Matt Menefee (Matt, theBanjoPlayer) is a Nashville-based musician, composer, recording artist, and trailblazer of the banjo. His immaculate talents are on full display in musical releases like 2020’s “Lazer Beast” and 2018’s “The Hit Points” that combine his passion for the instrument with his deep admiration for video game scores. Originally from Artesia, New Mexico, Matt was introduced to the banjo through his grandpa’s love of bluegrass music and felt an instant connection with the instrument. Influenced by a wide array of musical styles in his developing years, Matt challenged himself to push the bounds far beyond the standard utility of the banjo in American roots music and found himself translating the melodies and motifs of classical and jazz-oriented music onto the instrument.  At age 17, he won the prestigious Winfield National Banjo Championship which proved to be the catalyst in the formation of two critically acclaimed bluegrass-acoustic supergroups—Cadillac Sky and Chessboxer. The seemingly “other-worldly” qualities of his playing has led to a prestigious track record as he has worked with the likes of Mumford & Sons, Bela Fleck, Dan Auerbach (The Black Keys), Ricky Skaggs, Jerry Douglas, and Bruce Hornsby, to name a few. Warren Haynes (The Allman Brothers Band / Gov’t Mule) states of Matt’s banjo playing, “Matt is one of the freshest and most interesting voices on any instrument I’ve heard in a long time.  What a blast listening to him and playing music together!”  John Cowan (founding member of New Grass Revival) also says, “Matt is technically one of the best musicians I have ever worked with.  Yes, he is very gifted, but also he works non-stop at his craft.”