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About me - Mat Riain
I started off as a guitarist for hire when I was around 11 years old. From that point on, playing guitar has been a major part of my life.
I grew up with bands like the Beatles, CS&N, Santana, and the Police, and then was introduced to hard rock when I was about 12-13, with influences like Van Halen and Iron Maiden.
My first proper band from High School, Heartless Wager, made the jump from the basement to clubs fairly quickly, and in no time, we had quite a following. Our self-produced EP even made it onto the radio. We were signed to a development deal, but unfortunately, some bad luck and a shift in musical styles toward grunge spelled the end for us. It was an invaluable experience that taught me a lot about songwriting, band dynamics, and the business side of the music and entertainment world—what to do and, more importantly, what NOT to do.
Shortly after that, I started a three-piece band called Project Wilson, focusing on music closer to my heart. With good will and momentum from Wager, we soon found ourselves planning gigs and even some recording sessions, and the future looked promising. However, after a gig at a college in PA, I decided to call it a day, wanting to explore other things in life beyond music.
Fast forward 10 years later, my wife Daniela encouraged me to get back into music. Wager had two reunions, and I slowly started getting back into the scene, but it would be another 10 years or so—if not more—before I began playing live again, this time as a session guitarist with These Certain People.
In TCP, we've played some big festivals here in England, like Rewind, Pennfest, FiFest, and Pub in the Park, as well as smaller gigs in pubs and clubs.
Influences
Influences
I started off as a guitarist for hire when I was around 11 years old. From that point on, playing guitar has been a major part of my life.
I grew up with bands like the Beatles, CS&N, Santana, and the Police, and then was introduced to hard rock when I was about 12-13, with influences like Van Halen and Iron Maiden.
My first proper band from High School, Heartless Wager, made the jump from the basement to clubs fairly quickly, and in no time, we had quite a following. Our self-produced EP even made it onto the radio. We were signed to a development deal, but unfortunately, some bad luck and a shift in musical styles toward grunge spelled the end for us. It was an invaluable experience that taught me a lot about songwriting, band dynamics, and the business side of the music and entertainment world—what to do and, more importantly, what NOT to do.
Shortly after that, I started a three-piece band called Project Wilson, focusing on music closer to my heart. With good will and momentum from Wager, we soon found ourselves planning gigs and even some recording sessions, and the future looked promising. However, after a gig at a college in PA, I decided to call it a day, wanting to explore other things in life beyond music.
Fast forward 10 years later, my wife Daniela encouraged me to get back into music. Wager had two reunions, and I slowly started getting back into the scene, but it would be another 10 years or so—if not more—before I began playing live again, this time as a session guitarist with These Certain People.
In TCP, we've played some big festivals here in England, like Rewind, Pennfest, FiFest, and Pub in the Park, as well as smaller gigs in pubs and clubs.
