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Matt Sweeney

American musician From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Matt Sweeney
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For other people named Matt Sweeney, see Matt Sweeney (disambiguation).

Matt Sweeney (born July 2, 1969) is an American musician, songwriter, and record producer. Sweeney currently plays with The Hard Quartet. Sweeney is also the host of the web series Guitar Moves.[1]

Quick facts Background information, Born ...

Sweeney’s history includes being the frontman for the band Chavez, half of the Superwolf duo, composer and performer for music in Red Dead Redemption 2, and session guitarist for Rick Rubin.

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Early life and education

Sweeney was born in New York City. His father was John D. Sweeney, a professor of Medieval English at Seton Hall University who was also an avid musician.[2][3] His mother, Katharine Sweeney Hayden, is a federal judge.[4] Sweeney's parents divorced after 20 years of marriage.[5] He has an older brother, Gregory Sweeney, who is a musician who works on the TV show Kitchen Nightmares.[2][4]

He grew up in Maplewood and South Orange, New Jersey. He attended Northwestern University before dropping out and moving to New York City.[4]

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Career History

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Sweeney's high school band Skunk released two albums on Twin/Tone records ("Last American Virgin" in 1989 and the posthumous "Laid", both out of print).

In 1993 Sweeney formed the indie rock band Chavez. The band quickly gained a following in the New York underground scene[6][7] after the release of their first single ("Repeat the Ending" b/w "Hack the Sides Away") followed by the album (1995's Gone Glimmering and EP (1995’s Pentagram Ring) on Matador Records. The music video for the song “Break Up Your Band” aired in an episode of MTV’s Beavis and Butt-Head. Chavez’s second full-length albumRide the Fader was released in 1996.

Chavez did several short tours in the United States and Europe between 1994 and 1997.[8]

During this time, Sweeney was a crucial early advocate of Guided by Voices sharing their early cassettes amongst his peers including Kurt Cobain.[9] With Chavez on hiatus, Sweeney filled in on bass guitar for the band’s "Under the Bushes, Under the Stars" tour. He also provided vocals on the song "Quicksilver" on Guided By Voices leader Robert Pollard's first solo album Not in My Airforce LP.

The late '90s found him continuing to work a day job and touring with Bonnie 'Prince' Billy as a guitarist.

Sweeney's work has taken him across a variety of musical genres. Starting in 2000 he turned up on Cat Power's The Covers Record and a couple of Bonnie "Prince" Billy singles.

In 2001 he started playing and writing with Billy Corgan and Jimmy Chamberlin in what was to become Zwan. He collaborated with Billy Corgan on the soundtrack to the movie Spun, singing the movie's opening song, a cover of Iron Maiden's "Number of the Beast". He was also featured as a guitarist and backing vocalist on Bonnie "Prince" Billy's Ease Down The Road album.

He lent a helping hand to Dave Grohl in assembling the all-star heavy metal album Probot, tracking down the legendary singers and providing guitar work (the Probot album was not released until 2004, on Southern Lord records).

After Zwan's breakup, Sweeney played guitar with Bonnie "Prince" Billy for several tours in 2004. January 2005 saw the release of their collaboration Superwolf on Drag City.[10][11] Sweeney and Bonnie toured behind the Superwolf record in the U.S. and Europe.

2005 also saw Sweeney producing heavy metal band Early Man's debut album, Closing In. The following year found Sweeney working in both the country music and hip-hop scenes, providing guitar work, along with Mike Campbell and Smokey Hormel, on the Johnny Cash album American V: A Hundred Highways and appearing with Yo La Tengo bass player James McNew and Def Jux founder El-P, as guest artists on the first track of rapper Cage's album Hell's Winter. He also played guitar on the Dixie Chicks' Taking the Long Way album. In addition, he became a member of apocalyptic Christian folk legends Current 93's touring group, playing shows in Europe in support of the Black Ships Ate The Sky album. He also recorded Andrew W.K. for W.K.'s Close Calls With Brick Walls album.

In 2007 Sweeney again collaborated with El-P, this time alongside Omar Rodríguez-López and Cedric Bixler-Zavala of Mars Volta, on El-P's 2007 album, I'll Sleep When You're Dead.

In early 2009 Sweeney formed The Brill Sisters with Andrew W.K. and producer Don Fleming. They played their first show (without Fleming) at Santos Party House on April 2, 2009.[12][13] The entire group performed on April 21.[14]

In 2016, Sweeney toured with Iggy Pop, Josh Homme as well as Matt Helders to support their album Post Pop Depression.[15]

In 2021 Sweeney teamed up with Iggy Pop again releasing their cover of “European Son” for the album I’ll Be Your Mirror: A Tribute to The Velvet Underground & Nico.[16]

That same year Sweeney partnered with Bonnie “Prince” Billy with the release of their record Superwolves. [17]

In 2024, Sweeney founded the band The Hard Quartet with Stephen Malkmus, Jim White, and Emmett Kelly.[18]

In 2025 Sweeney toured the world supporting the debut album by The Hard Quartet. He has spent his life as a semi regular member of Endless Boogie.

Production work

Sweeney’s production work includes albums by

Collaborations

Matt Sweeney has collaborated with a number of other artists, including:

In tune with his many collaborations, an unlikely combination of Sweeney and Neil Diamond was proposed by seminal producer Rick Rubin in 2008 to follow up Diamond's Rubin-produced 2005 album 12 Songs.[19] The 2008 album Home Before Dark, released on May 12, features Sweeney on all songs.

Guitar Moves

Matt Sweeney is also the host of the web series Guitar Moves created in 2013 in which he interviews many popular guitarists with a focus on showing and teaching their guitar techniques.

Sweeney has interviewed prominent guitarists such as Keith Richards of The Rolling Stones, Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top, St. Vincent, Josh Homme of Queens of the Stone Age and many others.[1]

Sweeney describes Guitar Moves as “a loose anti-authoritarian music ‘show and tell’ designed to inspire anyone to pick up a guitar”.[20]

The series was produced by Vice's music channel Noisey from 2013 until 2017.[21] Guitar Moves is now run independently of VICE with new episodes being uploaded to YouTube and the Guitar Moves website as of November 2025.[22]

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Discography

Skunk

Chavez

  • Gone Glimmering (1995) Matador
  • Ride The Fader (1996) Matador
  • Better Days Will Haunt You best-of compilation CD/DVD (2006) Matador
  • Repeat the Ending EP (1994) Matador
  • Pentagram Ring EP (1995) Matador
  • What's Up Matador? feat. "Theme from 'For Russ'" (1995) Matador
  • School House Rock feat. "Little Twelve Toes" (1996) Atlantic Records
  • Boys Making Music, Music Making Men Documentary VHS (1996) Matador
  • Cockfighters EP (2017) Matador

Zwan

Matt Sweeney & Bonnie 'Prince' Billy

The Hard Quartet

Production

Other collaborations

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References

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