Growing up in the small town of Belgrade, Montana where the music program had a limited amount of students, yet created dedication to the power of the art; Matt Coughlin was introduced to his innately born talents on a classical level.   He took his voice, guitar, and passion to study at Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, Washington, and began to fine tune both of his illimitable instruments.

Drawing from formal training, folk and rock, a choral influence, and tight-knit jazz ensembles, Matt developed his raspy rock voice into a jaw-dropping tone that has his audience members on their feet and applauding for more.    

After college, Matt tossed dough for a local pizza joint in Tacoma to pay the bills.   In his spare time, he began playing open-mics while focusing his energies and skills on his Gibson and the craft of songwriting.   In 2004, he met up with producer Zach Varnell (Weather, the Nouveau Rich), and began to lay down his first EP, Let it Go .   The tunes show off Matt's clever melodies and soaring voice in a rock/funk style.   Matt hooked up with Sam Collins, a jazz prodigy on the upright and electric bass, and other talented musicians to lay down this five track work of art.   Dalton Shotwell, a funk-infused drummer from Grass Valley, California, soon added percussive perfection to Matt's style, and thus formed the Matt Coughlin Band.   The trio quickly became popular around Tacoma's local bar scene and picked up Phil O'Sullivan, a masterful Telecaster player from Porterville, California, to smooth out the funk with expressive leads.   Their original music draws from several influences: a blending of folk, rock and roll, alternative country, a little funk, and even jazz, to create smooth melodies over a solid groove. The resulting sound is tight and technical, and filled with soul.

A quoted “up and comer” in Tacoma's Weekly Volcano, Ginger Knoxx told her readers to “expect big things” from Matt in the future.   His sound has led him to open for some very influential musicians such as Martin Sexton, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, Storyhill, Christopher Cross, Curt Kirkwood, The Paperboys, Vicci Martinez, The Jude Bowerman Band, and The Eric McFadden Trio.   With his home turf in the greater Seattle area, the Matt Coughlin Band has captivated audiences at popular scenes such as Jazzbones, ToST, The Triple Door, and Nectar.  

More recently, Matt has begun to travel further than the Puget Sound area for some acoustic touring and recorded his second EP in Bozeman, Montana with Chris Cunningham (Storyhill).   The disc entitled It's About Time creates more of a folk style experience of powerful lyrics and memorable melodies.   Continuing his eclectic travels, Matt can be seen at local bars, coffee shops, and other night scenes, wherever he may land.