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NOT YOUR AVERAGE CUP OF JOE Craig Matthew of Altitude Coffee Lab is a musical mastermind BY ELIZABETH LIBERATORE
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PHOTO BY CARL SCHULTZ
raig Matthew has an impressive resume. He is a former professional golfer, a FORD/Robert Black Agency model, a KWSS (93.9 FM) and Radio Phoenix co-host to radio show, “The Venus Vault Show,” and the co-owner of Scottsdale’s Altitude Coffee Lab (www. altitudecoffeelab.com). As if his list of achievements isn’t wow-worthy enough, he is also a musician. “I started playing guitar and piano at a fairly young age and it quickly became a passion,” he says. “It’s hard to really put into words how certain musical moments can grab hold of you.” When he isn’t at Altitude, Matthew is working with the musical talents at AfterMaster Audio Labs in Los Angeles. “I met Larry Rykman, [the] CEO of AfterMaster, at Altitude and in incredible turn of fate he invited me to record a song at his studio in L.A.” Since working with the AfterMaster’s team, Matthew has been busy writing and producing songs for his record, which he plans to release this year. So, next time you grab a cup of joe at Altitude, say hi to Matthew – a man of many talents and creative endeavors.
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Do you like having local musicians come into Altitude and play live for your customers? Yes! Though we are doing less music now, we have had quite a few very good players. My business partner, Paul Musikanth, and I have worked hard to create a good atmosphere at Altitude and I believe it caters well to live music. Do you play live anywhere around the Valley? I’ve put most of my musical energy into writing recently because I’m trying to take full advantage of the recording opportunity I have in L.A. I am, however, starting to put together a band and hope to play more live shows soon. Where do you gain your musical inspiration from? My songs are always related to emotions that I’ve felt during certain experiences, but the words rarely describe those experiences directly. I suppose there’s a certain level of self-protection in the way I go about it, but there is a great deal of feeling that goes into my writing. SO SCOTTSDALE! |
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| FEBRUARY 2016
1/25/16 12:11 PM