Found a Record in a Record Store...

It all started in a record store called Sam's Jams in Ferndale, Michigan. Matt and his friend, Joe, were browsing the used record bins when Nick approached and asked to purchase a single they were holding and intending to buy. Having a mutual love of music and interested in many of the same bands, Nick and Matt exchanged contact information.

As Matt went back to university, the next meeting would be four months later when Nick visited Matt at his parent's house. They had exchanged some letters in between and learned that they both owned guitars. Nick brought his electric guitar with him and as they sat copying each other's music on cassettes, Nick played some songs.

Among the music recordings that exchanged hands, Nick gave Matt a mixed tape of The Go-Betweens. That cassette became the soundtrack of the rest of Matt's first semester in college and a major influence of his early songwriting. Matt gave Nick a mixed tape of the Railway Children which quickly became one of his favorites.

During this first year, Matt, Joe, and Nick formed a band called 2nd Generation, the name lifted from a favorite Alarm song. Nick recorded nine songs that he had written so that Matt and Joe could learn them so the new group could play something together. The band was short-lived however. They wrote only two songs and never played in public.

Soon after, Nick recorded a four song cassette on his four track tape deck called The Heart of Darkness.

With Joe's departure, Nick and Matt dropped the name 2nd Generation and chose Somewhere South taken from a song by the Railway Children. They recorded one song together, Prayers, a scathing commentary on pop star of the day, Madonna. Matt continued to write songs throughout college.

Open Mic Nights: Fighting the blenders...

A year after graduation, Matt heard about a folk society that had something called an open-mic night (not as common as they are today) where anyone could come and play songs to an audience. He convinced a reluctant Nick to play there. Their intention was to play a song together; The Alarm's Absolute Reality seemed appropriate. But after practicing the day of the show, they could not pull it together. They decided to go anyway and play some solo original songs. Nick managed one song. Matt somehow made it through three. They both caught the performance bug. However, it would be another year before they sought out other open mic nights.

During this time Matt borrowed Nick's four track recorder and began practicing and refining his self-penned songs. After a lot of demos, he produced a five song cassette aptly titled, Learning To Crawl.

Over the next few years, Nick and Matt played regularly at various coffeehouses on open 'mic' nights. They travelled throughout Metro Detroit looking for new and interesting places to play. Some venues were better than others. It was challenging to play to patrons who were not necessarily there to listen to amateur musicians of varying quality. Mostly, they performed separately, Matt playing original material and Nick focusing mainly on covering his favorite artists.

Later, they even hosted a season of monthly open 'mic' nights at B.C. Beans in Wyandotte before taking a break when Matt became a father.

The Birth of the Abominable Showmen...

After a few years off, playing only to a captive audience during the kids' bath time, the desire to perform resurfaced for Matt. At the same time, Nick started dating Julie who had watched her local folk society play during the winter months in the boating town of Lexington, Michigan. Nick suggested going there to play. It sounded intriguing; an audience that came specifically to listen and cheer the performers on. Matt and Nick chose the new name, The Abominable Showmen, and started practicing and playing more songs together as a duo. The quality of the venue, sound system, and audience, which at first was intimidating, demanded that Matt and Nick improve their skills and performance. It challenged them to become better performers, musicians, and singers.

Playing with the Ladies

Matt and Nick thrive on finding new songs, creating interesting arrangements, and other additions to enhance the performances. Matt has learned to play some acoustic Bass and Nick plays harmonica and adds shaker to a number of songs. They have also branched out to include other singers and musicians; adding Lisa and Tracie and calling themselves The Next Best Thing for a very memorable night.

They have performed a couple of gigs with their friend, Erika, on violin and played some Go-Betweens songs.

New Venues

The Showmen began to try other venues. They played all sorts of places throughout southeastern Michigan. Recently, Matt and Nick have become frequent players at AJ's Cafe (once the home of Xhedo's) in Ferndale. This venue has become a fast favorite. With an excellent array of eclectic performers, proficient sound engineers and quality equipment, the duo have expanded their repetoire and begun practicing some more complex arrangements.

New Venture: For Those About To Rock

Matt and Nick have longed to play with a drummer and percussionist. Recently, Matt met Melino, a drummer, and they got together for a practice session. This newest incarnation has led to more of a rock n' roll feel; influenced by the seventies music scene. Soon Nick was added to the mix and he quickly left his 12 string acoustic at home and instead let loose on his electric guitar. The trio is currently working up new and old songs and have christened themselves The Magic Johnsons.

More to come...