Matt Brooks

I have been playing bass since a very early age. I picked up the bass after catching the love of music from my older brothers who needed a bassist to finish and inexperienced but enthusiastic trio. While growing up I passed through many bands of different genres collecting experience and ideas along the way. My attitude towards the bass changed (as I think a lot of bassist do) when I discovered some of the great players such as Jaco, Wooten, Patitucci etc... Seeing these guys play really opened my eyes to what the bass is capable of, not just a backline instrument but also a very expressive top line instrument. In 2001 I attended the Academy of Contemporary Music in Guildford where I was lucky enough to be tutored by and play along side such musicians Paul Francis (James Taylor Quartet/Paul Weller) and Chad Smith (red hot chillie peppers) While there I feel I matured as a musician and finally felt ready to make the plunge and start my career in the music industry. I moved to Brighton in 2002 where I was involved with several projects and got the chance to play some sessions in the infamous levellers studio - Metway. In 2004 I got an offer from a 10 piece soul band based in Plymouth and decided to take it. Never having been that far west in the UK I had no idea what to expect from the music scene outside of the band, but found many talented likeminded musicians and enough gigs to keep me out of trouble for some time! That band turned out to be a big stepping stone and brought me to meet Alex Christaki with whom I formed The Half Quartet. The band survived seven years of successful gigging with me as the bottom end. We played numerous Jazz festivals across the southwest and entertained at events such as the world powerboat championships and even appeared in several television shows, the band, which is still going strong, shows no sign of stopping. In 2009 I joined the Fresh and very lively funk band Freshly Squeezed. We played many local festivals and events from the Isles of Scilly to Bristol and beyond. Besides that I played many sessions across the southwest including the Mama Stones House Band backing up many local talents including Joss Stone herself. 2012 is seeing my career develop further, joining the superb rock, roots band 'Wille and the Bandits'. This heavy touring band has grown massively over the last few years. The band have already played many top UK festivals including Glastonbury and the Isle of white and toured extensively in Europe and the UK. They've supported bands such as Status Quo, Jo Bonamassa and John Butler. Currently recording their third album and preparing for the first tour of the year in Switzerland, 2012 is shaping up well! I am a professional bass player living in southern England. I play for Wille and the Bandits and teach the bass guitar in the Dorset area.