Jay Matthes is a singer/songwriter from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Ben Kieffer of Iowa Public Radio describes Jay's sound as "soulful country" and The Rave/Eagles Ballroom in Milwaukee calls his live show "entertaining as hell". Jay plays over 125 shows a year, and has shared a stage with national acts such as Jana Kramer, Old Dominion, Judah & the Lion, Ike Reilly Assassination, Charlie Worsham, and many more.

Jay's original music has been featured on local, regional, and national radio and television, most notably The Country Network where the music video for his single "The Light" is currently in rotation. Press has included features in The Modern Folk, Americana Daily, Breaking & Entering, and Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, among others.

Jay was nominated for Singer/Songwriter of the Year by Wisconsin Area Music Industry in both 2015 and 2016 and recently won Best Male Vocalist in Shepherd Express' Best of Milwaukee.

Artist Bio

I began playing professionally in July 2011. Since then, my musical projects have earned opening spots for national acts such as Breaking Laces, Robert Randolph and the Family Band, Dennis DeYoung, Mike Dawes, Smashmouth, 10,000 Maniacs, Charlie Worsham, Natalie Stovall and the Drive, and more.

I've played many of the major venues in Wisconsin, including Summerfest, Milwaukee Indyfest, Country USA, The Rave, Miller Park, Cactus Club, Germanfest, Shank Hall, Miramar Theatre, plus multiple local festivals and events. My original music has been featured on 92.5 WBWI, 89.7 WUWM, and 102.1 WLUM, as well as TMJ4's Wisconsin Tonight and Channel 12 WISN. Press has included coverage in Breaking & Entering, Shepherd Express, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, and OnMilwaukee.com.

Currently I play solo acoustic gigs across SE Wisconsin in support of my new album "A Drier Place".