feel of their vocal interplay recalls the early folk recordings of Jim and Ingrid Croce.
Bookending the EP with another uptempo pop gem in “Face in the Crowd,” Skinner’s plaintive voice evokes endless nightly gigs even as it outlines a relationship trying to navigate through those masses. With Uncover, Prettier Than Matt can definitely say that they are not just a face in the crowd of acoustic music acts.
Prettier Than Matt is a self-contained DIY effort with Pitts and Skinner handling their own booking and management; on their own they have been able to mount cross-country tours the last several years and play shows with Sister Hazel, G. Love and Special Sauce, Spin Doctors, Robert Earl Keen, Danielle Howle and others. If they haven’t been to your town yet, it won’t be long.
Awards
-2014 Charlotte Music Awards Folk Artist Of The Year
-2015 Free Times: Best Solo Artist (Jessica Skinner)
Current Location
Columbia, SC
General Manager
Jeff Pitts (jeffwpitts@yahoo.com)
Influences
Grace Potter & the Nocturnals, The Beatles, Ingrid Michaelson, She & Him, Metallica, Regina Spektor, Bon Jovi, Shinedown, Paramore, Mumford & Sons and many, many more! We love a lot of music!