From Elton John and Ringo Starr to REO, jazz, songwriting and a musical road entirely his own, Matt Bissonette returns to Boomerocity for one of our most personal conversations yet.
Welcome to another Boomerocity Archive Series interview...where we preserve the stories behind the music that shaped our generation.

There are musicians whose names appear on an astonishing number of albums, tours and stages. Then there are musicians whose presence actually helps make those records and performances what they are.

Matt Bissonette belongs firmly in the second category.

Over the course of an extraordinary career, the bassist, vocalist, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist has worked alongside some of the biggest names in music. His résumé stretches across genres and generations and includes artists such as Elton John, Ringo Starr, David Lee Roth, Joe Satriani, Rick Springfield and many others.

But reducing Matt Bissonette to the list of famous people he's played beside misses perhaps the most interesting part of the story.

Because Matt has music of his own to make.

And in this new Boomerocity conversation, that's where we spend much of our time.

Matt returns to talk about three projects that provide fascinating snapshots of his evolution as an artist: Straight to the Truth, Common Road, and his newest album, Is It Though.

Taken together, the records reveal sides of Bissonette that audiences accustomed to seeing him holding down the low end behind legendary performers may not fully know.

Straight to the Truth gives us Matt the songwriter and recording artist, stepping beyond the sideman role and putting his own musical personality front and center.

Common Road takes us further down that path, with Matt joined by his brother, renowned drummer Gregg Bissonette, along with Ron Pedley and Jimmy Shorts. It also provides an opportunity to talk about something that has followed Matt throughout his life and career: family, musical chemistry and the extraordinary relationship between two brothers who each built remarkable careers in music.

Then there's Is It Though.

The album takes Matt into jazz territory and offers another reminder of just how broad his musical vocabulary really is. For a musician who has spent decades moving comfortably between rock, pop, fusion and countless other musical environments, the project doesn't feel like a detour so much as another piece of the puzzle.

Our conversation explores what drew Matt toward this record, what jazz allows him to express differently, and what happens when a musician who has spent much of his career serving someone else's songs turns his attention toward his own musical instincts.
We also look back at the remarkable road that brought him here.

There are stories from the enormous stages, the legendary artists, the tours and the sessions—but also conversations about musicianship, listening, friendship, family, longevity and what it means to continue being curious after decades in the business.

And because Matt and I have talked several times now—including conversations surrounding The Reddcoats and The Squirts—this interview feels a little different.

It isn't simply another résumé walk-through.

It's a conversation between friends about music.

We talk about the lessons that come from spending years beside extraordinary performers. We talk about the difference between being the musician someone else needs and discovering what you want to say when the record has your own name on the cover.
We talk about Gregg, brotherhood and the musical shorthand that can exist between siblings.

And we talk about where Matt Bissonette finds himself today: still playing, still creating, still exploring and apparently still unwilling to let anyone put him into a convenient musical box.
After all these years and all those stages, perhaps that's the thread connecting Straight to the Truth, Common Road and Is It Though.

They aren't side projects.

They're Matt Bissonette.

Pull up a chair and join us for another wide-ranging, funny and revealing conversation with one of the most accomplished—and versatile—musicians of his generation.

This interview is part of Boomerocity's ongoing commitment to preserving the voices, stories, and cultural contributions that have shaped the Baby Boomer generation—and to passing those stories on to future generations.

Matt Bissonette - The Boomerocity Interview

"Is It Though" - The Title Track From Matt Bissonette's New Album

"Common Road" From Matt's Album By The Same Name

The Title Cut From Matt's "Straight To The Truth"

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