Mat Devine

Mat Devine
Photo taken by Andrew Brucker in NYC
Background information
Birth name	Matthew Devine
Born	April 16, 1974 (1974-04-16) (age 37) Norwalk, CT U.S.
Genres	Alternative rock
Occupations	Musician, singer-songwriter, author, actor
Instruments	Vocals Guitar Keyboards Piano
Years active	1993–present
Labels	Atlantic Records Original Signal Universal Motown Roadrunner UK
Associated acts	Kill Hannah Setting Fires Turn Off the Dark
Website	Official Twitter

Mat Devine (born Matthew Devine on April 16) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, actor and author. He is most well known for creating and fronting the alternative rock band Kill Hannah. Most recently he has joined the cast of the Broadway production Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark.

Career

Music

Kill Hannah

At 19 yrs old, while working on a project called In a Jar UK, in Normal, Illinois, Devine went through a break-up with a 17 year old girl named Hannah.^[1] He then wrote the song "Kill Hannah",^[2] which would later inspire the name of his band.

The band, formed at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, evolved over several years, self-releasing two LPs, four EPs, and earning a substantial local following- regularly selling out Chicago’s legendary live venue The Metro^[3]- before signing with Atlantic Records in 2003.^[1]

For the next four years, the band toured across the US in support of two albums and singles, sharing the stage with bands like 30 Seconds to Mars, HIM, AFI, Angels and Airwaves, Chevelle, The Used, Flyleaf, My Chemical Romance, Velvet Revolver, Alice in Chains, The Sounds, and Shiny Toy Guns.^[1] Their combined albums on Atlantic sold over 200,000 copies.

In 2007, the band signed to Roadrunner Records in the UK, which initiated several tours to UK, Europe and Scandinavia in support of the worldwide release of their album Until There’s Nothing Left of Us.^[4]

In 2009, Kill Hannah signed with New York-based Original Signal Recordings / Universal Motown for the release of Wake Up the Sleepers. The album features guest vocals by Amanda Palmer, Chibi (The Birthday Massacre), Good Charlotte’s Benji Madden, and the Chicago Children’s Choir. In support of the album, the band toured separately with Papa Roach, JET, Morningwood, She Wants Revenge, Smashing Pumpkins, My Passion, and Lacuna Coil.^[1]

Setting Fires

In the summer of 2009, Devine met up with songwriter Alain Whyte (most-known for being Morrissey’s lead guitarist and principal songwriter) and the two began to collaborate.^[5] They called in musician Dean Butterworth (of Good Charlotte) for drums, Davey Julson-Rieley to produce, and Joe McGrath (AFI, Green Day) to mix the songs. EP1 was released for digital download on September 14, 2010, and the first single “The Search” was featured in the season premier of One Tree Hill.^[6]

Broadway

On August 16, 2010, Devine was officially announced as having accepting the principal role of teenage comic book addict Grim Hunter in the original cast of Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark.^[7] He was asked to audition when a producer for the show saw a Kill Hannah CD on the desk of Devine's lawyer.^[8] The production is directed by Julie Taymor, based on the book that she co-wrote with Glen Berger. Music and lyrics are written by Bono and The Edge of U2.^[9]

Devine was quoted in Kerrang! Magazine as saying, "...the music is great and I can't begin to overstate how impressive the set is. It's epic and revolutionary!"^[10] Devine has signed on for a minimum one year commitment.

When the show went on hiatus to input revisions, Devine was retired as the "Geek chorus" were cut.

The Raccoon Society

In 2004, Devine was commissioned by Fuse TV to write periodic blog entries for their website.^[11] Devine uses the blog to relate personal stories, experiences of the band on tour, and to dialogue with fans in Q&A entries. His friend/guest bloggers have included: Mikey Way (My Chemical Romance),^[12] Bam Margera, Benji Madden (Good Charlotte), Tomo (30 Seconds to Mars), Jeremy Dawson (Shiny Toy Guns), We the Kings, Amanda Palmer, The Maine,^[13] and William Beckett (The Academy Is...).^[11]

Personal life

Mat Devine was born on April 16, 1974 in Norwalk, Connecticut. He spent his early years in Norwalk and nearby Westport, Connecticut. Eventually his family moved to West Nyack, NY, where he attended Clarkstown High School South. In his junior year, his family moved again to Lake Forest, Illinois, where he graduated from Lake Forest High School. He enrolled in Illinois State University as an English major, and after 2 years, he transferred to the School of the Art Institute of Chicago^[14] where he graduated with a BFA in Film.

He lived in Chicago until August 2010 when he moved to New York City, where he now lives. He has two sisters.

Devine’s first studio experience was in the home of director John Hughes, where Hughes’s son, John Hughes III, recorded four of Devine’s songs. Hughes and Devine went on to record several songs together at Chicago Trax and Gravity Studios with engineer Critter.^[15]

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d} "Bio &raquo Kill Hannah". Killhannah.com. http://www.killhannah.com/band/bio/. Retrieved 2010-11-04. 
2. ^ "Kill Hannah Biography - ARTISTdirect Music". Artistdirect.com. http://www.artistdirect.com/artist/bio/kill-hannah/2498881. Retrieved 2010-11-04. 
3. ^ "Artist Biography | Kill Hannah biography". Artists.letssingit.com. http://artists.letssingit.com/kill-hannah-bp4jl/biography. Retrieved 2010-11-04. 
4. ^ "Kill Hannah - Roadrunner Records UK". Roadrunnerrecords.co.uk. http://www.roadrunnerrecords.co.uk/artist/Kill+Hannah. Retrieved 2010-11-04. 
5. ^ "Mat Devine Is Setting Fires « CHICAGOVERSEUNITED: Chicago Scene Salvation". Chicagoverse.wordpress.com. 2010-09-13. http://chicagoverse.wordpress.com/2010/09/13/mat-devine-is-setting-fires/. Retrieved 2010-11-04. 
6. ^ Default. "One Tree Hill Music". www.oth-music.com. http://www.oth-music.com/episode801.html. Retrieved 2010-11-04. 
7. ^ Spider-Man, Turn Off the Dark - Broadway (2010-08-16). "Complete Cast Announced for Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark". Broadway.com. http://www.broadway.com/shows/spider-man-turn-off-the-dark/buzz/153279/complete-cast-announced-for-spider-man-turn-off-the-dark/. Retrieved 2010-11-04. 
8. ^ "Kill Hannah Frontman Heading For Broadway - 1 September 2010 | Latest Alternative Music News | Rock Sound - New Music First". Rocksound.tv. http://www.rocksound.tv/news/article/kill-hannah-frontman-heading-for-broadway. Retrieved 2010-11-04. 
9. ^ "Spider-Man on Broadway - Official Site". Spider-Manonbroadway.marvel.com. http://Spider-Manonbroadway.marvel.com/. Retrieved 2010-11-04. 
10. ^ "Kerrang! Kill Hannah frontman to star in Spider-Man musical". Kerrang.com. http://www.kerrang.com/blog/2010/09/kill_hannah_frontman_to_star_i.html. Retrieved 2010-11-04. 
11. ^ ^{a b} "Fuse.tv - The Raccoon Society". Fuseblog.typepad.com. http://fuseblog.typepad.com/kill_hannah/. Retrieved 2010-11-04. 
12. ^ "Mikey to be a guest on Fuse.tv's Raccoon Society". My Chemical Romance. 2009-10-16. http://www.mychemicalromance.com/blog/jeff-watson/mikey-be-guest-fusetvs-raccoon-society. Retrieved 2010-11-04. 
13. ^ "Q and A with Fuse Raccoon Society | The Maine". Wearethemaine.net. http://www.wearethemaine.net/node/9012. Retrieved 2010-11-04. 
14. ^ "School of the Art Institute of Rankings, Class Sizes, Trivia, and Images –". Juggle.com. http://www.juggle.com/school-of-the-art-institute-of-chicago. Retrieved 2010-11-04. 
15. ^ "Kill Hannah Interview || Chaos Control Digizine". Chaoscontrol.com. 2006-10-28. http://www.chaoscontrol.com/?article=killhannah. Retrieved 2010-11-04. 

External links

• Mat Devine on Facebook
• Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark
• The Raccoon Society on Fuse.tv

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Date of birth	April 16, 1974
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