Matt McLeod
June 30th, 1979 - March 15th, 2009

Remembering a Great Man

Rarely in this journey are we blessed with such a staunch, kind, and fun loving friend like Matt McLeod, or Mattie, as I liked to call him. He and I met at the Fayetteville Farmers Market in the summer of 07, and hit it off instantly. The friendship that can occur between musicians is a curious animal. Matt and I were both very passionate about music, and very enthusiastic about playing together for the long haul. During the two summers that we had, we devoted quite a bit of time to melding our musical gifts together, and a strong bond grew from the experience. Most of our time together was spent spreading the infectious joy of our music to the people, especially the children, at the Farmers Market Square.

The Lost Hat Band ~ One of many inside jokes that Mattie and I shared. This one had to do with our incredibly cool green hats and because Matt's hat's band was missing. We never felt lost with Matt around - he had an amazingly reassuring presence - he was solid as a rock in that way. This video montage showcases how the kids were drawn to our performances. Spreading joy to the children was something Matt and I took great pride in. Bella of Howl-o was able to join us on the Square on this occasion. Nidia shot this footage, she was always very supportive of our musical endeavors. Bella and I immensely enjoyed hanging out with Matt and Nidia, they were such a precious couple. Matt's mom and family were also very dear to him, often coming along to enjoy his music at the Square.

(If you have a favorite photo or memory of Matt which you'd like to share here, email us and we'll try to include it as soon as possible. You may also leave a comment at this video link)

My music is best understood by children and animals.
~ Igor Stravinsky
Matt loved this quote, and as much as we loved to entertain the kids, we also knew that our style and selection of old traditional songs kindled a lot of warm memories for the elderly. Here is a photo of Matt and Nidia, joining us for a performance at Circle of Life Hospice.

Matt also played tuba on the theme song for the Radio Theatre production of Knights of Dragonshire. He was an accomplished voice actor, and also played the role of Pepin in that same production. (Nidia also did a charming bit of voice acting as Pepin's spirited wife Eva). We found Mattie a role as Rordor on Bill Hollweg's Fantasy Audio Drama series "The Grog and Gryphon". He played a wolfman lord, and had a lot of fun "sinking his teeth" into it with that outrageous Scottish accent which he could do so well. Mattie was just beginning that role and we'll only be blessed with his one performance there, in episode #8, which will be dedicated to him.

Here is a music video we shot just before Matt left for Bogata, Columbia, where he was a beloved 4th grade teacher. He was a little miffed that day because a storm prevented him from joining his wife Nidia for their 2nd anniversary. But his usual good humor prevailed, and he decided to take the opportunity to devote this performance to her. This was a one-take recording; note Matt's aplomb and verve under pressure (what pressure?), and how his "down home" delivery and amiability as a spokesman would put anyone at ease.