The Sit Down with Matt Ferranti
When we last saw Bay City, Michigan native Matt Ferranti, he was in the UK as part of Brett Young’s band for his UK tour in May. While on the tour playing keys and guitar, Matt also got the chance to open for four nights of the UK leg in Birmingham, Bristol, Glasgow and Belfast. What was due to be a straightforward second half of 2024 for Matt, playing shows as an artist in his own right on his regular haunts on Nashville’s Broadway and in Las Vegas, took an unexpected turn towards the end of August as he was invited to join Jelly Roll on tour as a member of his 36 Hour Band. We caught up with Matt while he was on the road to find out what life has been like since returning Stateside and heading out on a nationwide arena tour
It's the best thing I've ever done in my life. It's everything you would dream of as a musician kid growing up with no friends. We’ve played MSG, TD Garden, Staples Centre, which is now Crypto. Like every hockey arena across the country, it's wild! I won't get home until November 24th. I have always been lucky to do stuff, especially with Brett Young. As you know, I got to play London on my birthday at Royal Albert Hall and open a few shows for him with you guys. I kind of thought that was going to be the last time I see the big boy show for a minute and I could focus on my own stuff and then I got the call from Jelly with three days’ notice, and now here I am in Ohio. I got thrown to the wolves very quickly and I jumped at the chance. It’s crazy!
Taking the decision to join Jelly Roll’s 36 Hour Band may seem like a no brainer, however for Matt there was plenty of things to weigh up when being on the road for 3 months – including what to do when you have multiple shows of your own booked
I already had 23 shows and like 15 flights booked. Just to take this gig I had to make a few phone calls! I have a bunch of credits on Delta and Southwest!! I’ve also got a bunch of people to apologise to at some point, but when something like this happens you gotta do it. You know what I'm saying? It's the best thing I've ever been on in my life, and I’m sure they’ll understand!
If you follow Matt or Jelly Roll on social media, you will have seen several exciting opportunities they’ve had during the tour when not on stage, most notably the band performing on both Saturday Night Live and The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon
I’ve played a couple TV things before like Good Morning America and I’ve also played the Ellen Show, so I had done a few bits. SNL though is a special crazy kind of thing to do. It's a whole different thing. Just the fact that we had to play Madison Square Garden, Jimmy Fallon, SNL and Global Citizens Central Park shows all in the same week was the craziest week of all time. I don't know what the 1% is or 2% is that get to say they’ve done these kind of shows, but all I know is that we are in a very small group of people.
It's the best thing I've ever done in my life. It's everything you would dream of as a musician kid growing up with no friends. We’ve played MSG, TD Garden, Staples Centre, which is now Crypto. Like every hockey arena across the country, it's wild! I won't get home until November 24th. I have always been lucky to do stuff, especially with Brett Young. As you know, I got to play London on my birthday at Royal Albert Hall and open a few shows for him with you guys. I kind of thought that was going to be the last time I see the big boy show for a minute and I could focus on my own stuff and then I got the call from Jelly with three days’ notice, and now here I am in Ohio. I got thrown to the wolves very quickly and I jumped at the chance. It’s crazy!
Taking the decision to join Jelly Roll’s 36 Hour Band may seem like a no brainer, however for Matt there was plenty of things to weigh up when being on the road for 3 months – including what to do when you have multiple shows of your own booked
I already had 23 shows and like 15 flights booked. Just to take this gig I had to make a few phone calls! I have a bunch of credits on Delta and Southwest!! I’ve also got a bunch of people to apologise to at some point, but when something like this happens you gotta do it. You know what I'm saying? It's the best thing I've ever been on in my life, and I’m sure they’ll understand!
If you follow Matt or Jelly Roll on social media, you will have seen several exciting opportunities they’ve had during the tour when not on stage, most notably the band performing on both Saturday Night Live and The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon
I’ve played a couple TV things before like Good Morning America and I’ve also played the Ellen Show, so I had done a few bits. SNL though is a special crazy kind of thing to do. It's a whole different thing. Just the fact that we had to play Madison Square Garden, Jimmy Fallon, SNL and Global Citizens Central Park shows all in the same week was the craziest week of all time. I don't know what the 1% is or 2% is that get to say they’ve done these kind of shows, but all I know is that we are in a very small group of people.
On Matt’s last visit to England, we got to spend some time with him in both London and Bristol and got to watch him perform in front of a sold-out crowd at Bristol’s O2 Academy
That was one of the coolest shows I've ever had in my life because I walked out of the venue, and they treated me like a rock star! The crowd was awesome for that show in Bristol that you were at. I felt like that was one of the best shows I’ve done. It was the most rock-star thing ever. Honestly, I left that tour being like I have a responsibility to make sure that happens again. But it’s tough as you know that there's no promise that it will, so I’ll remember those shows – so thanks for being in Bristol with me for it.
The final stop on Brett’s tour this year was a two-night stop at Belfast’s Botanical Gardens. On one of the nights, Matt opened the show as part of his first ever trip to the country
Man, I mean, I have a lot of Irish in me. Not just because of all the Jameson I drank, but through blood. That was a big bucket list show. I've been to Dublin a couple times to see the scene with Brett for shows, but I never got to go to Northern Ireland. No one knows me up there. That was Brett introducing me to his fans up there. It turned into a moment of I hope it goes well, to like a holy shit, I got 3,500 messages in my DMs all telling me Northern Ireland loves you and come back soon. I was like, bro, this is my wake-up call. I need to keep coming back and keep playing shows for you guys. I will never stop coming to the UK because of how much love they've shown me the whole time. We're coming back all day long and I hope it’s soon.
Many artists tell us that they notice a spike in streaming numbers when they are announced, and perform live, in the UK, and for Matt this was no different
Yeah, I mean just the metrics of Spotify alone, UK numbers went up crazy numbers and I couldn’t believe it. I signed a distribution deal with Empire recently to release my next bit of music and obviously they look at all those metrics and straight away noticed that I had done some work with the crowds in the UK. It's one of those things where you put the time in, you get the results. I’ll be back, no matter what it takes, whether I’m by myself or whatever it is – I’m coming back to build.
That was one of the coolest shows I've ever had in my life because I walked out of the venue, and they treated me like a rock star! The crowd was awesome for that show in Bristol that you were at. I felt like that was one of the best shows I’ve done. It was the most rock-star thing ever. Honestly, I left that tour being like I have a responsibility to make sure that happens again. But it’s tough as you know that there's no promise that it will, so I’ll remember those shows – so thanks for being in Bristol with me for it.
The final stop on Brett’s tour this year was a two-night stop at Belfast’s Botanical Gardens. On one of the nights, Matt opened the show as part of his first ever trip to the country
Man, I mean, I have a lot of Irish in me. Not just because of all the Jameson I drank, but through blood. That was a big bucket list show. I've been to Dublin a couple times to see the scene with Brett for shows, but I never got to go to Northern Ireland. No one knows me up there. That was Brett introducing me to his fans up there. It turned into a moment of I hope it goes well, to like a holy shit, I got 3,500 messages in my DMs all telling me Northern Ireland loves you and come back soon. I was like, bro, this is my wake-up call. I need to keep coming back and keep playing shows for you guys. I will never stop coming to the UK because of how much love they've shown me the whole time. We're coming back all day long and I hope it’s soon.
Many artists tell us that they notice a spike in streaming numbers when they are announced, and perform live, in the UK, and for Matt this was no different
Yeah, I mean just the metrics of Spotify alone, UK numbers went up crazy numbers and I couldn’t believe it. I signed a distribution deal with Empire recently to release my next bit of music and obviously they look at all those metrics and straight away noticed that I had done some work with the crowds in the UK. It's one of those things where you put the time in, you get the results. I’ll be back, no matter what it takes, whether I’m by myself or whatever it is – I’m coming back to build.
Following his short return to perform with Brett Young, Matt went straight back to hustling as a solo artist honing his craft at the bars on Nashville’s Broadway
It was a bit surreal as I went from the UK shows to right back to making sure that I played enough Broadway gigs to make sure my kid was eating. I don't need a big salary. I'm used to working, surviving, whatever it is. I just started to be okay with no big artist is helping me and being out on my own. I don't have a publishing deal. I don't have this. I don't have that. I'm cool with what I'm doing right now. You know? And it's weird. I'm not sure how religious you are, but it's like, in the church world, as soon as you stop looking for a wife, that's when God brings it to you. I stopped looking at supporting the big artists and look what came along! I love that you're on the other side of this and along for the ride.
Matt has recently announced that he will be releasing a new track – Still Talkin – on November 1st. This will be his first solo release since 2021’s Leave Me at the Bar as he continues to build his career as a country artist in his own right.
Yeah, I'll be on tour somewhere. I'm not even sure where! Initially, when I got my distribution deal, they wanted it to come out October 11th. I was like, all right, sick, and was getting excited for that first release with Empire. Then, guess what, I found out Jelly’s album was coming out October 11th! I was like, hell no. Hell no. We ain't doing that. I would already be fired! And this dream would be over before it started! That is a no-no. If you're showing respect, that is the last thing you should do. So, I pushed it to November 1st. That's the only reason why but I’m still excited for it to be out there. You’ve heard it so you know why!
When we hear of a new release coming after a long gap between music, we are always keen to know if this release is just a case of testing the waters to see what the reaction is like, or if it is the beginning of an exciting project
Ain't no testing the waters, bro. This is apologetically putting songs out every 45 to 60 days until someone buries me in the ground. That's where it's going. I'm putting songs out. I’ve got about 70 songs ready ad loaded on the hard drive to go out. Whether I cut them, I sing them all or not I’m not sure yet. I would like to sing maybe let's say about 15 songs, and then maybe drop an album, something like that, if it requires it, and then maybe pitch another 20 songs and see if other people would cut my songs. There's no ending. I'm just going to keep doing it. I’ve got the itch now and I’m just going to put that music out. I'll keep writing songs, keep putting them out because that's what I was born to do, you know. I like to just let it die.
As Matt takes this next step, it could lead to his first project since his 2020 self-titled EP.
I thought that record had died. That record was the last EP. I spent a bunch of money on it, went into debt for it. Once it didn't do what I wanted to do, I kind of gave up on it. It’s weird you say about it though bro as I was in Washington, D.C. and there's an Italian restaurant called Carmine's. I was doing laundry down the street, and I just walked down to a spot, needing a martini. Walked in this bar and sat down, chilled. A mum and her son came in and sat down right next to us. He just started chomping up. He said, hey man, what are you doing? Are you going to Jelly Roll concert tonight? I was like, yeah, for sure. Yeah, yeah, I'm going. This and that. I try to play it off. He ends up saying to me, like bro, you look familiar. I was like, yeah, there's a lot of tattooed, bearded moustache guys pulling around and catching music. He's like, bro, no, no, no. You sing this song Outta My Radio! You opened up for Brett Young! Bro, I'm literally sitting there having a martini by myself in Washington, D.C. I'm playing for a big artist, and someone sits down next to me and tells me they like one of my songs. I try not to cry at the bar like twice. I've paid for their home meal. Yo, that's the coolest thing I've fucking heard.
It was a bit surreal as I went from the UK shows to right back to making sure that I played enough Broadway gigs to make sure my kid was eating. I don't need a big salary. I'm used to working, surviving, whatever it is. I just started to be okay with no big artist is helping me and being out on my own. I don't have a publishing deal. I don't have this. I don't have that. I'm cool with what I'm doing right now. You know? And it's weird. I'm not sure how religious you are, but it's like, in the church world, as soon as you stop looking for a wife, that's when God brings it to you. I stopped looking at supporting the big artists and look what came along! I love that you're on the other side of this and along for the ride.
Matt has recently announced that he will be releasing a new track – Still Talkin – on November 1st. This will be his first solo release since 2021’s Leave Me at the Bar as he continues to build his career as a country artist in his own right.
Yeah, I'll be on tour somewhere. I'm not even sure where! Initially, when I got my distribution deal, they wanted it to come out October 11th. I was like, all right, sick, and was getting excited for that first release with Empire. Then, guess what, I found out Jelly’s album was coming out October 11th! I was like, hell no. Hell no. We ain't doing that. I would already be fired! And this dream would be over before it started! That is a no-no. If you're showing respect, that is the last thing you should do. So, I pushed it to November 1st. That's the only reason why but I’m still excited for it to be out there. You’ve heard it so you know why!
When we hear of a new release coming after a long gap between music, we are always keen to know if this release is just a case of testing the waters to see what the reaction is like, or if it is the beginning of an exciting project
Ain't no testing the waters, bro. This is apologetically putting songs out every 45 to 60 days until someone buries me in the ground. That's where it's going. I'm putting songs out. I’ve got about 70 songs ready ad loaded on the hard drive to go out. Whether I cut them, I sing them all or not I’m not sure yet. I would like to sing maybe let's say about 15 songs, and then maybe drop an album, something like that, if it requires it, and then maybe pitch another 20 songs and see if other people would cut my songs. There's no ending. I'm just going to keep doing it. I’ve got the itch now and I’m just going to put that music out. I'll keep writing songs, keep putting them out because that's what I was born to do, you know. I like to just let it die.
As Matt takes this next step, it could lead to his first project since his 2020 self-titled EP.
I thought that record had died. That record was the last EP. I spent a bunch of money on it, went into debt for it. Once it didn't do what I wanted to do, I kind of gave up on it. It’s weird you say about it though bro as I was in Washington, D.C. and there's an Italian restaurant called Carmine's. I was doing laundry down the street, and I just walked down to a spot, needing a martini. Walked in this bar and sat down, chilled. A mum and her son came in and sat down right next to us. He just started chomping up. He said, hey man, what are you doing? Are you going to Jelly Roll concert tonight? I was like, yeah, for sure. Yeah, yeah, I'm going. This and that. I try to play it off. He ends up saying to me, like bro, you look familiar. I was like, yeah, there's a lot of tattooed, bearded moustache guys pulling around and catching music. He's like, bro, no, no, no. You sing this song Outta My Radio! You opened up for Brett Young! Bro, I'm literally sitting there having a martini by myself in Washington, D.C. I'm playing for a big artist, and someone sits down next to me and tells me they like one of my songs. I try not to cry at the bar like twice. I've paid for their home meal. Yo, that's the coolest thing I've fucking heard.