In McMinnville, many seek to find something bigger and better than the small town norm. Musically, I would say that freshman Matt Seymour meets that. This individual is the bassist for three bands; our school’s jazz band, Sterling Jazz choir, and not to mention the incredible talent of the Jake Blair Band, which is formed out of school.

In his first year at Mac High, Matt has already achieved many awards including a best solo award at a Salem Jazz festival, performing with Sterling Jazz.

Seymour’s background goes back eight years when he first started to take interest in his choice instrument of the electric bass. His father Dan Seymour has been playing the bass since he was about eight as well, a span of 35 years and had plenty of experience to back up his son’s new found gift. Within those years Matt developed his technique with influences from Victor Wooten, Stanley Clark, Lewis Johnson and many more, but not forgetting his dad. Matt’s particular style was formed around jazz, and he studied immensely into that modus operandi, learning much about music theory and exploring his supreme margins of where he could go as a musician.

A large part of his career at the present moment is his band with Jake Blair. He performs with two other undoubtedly gifted musicians whose talent is indescribable.

The leader of the pack is Jake Blair, a sophomore from Lebanon, after whom the band is named, who sings and plays a Fender Stratocaster guitar, filling out the band, a drummer by the name of Marshal Root from Mac, who advances both Seymour and Blair quite a bit in years, and knows how to rock like nobodies business.

This band is packed with unquenchable aptitude. Blair was amazing on the fret board; sophomores fingers cannot move faster than what is seen when he plays. He claims that everything he knows, he knows by ear, and he plays along with what he hears on a CD or radio. When you are a guitarist, this concept is impeccably mind numbing to conceive. During the last song, Voodoo Child by Jimmy Hendrix, Blair pulls the guitar over his head and plays the solo on his back, and it was an awesome solo. It was good, when one would usually suspect someone to mess up at least once when they do that. He was playing it perfectly, and at an amazing speed as well.

Seymour’s years of skill were definitely unleashed in this piece. Moving from slapping strings to smooth blues was nothing to him and his mobility was equally as fluent. Solos came here and there throughout the concert that featured his part, but when they came, man they were swinging. When you hear him play you cannot help but scratch your head with astonishment from the amazing riffs he’s playing. Though while he was performing his eyes were drawn to the attention of three very attractive ladies.

“Sometimes I’m not even looking at anything, and I just blank out,” Matt said, “I like chicks man.”

Technically, the Jake Blair Band would be considered a “blues” band, but they are so much more than that. Fluent in many musical languages, they tampered with reggae, funk, classic rock and many others.

Aside from their obvious diversity they perfected blues music.

You can imagine the accomplishments that this band have made are astounding. At the local Cascade Blues Association Muddy Awards, the won best “New Act” and were nominated for best “Performance” and Blair was nominated for best “Electric Guitar”.

Seymour is actually a fairly practical guy, but there could be big things in his future. His gift is going to make him out to be great, whether he is a rock star or not. How many students can say that they are in an award-winning band before their second year of high school? Probably not many, but relentless of his talent, Seymour has been, and will continue living with a profound respect for music.

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