MATT HIRES SET TO START THINGS UP WITH DEBUT ALBUM

08.25.09

  TAMPA-BASED TROUBADOUR TO HERALD RELEASE

WITH FULL-SCALE US TOUR ITINERARY,

INCLUDING HEADLINE DATES AND SUPPORT SHOWS

ALONGSIDE TYRONE WELLS AND MARC BROUSSARD;

"HONEY, LET ME SING YOU A SONG" IMPACTING NOW AT AAA;

"TAKE US TO THE START" ALREADY A TOP 10 iTUNES SMASH;

PHYSICAL RELEASE ARRIVES IN STORES ON AUGUST 25^TH

F-Stop Music/Atlantic recording artist Matt Hires has announced the upcoming release of his eagerly anticipated debut album. "TAKE US TO THE START" - which includes the single, "Honey, Let Me Sing You A Song" - arrives in stores everywhere on August 25th.

Released exclusively through iTunes earlier this summer, "TAKE US TO THE START" proved an instant success. The digital-only release hit the top 10 on iTunes' overall "Top Albums" chart, while also reaching the upper half of the Billboard 200. The album follows Hires's debut EP, "LIVE AT THE HOTEL CAFÉ," which reached the top 10 on iTunes' "Top Singer/Songwriters Albums" chart upon its October 2008 release.

"Honey, Let Me Sing You A Song," the first single from "TAKE US TO THE START," is impacting now at Triple A radio outlets nationwide. In addition, the track's companion video clip is currently streaming at Hires's official MySpace page, www.myspace.com/matthires, and can also be viewed online at http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid4020141001/?bctid=ref:A10302B0000917706M (this link may be posted.)

The first full-length release from Atlantic's new F-Stop Music imprint, "TAKE US TO THE START" marks the arrival of a self-assured and authentic new artist. On tracks such as "State Lines" and "You In The End," the Tampa, Florida-based Hires fuses the intimacy of the great singer/songwriters with indelible pop-rock hooks and propulsive rhythms. Produced by Eric Rosse (Sara Bareilles, Tori Amos), "TAKE US TO THE START" is filled with multiple delights, most notably Hires's remarkable voice, an instrument striking in its warmth, expressiveness, and ability to convey a multitude of emotions within a single song.

Along the album's other highlights are two songs - "Turn The Page" and "Perfect Day" - which were featured in recent episodes of ABC's Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice. What's more, "Turn The Page" can be heard in the trailer for the forthcoming Miramax Films release, The Boys Are Back.

"TAKE US TO THE START" has already begun earning advance critical praise. In its just-published review, People hailed the collection, noting "on the opening cut of his debut, Hires requests, ‘Honey, Let Me Sing You a Song.' With his folky pop and aching croon, how could you deny him?"

Hires - who recently supported fellow Atlantic recording artist Paolo Nutini on his North American tour - will celebrate the release of "TAKE US TO THE START" with two eagerly awaited appearances in his hometown of Tampa. First, Matt will hit Vinyl Fever for a free in-store performance, slated for Sunday, August 30th at 2:00 pm. Then, on September 4th, Matt will take the stage at Tampa's The Orpheum for a hugely anticipated headline show. From there, Hires will join Tyrone Wells on his much-anticipated fall tour, starting September 12th at Denver's Soiled Dove Underground (see attached itinerary). As if that weren't enough, Matt will also support fellow Atlantic artist Marc Broussard for a number of West Coast dates on his upcoming "Welcome To My Living Room" acoustic tour, including stops in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Seattle.

A charming and charismatic live performer, Matt has spent the past year touring the country with such like-minded acts as Dave Matthews Band, Marc Broussard, Eric Hutchinson and O.A.R. What's more, Hires was also among the stars performing aboard John Mayer's recent "Mayercraft Carrier 2" concert cruise.

For up-to-the-minute news and information, please visit Matt's official MySpace page, www.myspace.com/matthires.

MATT HIRES
On Tour 2009
9/12-11/18 w/Tyrone Wells Except * w/Marc Broussard

SEPTEMBER
4 Tampa, FL The Orpheum
5 Orlando, FL The Social
12 Denver, CO Soiled Dove Underground
13 Colorado Springs, CO Stargazer's Theatre
15 Des Moines, IA People's Court
16 Minneapolis, MN Varsity Theatre
17 Iowa City, IA The Mill
20 St. Louis, MO Off Broadway
22 Birmingham, AL Workplay Theatre
23 Charlotte, NC Double Door Inn
29, 30 East Vienna, VA Jammin' Java

OCTOBER
1 Philadelphia, PA World Café Live
2 Boston, MA Café 939
4 Fairfield, CT Fairfield Theatre
6 Burlington, VT Club Metronome
7 New York, NY Highline Ballroom
8 Rochester, NY Water Street Music Hall
9 Pittsburgh, PA Hard Rock Café
10 Chicago, IL Lakeshore Theatre
11 Grand Rapids, MI The Intersection
12 Ann Arbor, MI The Blind Pig
15 Indianapolis, IN Birdy's Bar
16 Nashville, TN 3rd & Lindsay
17 Atlanta, GA Vinyl
18 Orlando, FL The Social
20 Houston, TX House of Blues
21 Austin, TX La Zona Rosa
23 Dallas, TX The Prophet Bar
25 Scottsdale, AZ Martini Ranch
26, 27 Los Angeles, CA The Mint *
29 San Francisco, CA Café du Nord *
30 Seattle, WA Tractor Tavern *

NOVEMBER
5 San Diego, CA Anthology
6 Anaheim, CA House of Blues
7 San Francisco, CA Slims
8 Sacramento, CA Marilyn's On K
11 Portland, OR Aladdin Theater
14 Seattle, WA Neumos
18 Boise, ID The Reef