Matt & JuJu

Matt and JuJu met as part of a group of neighborhood kids that frequented cul-de-sacs during the long summer nights of Thousand Oaks, CA in the late nineties. Reunited as adults, each became musicians in their own right, now collaborating as a music duo that produces a unique combination of organic instruments, sultry jazz melodies, and intricate harmonies. Through their formative years, each developed their own musical skills and tastes: Matt picked up the guitar at a very young age, and eventually became a vocalist as well, with wide-ranging influences in Rock music from Eric Clapton to Jimi Hendrix, and Elvis to Tom Waits, as well as a background in heavy metal, such as Children of Bodom, Gojira and Pantera. Matt has an extensive performance history, including a band with Bruce Boulliet (The Scream, Racer X) and The Changing with Kalen Chase (Korn). JuJu grew up as part of a singing quartet with her sistersa background heavy in performance beginning at the ripe age of two. As she grew older, JuJu started accompanying herself with the piano and expanded her repertoire, studying such innovative artists as jazz legend Billie Holiday, soul singer Janis Joplin, and the voice of British rock, Freddy Mercury. By the time JuJu was eighteen, she had played over a thousand shows at many different venues, attended meetings at the highest levels of several studios, including Columbia TriStar, MTV, Disney, abc, and Fox, and had sang for Quincy Jones at his home while he told her sister group they would be the next Boyz II Men. With these unique and extensive music backgrounds, Matt and JuJu bring together a collection of contacts, styles, and performance repertoires to create raw, grungy rock-blues songwriting with a modern burlesque vibe. Their new single, Chain Reaction released October 2013 features bassist John Spazz Hatton (Brian Setzer Orchestra) and drummer Gary Mallaber (Steve Miller Band, Bruce Springsteen, Van Morrison, Bonnie Raitt, Cher and America). Matt and JuJu play also around southern California and the West Coast and are currently working on releasing their next single..