Matt Munisteri and Del Rey

Guitarist, singer, and songwriter Matt Munisteri is a Brooklyn native who grew up as almost assuredly the only bluegrass banjo player on his block. His lifelong interest in 20 century American music led him from finger-style Country and Ragtime guitar, through Blues, to Tin Pan Alley and Jazz. His own music reflects this life-long devotion to the history of American Popular song and demonstrates a unique synthesis of rural and urban, long-gone and contemporary.
Mattʼs debut CD “Love Story” wound up on many critics' "Best Of " lists – including garnering the number two slot on Amazonʼs Top Ten Jazz CDs of 2003. A formidable lyricist (“Jazz musicians arenʼt supposed to be able to write lyrics that good” – The Village Voice) his literate songs have been compared to Randy Newman, Mose Allison and Bob Dorough. Matt has been featured on France's ARTE television, profiled in Downbeat magazine, honored with Acoustic Guitar magazineʼs Editor's Choice award, and has been written about in The New Yorker and The Village Voice.
Despite a lack of formal training Matt has wound up with a dreamy but demanding day job as a freewheeling and virtuosic guitarist, and he regularly works with noted artists across the jazz and American roots music spectrum. Over the last year heʼs been playing concerts and festivals with violinist Mark OʼConnorʼs Hot Swing, Steven Bernsteinʼs “downtown super group” The Millennial Territory Orchestra, and Catherine Russell, for whom he also serves as Music Director.
Though a stunning soloist, Matt has always had a primary interest in song, and his skills as an accompanist and interpreter have lead to calls to record with many of todayʼs finest and most individual singers, including Holly Cole, Madeline Peyroux, Liz Wright, “Little” Jimmy Scott, Geoff Muldaur, Sasha Dobson, and most recently Kat Edmondson. Matt contributed arrangements, guitar, and banjo to Loudon Wainwright's 2010 Grammy-winning CD "High Wide and Handsome - The Charlie Poole Project,” and is credited on over 70 CDs, including new
releases by Wycliffe Gordon, and Howard Alden. Matt has played concerts with The Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, Kenny Davern; Andy Stein; Matt Glaser; Tim Kliphuis; Vince Giordano's Nighthawks; Frank Vignola; Jenny Scheinman; Jane Monheit; Rachelle Garniez; Jon-Erik Kellso; Julian Lage; Evan Christopher; Bob Wilbur; Bucky Pizzarelli; and Dick Hyman.
July 2012 will see the release of “Still Runninʼ Round In The Wilderness”, Volume I of his explorations of the “lost” compositions of the under-recognized but prototypical American singer-songwriter Willard Robison. For the last few years Matt has been developing these overlooked gems, after finding the only source materials on 78 records, and has performed his re- imaginings in concerts at MassMoCA, MoMA, Celebrate Brooklyn, and a 2012 SXSW official showcase. Matt is a featured performer on several other upcoming 2012 releases, including his own “Live in Italy” with his band Brock Mumford, and “Hell Among the Hedgehogs”, a smoking hot twin guitar project with Hot Club of Cowtownʼs Whit Smith.

Del Rey started playing guitar when she was four. As a teenager, she met bluesman Sam Chatmon who inspired her to become a blues queen. Her guitar playing is influenced by country blues, stride piano, classic jazz and hillbilly boogie-all filtered through the sensibility of an autodidact trailor-park aesthete. Her live show is full of complex guitar grooves and sly humor.

Del Rey plays concerts world wide and also presents a concert/lecture on women musicians called Women in American Music. She collaborates and tours frequently with Austin guitarist Steve James and she plays ukulele with Ukeshack . She is featured on Maria Muldaur's cd Sweet Lovin' Old Soul. She has contributed to projects in honor of The Mississippi Sheiks, Sister Rosetta Tharpe and Johnny Cash. Del Rey also writes about music for various publications, including Acoustic Guitar.

Del Rey has a new solo album, Four and Six out in April 2012. She has recorded five solo albums, Blue Uke (Hobemian 2008), When The Levee Breaks (Hobemian 2006), X-Rey Guitar (Hobemian 2000), Hot Sauce (Hobemian 1995) and Boogie Mysterioso (Hobemian 1993). In 2003 she released a collection of performances Del Rey:Live.

Del Rey recorded Hen Party with Suzy Thompson (Hobemian 2010) and the first project of 2011 was a 45rpm record, the proceeds of which benefit Transportation Choices Coalition.She recorded an album of uke 'n' bass instrumental duets with Matt Weiner At The Ukeshack #1(Hobemian 2007) and also on uke with The Yes Yes Boys she recorded Why Say No? (Hobemian 2002) With Steve James, Tonight (Hobemian 2004) andTwins (Hobemian 2002). With Del Rey and the Blues Gators she recorded Chartruese (Hobemian 1991) and Cafe Society (Kicking Mule 1985).