Meet Matt Cullen

We were lucky to catch up with Matt Cullen recently and have shared our conversation below.

Matt, so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?

I have been a musician here in New Jersey for over 20 years now. Music has always been my calling, it’s in my blood. I have always been involved in the local scene somehow, be it playing in bands, supporting other bands, or putting together shows on my own. My good friend and cohost Jeff and I have been playing together in various projects for close to 15 years now. We had always tossed around the idea of doing a music podcast, but mostly in a joking manner. Then covid hit, and the music scene all but disappeared overnight. So we thought, why don’t we start it now. We had the means to bring people in and record them. Give these bands some way to put any kind of content out and stay engaged with their fan base. Thus the Jersey Shore Musicians Podcast was born. Since 2020 we have interview over 60+ bands, recorded numerous acoustic performances, and through the help of our main sponsor Manafirkin Brewery in Manahawkin NJ, we have put on numerous shows focused solely on benefitting the bands. We wanted this to be all about the bands and the music, not the money. Our purpose has become to revive what was once a great music scene here at the shore. To do things for the local artists that we wished someone had done for us when we were coming up in the local scene.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

Since starting the podcast in 2020, it has grown fairly well. It started out just as something to do once the world shut down from covid, but has become so much more. Since it’s inception we have interviewed over 60+ bands, audio engineers, live music photographers, and promoters. We always offer the artists that come on a chance to do an acoustic performance along with their interview. All of our in studio performances are strictly acoustic. I think making a band strip down their songs to the most simple forms, then played acoustic brings out that raw emotion, and shows how talented they really are. Plus they get to walk away with a recording with good audio and video at no cost to them. There is so many talented people out there, they just need help getting seen. That is where we try to step in and help them out. Our main goal is to just help musicians. We had one band come in and blow us away with the acoustic renditions of their songs. So we brought them back in, picked one song and tracked out and recorded it. Even made them a music video to go along with it. You can see it on the main page our our YouTube channel. A lot of the things we have done comes from the help of our friends and sponsors. We have put on multiple shows in Ocean County NJ. Manafirkin Brewery has been our home base so far. During the warmer weather we do full band shows outside, and do the smaller acoustic shows inside in the colder months. Our best shows was this past October when we were given the opportunity to curate an entire days worth of musical acts for the Stafford Township Harvest Festival. The best part about that Harvest Festival show, was that we got to team up with the students from the Ocean County Vocational Technical Schools Audio Engineering program. We had them come in and run sound for the whole show. It was awesome to be able to give the students and opportunity to get real life experience working in live sound and with multiple bands. This podcast has been able to connect us with some of the best people, and help us do some really awesome things for the local music scene.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

Honestly, when I jumped into this podcast, I didn’t know anything. I was flying by the seat of my pants. I have always been resilient though. I dug in and learned as I went. Hours and hours of watching videos on how to edit, camera setups, and lighting etc. The most impactful skill is definitely just being persistent. Not letting the little set backs hold you up, and continuing to move forward. Between Jeff and myself we have been around all facets of the music industry, and have both been playing for 20+ years, so we have seen it all. That for sure helps us be able to give advice and guide younger musicians on their journeys. The best advice I could give to younger folks looking to get out there and play music, or even start a podcast is just to, BE YOU! Not everyone is gonna like you, and that is ok. Be authentic to yourself and never compromise, and your people will find you. It may take some time, but it will be worth it when it happens.

Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?

We are always looking to collaborate with anyone that wants to. Always looking out for people to help us get our word out and continue to grow. I always say, the bigger we can grow the podcast, the more we can do for all of the bands we collaborate with. It has to be a community, thats the way the music scene has always been. As the old saying goes, “It takes a village”. We always collaborate with artists and musicians, but also would love to do more with other podcasts as well.

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Image Credits

Photos by Emerald City Memories

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