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This article originally appeared in the June 1, 2012 edition of the Wisconsin State Journal.
It’s a varied, vibrant and sometimes not always supportive scene, but the Madison area can truly be an artist’s haven, especially for musicians. There’s one young man trying to meld more than just the bands of today. Matt Jacoby is also working hard to keep the doors open for acts in the future.
Jacoby has music in his blood. He started playing drums in grade school, and by high school, he had formed his own band. He joined a few other groups along the way, eventually landing in Madison, where he’d heard the scene was especially active.
In 2008, Jacoby became the performance drummer for the well-known R&B artist Felicia Alima. The eventual end of the band didn’t dissuade Jacoby’s love of music; instead it increased creative outlet, in a whole new way. “I found I have more of a passion for helping other active musicians and bands and a real drive at wanting to make their lives easier from a business perspective:’ he says. “Through organizations like the MAMA and Local Sounds, I feel like I have a real mission in life and a reason for being here.”
Moving from onstage to behind the scenes, Jacoby tackled opportunities with gusto. He is a leader in the Madison Area Music Association (MAMA), best known for holding the MAMA awards show to honor local musicians. But the group goes much further, by using money raised from the show to encourage young student musicians in the area with more than just support, but instruments if needed.
Jacoby calls it important work. “Music can be such an integral part of any person’s life and education, and the earlier we can get that across to students, teachers, and parents, the more it will benefit a child now and throughout the rest of their life;’ he explains.
Jacoby is also the president and cofounder of Local Sounds, a promotions and management business model, currently expanding across the state. It is a source of news and support on all levels for current musicians and their fans with an ezine, website, online radio, web television stations and more; it’s the next step in his creative dream. But, it’s also all for both a bigger MAMA and growing Local Sounds are still forming, so Jacoby is still working a regular, full-time job. And he is nothing but positive about his own future. “I love everything about everything I do, and I wish there were more hours to accomplish it all;’ he says.
In the meantime, what he may not realize is that his accomplishments already stand out. He’s a talented, respected musician, who is now respected by his peers for trying to help them use their own talents, for a future of success. And the entire Madison music scene is becoming better because of it.
