Matthew Kraig Kelly is an American singer,

guitarist A guitarist (or a guitar player) is a person who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of guitar family instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselv ...

, songwriter, and historian. Kelly is best known for his work with the influential LA rock band

The Autumns The Autumns were an American indie rock band based in Los Angeles, California, comprising Matthew Kelly (vocals, guitar), Frankie Koroshec (guitar), Dustin Morgan (bass) and Steve Elkins (drums). History Formed by childhood friends Koroshec and ...

, which he fronted for more than a decade (1997–2008). He is also a member of the experimental post-punk collective

The Sound of Animals Fighting The Sound of Animals Fighting is an American rock supergroup founded by Rich Balling of Rx Bandits. In the band's initial run, they released a trilogy of records between 2004 and 2008, and performed only four live shows, following their second ...

, and the black-metal-inspired

Pyramids A pyramid (from el, πυραμίς ') is a structure whose outer surfaces are triangular and converge to a single step at the top, making the shape roughly a pyramid in the geometric sense. The base of a pyramid can be trilateral, quadrilate ...

. In addition to his musical output, Kelly is a historian of the modern Middle East. He holds a PhD from the University of California at Los Angeles (

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...

), has published several articles in professional journals, and is the author of a forthcoming book with the

University of California Press The University of California Press, otherwise known as UC Press, is a publishing house associated with the University of California that engages in academic publishing. It was founded in 1893 to publish scholarly and scientific works by faculty ...

. Kelly currently resides in Los Angeles with his wife, the dancer and choreographer Tammie Rose Johnston. They have one son.

The Autumns

Portrait of Matthew Kelly by Norton Wisdom

] The Autumns' career began in 1997, when the band released the EP '' Suicide at Strell Park'' and, shortly thereafter, the LP ''

The Angel Pool ''The Angel Pool'' is the first studio album by the rock band The Autumns. It was released in 1997 on Risk Records In simple terms, risk is the possibility of something bad happening. Risk involves uncertainty about the effects/implications of ...

''. Both records garnered a good deal of critical acclaim, especially ''The Angel Pool''. ''Flipside'' called it a "hypnotic pop masterpiece." ''All Music Guide'' deemed it a "fine debut" that featured "an alluring mix of power and beauty." Word of the LP soon spread to Europe, where it caught the ear of

Simon Raymonde Simon Philip Raymonde (born Simon Philip Pomerance; 3 April 1962, in London) is an English musician and record producer. He is the son of the late arranger and composer Ivor Raymonde. He is best known as the bass guitarist and keyboard player ...

, whose band

Cocteau Twins Cocteau Twins was a Scottish rock band active from 1979 to 1997. They were formed in Grangemouth by Robin Guthrie (guitars, drum machine) and Will Heggie (bass), adding Elizabeth Fraser (vocals) in 1981 and replacing Heggie with multi-instrum ...

was among The Autumns’ primary influences. In 2000, Raymonde produced 'The Autumns’ second album, ''

In the Russet Gold of this Vain Hour ''In the Russet Gold of This Vain Hour'' is the second album by the American alternative rock band The Autumns, released in 2000. Track listing All songs written by The Autumns The Autumns were an American indie rock band based in Los Angeles, ...

.'' He went on to release the band's third and fourth albums––''

'' (2004) and ''

Fake Noise from a Box of Toys ''Fake Noise from a Box of Toys'' is the fourth and final studio album by American alternative rock band The Autumns, released in 2007. Track listing All songs written by the Autumns The Autumns were an American indie rock band based in Los ...

'' (2008)––on his prestigious London-based recording label,

Bella Union Bella Union is a British independent record label founded in 1997 by Simon Raymonde and Robin Guthrie of Cocteau Twins. It is now run solely by Raymonde. History After releasing records with 4AD for a large part of their career, Cocteau Twi ...

. The self-titled album was a hit with the British press. It won four-star reviews in ''MOJO'', ''NME'', ''The Times of London'', and other high-profile outlets. Critics were more ambivalent about ''Fake Noise''. ''NME'' memorably wrote that it sounded like "Sigur Ros getting hurt in a free jazz boot camp." ''Filter'' took a different view, declaring that ''Fake Noise'' proved The Autumns were "everything that other bands wish they were." The Autumns also expanded their discography with a number of EPs, including ''

Winter in a Silver Box ''Winter in a Silver Box'' is an EP by the American alternative rock band The Autumns The Autumns were an American indie rock band based in Los Angeles, California, comprising Matthew Kelly (vocals, guitar), Frankie Koroshec (guitar), Dustin M ...

'' (1998), the 50s-themed '' Le Carillon'' (2001), and the covers collection '' Covers'' (2001). The band released several singles (with exclusive b-sides) as well. These included ''Boy with the Aluminum Stilts'' (2000), ''Every Sunday Sky'' (2004), ''Boys'' (2008), and ''Killer in Drag'' (2009). In addition, they put out a limited edition split 7-inch with Denton, Texas band

Lift to Experience Lift to Experience is an American indie rock band from Denton, Texas, that formed in 1996 with vocalist and guitarist Josh T. Pearson, drummer Andy "The Boy" Young and bassist Josh "The Bear" Browning. The band has thus far released only one ...

, 2000's "White Nights"/"Calling out to Jesus in the Middle of the Night."

The Sound of Animals Fighting

In 2006, avant-garde producer R. Loren (Rich Loren Balling)––whose collaborators include

Lydia Lunch Lydia Lunch (born Lydia Anne Koch; June 2, 1959)Martin Charles Strong. ''The Great Indie Discography''. 2003, page 85 is an American singer, poet, writer, actress and self-empowerment speaker. Her career began during the 1970s New York City no ...

Alec Empire Alec or Aleck is a Scottish form of the given name Alex. It may be a diminutive of the name Alexander or a given name in its own right. Notable people with the name include: People * Alec Aalto (1942–2018), Finnish diplomat *Alec Acton (1938� ...

, and

Vern Rumsey Vernon Emmry Aldo Rumsey (January 24, 1973 – August 6, 2020) was an American musician. He rose to prominence as the bassist for the band Unwound. He generally played a Fender Jazz bass. He was also a recording engineer who has worked with band ...

––conscripted Kelly into the post-punk collective

. Kelly lent his vocal and songwriting talents to the album '' Lover, The Lord Has Left Us'' (

Equal Vision Equal Vision Records is an independent record label based in Albany, New York. It was founded in the early 1990s by Ray Cappo, singer for the punk bands Youth of Today, Shelter, and Better Than a Thousand. The label originally existed solely to ...

). Adopting the moniker "The Wolf", he collaborated with Loren ("The Nightingale") and

RX Bandits Rx Bandits are an American four-piece band based in Seal Beach, California, United States. The band formed in 1995 in Orange County, California. They have appeared on the Vans Warped Tour, at the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival, Coachella Valle ...

’

Matt Embree Matthew Embree is an American singer and guitarist best known as the front-man of Rx Bandits. He also has played lead guitar and sung vocals for The Sound of Animals Fighting, in which he was known as "The Walrus". He produced their last album ' ...

("The Walrus") to produce the

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

-infused track "My Horse Must Lose", as well as the album's closer, "The Heretic." Kelly also appeared on The Sound of Animals Fighting's third album, ''

The Ocean and the Sun ''The Ocean and the Sun'' is the third album by experimental rock band The Sound of Animals Fighting. The album features only the four core members that had appeared on both the first and second albums: the Nightingale, the Walrus, the Lynx and Th ...

'' (

Epitaph An epitaph (; ) is a short text honoring a deceased person. Strictly speaking, it refers to text that is inscribed on a tombstone or plaque, but it may also be used in a figurative sense. Some epitaphs are specified by the person themselves be ...

), where he again sang on the closing track ("On the Occasion of Wet Snow"). Awareness of TSOAF's cult status spread when the group performed a series of sold out shows on the West Coast in 2006, which were captured on the live DVD ''

We Must Become The Change We Want To See ''We Must Become the Change We Want to See'' is the first live DVD from The Sound of Animals Fighting, released on May 1, 2007. The DVD includes footage from one of the only four shows the band has played . The show was filmed live at the House o ...

''. In 2014, the band performed another short series of shows, this time on both coasts, selling out a number of large venues (including the

Best Buy Theater Palladium Times Square (formerly PlayStation Theater, Best Buy Theater and Nokia Theatre Times Square) is an indoor live events venue in New York City, located in One Astor Plaza, at the corner of Broadway and 44th Street. It was designed by archi ...

in Times Square NYC and Los Angeles’

Wiltern Theatre The Pellissier Building and adjoining Wiltern Theatre is a 12-story, Art Deco landmark at the corner of Wilshire Boulevard and Western Avenue in Los Angeles, California. The entire complex is commonly referred to as the Wiltern Center. Clad in a ...

Pyramids

In 2007, Kelly and Loren collaborated on another project,

. Pyramids released its debut, self-titled album in 2008 on

Hydra Head Records Hydra Head Records was an independent record label that specializes in extreme metal music, founded in New Mexico by Aaron Turner (the frontman of Isis) in 1993. It had another imprint, Hydra Head Noise Industries, which specialized in experiment ...

. The record's dissonant, arhythmic aesthetic captivated the press, from ''The'' ''Wire'' to ''Pitchfork''. The latter characterized the album as an "unapologetic post-rock assault", the product of "a formidable talent." ''Drowned In Sound'' called it "totally weird and totally new." ''Decibel'' claimed that the record had "redefined grimness for a generation." ''Terrorizer'' deemed it "a beguiling nightmare of an album." In the end, ''All Music Guide'' may have said it best: "There is no other music like this out there." Pyramids’ subsequent collaborations with Nadja ('' Pyramids with Nadja''), Windy and Carl (and 49 others, on the five-cassette box-set ''Wvndrkmmer''), Wraiths (''Magpie and Raven''), Horseback (''A Throne Without a King''), and a split with

Mamiffer Mamiffer is an American band based in Seattle, Washington. It started out as a solo project for former Pyramids and Everlovely Lightningheart member Faith Coloccia that later saw several session musicians and collaborators, most consistently Aaro ...

, evoked similarly passionate reactions the world over. In 2015, Canadian label

Profound Lore Profound Lore Records is a Canadian independent record label founded in May 2004, which "began as the 'hobby-like venture' of a few friends but, over the past six years, the label has evolved into a one-man enterprise, shaped a distinct 'aesthet ...

released ''A Northern Meadow'', again to rave reviews.

Soviet League, Minus Music

In 2010, Kelly teamed up with Sugarplastic's Ben Eshbach to write and record an album of richly melodic pop. The result was the Phil-Spector- and Brian-Wilson-inspired Soviet League. Few critics seemed to notice the record, but those who did regarded it as one of the year's best. Kelly then joined forces with

Evol Intent Evol Intent is a hardstep drum and bass group formed in Tuscaloosa, Alabama and Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. in 2000. The group is composed of The Enemy (Ashley Jones), Knick ( Nick Weiller), and Gigantor (Mike Diasio). The trio has released several s ...

's Knick Weiller to produce a short EP entitled Minus Music (2012).

Future projects

In 2015, Kelly performed twice, both times in Los Angeles with acclaimed singer-songwriter

Josh T. Pearson Josh T. Pearson is an American musician from Texas, United States. He is known for his work with the band Lift to Experience and his subsequent solo career. Lift to Experience In 1996, Pearson formed the short-lived, but critically acclaimed ba ...

. With Madison Megna (The Autumns) an
Gaby Graves
(Glass Graves) accompanying, he played several new songs, which are rumored to be part of a forthcoming album, although it is unknown with which project the album will be associated.

Discography

* Suicide at Strell Park (1997) –

(1997) –

(1998) –

In the Russet Gold of This Vain Hour ''In the Russet Gold of This Vain Hour'' is the second album by the American alternative rock band The Autumns, released in 2000. Track listing All songs written by The Autumns The Autumns were an American indie rock band based in Los Angeles, ...

(2000) –

* Le Carillon (2001) –

* Covers (2001) –

*White Nights / Calling Out to Jesus in the Middle of the Night (2001) –

Gift A gift or a present is an item given to someone without the expectation of payment or anything in return. An item is not a gift if that item is already owned by the one to whom it is given. Although gift-giving might involve an expectation ...

(2003) –

(2004) –

*Every Sunday Sky (2004) –

Tiger and the Duke ''Tiger and the Duke'' is the debut studio album by the experimental rock band The Sound of Animals Fighting. Four songs from this album were released in demo form on a 2004 EP of the same title. It is a concept album revolving around the title ...

(2005) –

* Lover, the Lord Has Left Us... (2006) –

*Tiger and the Duke: reissue (2007) –

(2008) –

*Boys (2008) –

*Pyramids (2008) – Pyramids *

(2008) –

*Killer In Drag (2009) –

*Pyramids with Nadja (2009) – Pyramids *Soviet League (2010) – Soviet League *Into the Silent Waves: Ulver and Lustmord remixes (2010) – Pyramids *A Throne Without A King (2011) – Pyramids/Horseback *Mamiffer/Pyramids (2012) – Mamiffer/Pyramids *Magpie and Raven (2012) – Pyramids with Wraiths *Minus Music (2012) – Minus Music *A Northern Meadow (2015) – Pyramids *Apeshit (2022) –

References

External links

The Autumns official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kelly, Matthew American rock guitarists American male guitarists Living people Place of birth missing (living people) Year of birth missing (living people) The Sound of Animals Fighting members