Matthew Check

Matthew Check, a singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist based in Brooklyn, crafts music steeped in the rich tones of reflective 1970s folk-pop and rock. His debut full-length recording, The Condesa Queen, arrived in 2020, with Without a Throne appearing two years afterward.

Born in Newton, Pennsylvania, Check moved to N.Y.C. for graduate studies at the Jewish Theological Seminary. Before long he was dividing his schedule between coursework and downtown banjo sessions; those dual interests later merged into the self-named style "jewgrass" and the album The Bluegrass Kabbalat Shabbat Experience. He became the inaugural banjoist in the hip-hop/bluegrass ensemble Gangstagrass, contributing to the group's 2010 Emmy-nominated single "Long Hard Times to Come," the opening theme for the series Justified. In 2019 Check teamed with Joanie Leeds as Joanie & Matt to release the Americana/folk album Sterling. His solo debut, The Condesa Queen, came out in 2020, followed two years later by Without a Throne.