Matthew Wolfgang Garstka (born April 27, 1989) is an American drummer, best known for his work with

instrumental An instrumental is a recording normally without any vocals, although it might include some inarticulate vocals, such as shouted backup vocals in a big band setting. Through semantic widening, a broader sense of the word song may refer to inst ...

progressive metal Progressive metal (sometimes shortened to prog metal) is a broad fusion music genre melding heavy metal and progressive rock, combining the loud "aggression" and amplified guitar-driven sound of the former with the more experimental, cerebral ...

band

Animals as Leaders Animals as Leaders is an American instrumental progressive metal band from Washington, D.C. It currently consists of guitarists Tosin Abasi and Javier Reyes and drummer Matt Garstka, having been formed by Abasi in 2007. They are a prominent b ...

Biography

Garstka, son of professional guitar player Greg Garstka, was born in

Hopewell, Virginia Hopewell is an independent city surrounded by Prince George County and the Appomattox River in the Commonwealth of Virginia. At the 2020 census, the population was 23,033. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines the city of Hopewell with Prin ...

, and raised in

Westfield, Massachusetts Westfield is a city in Hampden County, in the Pioneer Valley of western Massachusetts, United States. Westfield was first settled by Europeans in 1660. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population w ...

. He started playing drums at the age of 8. At the age of 12 he started gigging with his father, playing

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

, blues and

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...

music. At 14 Garstka met Jo Sallins, who introduced him to

fusion Fusion, or synthesis, is the process of combining two or more distinct entities into a new whole. Fusion may also refer to: Science and technology Physics *Nuclear fusion, multiple atomic nuclei combining to form one or more different atomic nucl ...

, funk,

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

and

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

drumming. At the age of 14 Matt appeared in Sallins DVD ''Mr. Cool''. In 2006 he released an EP with punk band Backstab and in 2007 released his first solo album ''Heavy Volume'', featuring Joel Stroetzel from

Killswitch Engage Killswitch Engage is an American metalcore band from Westfield, Massachusetts, formed in 1999 after the disbanding of Overcast and Aftershock. Killswitch Engage's current lineup consists of vocalist Jesse Leach, guitarists Joel Stroetzel an ...

, Chis Regan from FNB and Jo Sallins. After finishing high school, Garstka attended Berklee College of Music. In the same year he was featured in GospelChops.com DVD ''Shed Sessionz Vol. 3''. Soon after moving to Los Angeles Garstka met

Tosin Abasi Oluwatosin Ayoyinka Olumide Abasi (born January 7, 1983), is an American musician, best known as the founder and lead guitarist of the instrumental progressive metal band Animals as Leaders. He has recorded and released five albums with Anim ...

and joined his band

following the departure of

Navene Koperweis Navene Koperweis (born May 31, 1985) is an American drummer, best known as the former drummer of Animosity (band), Animosity, Hoods (band), Hoods and Animals as Leaders. He currently plays for Entheos, and serves as session drummer for Job for ...

. In 2012 Garstka programmed drums for Mestis debut EP ''Basal Ganglia''. In March 2015 Garstka was featured as ''

Modern Drummer ''Modern Drummer'' is a monthly publication targeting the interests of drummers and percussionists. The magazine features interviews, equipment reviews, and columns offering advice on technique, as well as information for the general public. ''Mo ...

'' magazine cover artist. During his career Garstka has performed with artists such as Rohn Lawrence, David Stolz, Tony Smith, Doug Johns,

Toni Blackman Toni Blackman is an American rapper (specializing in freestyle hip-hop) and writer who was the first hip-hop ambassador to the U.S. State Department. Additionally, she was selected as a 2006 Rhythm Road touring artist and subsequently served a ...

, Derek Jordon and Evan Marien. In 2021, he was voted the "Best Progressive Drummer" by '' MusicRadar''.

Discography

Animals as Leaders

*''

The Joy of Motion ''The Joy of Motion'' is the third studio album by American instrumental progressive metal band Animals as Leaders. It was released on March 24, 2014, in Europe, March 25, 2014, in North America and on March 28, 2014, in Australia and New Zealan ...

'' (2014) *''Animals as Leaders Encore Edition'' (2015) *''

The Madness of Many ''The Madness of Many'' is the fourth studio album by American instrumental progressive metal band Animals as Leaders. It was released on November 11, 2016. Track listing Personnel Animals as Leaders * Tosin Abasi – guitars * Javier Reyes � ...

'' (2016) *''

Parrhesia In rhetoric, parrhesia is a figure of speech described as "speak ngcandidly or ... ask ngforgiveness for so speaking". This Ancient Greek word has three different forms, as related by Michel Foucault. ''Parrhesia'' is a noun, meaning "free speec ...

'' (2022)

Victoria

*''Modern Value'' (2018) *''Kepler'' (2019) *''Iris'' (2019) *''Perennial'' (2020)

Louis De Mieulle

*''Defense Mechanisms'' (2014)

Casimir Liberski

*''Cosmic Liberty'' (2019)

References

External links

Official websiteOfficial Facebook page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Garstka, Matt 1989 births Living people American drummers Berklee College of Music alumni 21st-century American drummers Animals as Leaders members People from Hopewell, Virginia People from Westfield, Massachusetts