Leoni, Matthew John

Born and raised in Chicago , Illinois with his twin brother Nathan Leoni . Has three older sisters: Allison, Jill and Pauline.

When Nathan and Matt were 12, their mother died in a car accident.

Got a sports scholarship at Indianopolis College. Professionally involved in football in the USA, as well as in Florence . For some time he studied at Columbia College with a degree in music management .

In Florence, together with Nathan, they decide to quit football and begin to make music. At first, they learned to play acoustic guitars in the library on their own. At age 21, Matt decides to pick up a bass guitar . The first teacher says that Matt has too short hands for playing the bass. After that, the novice musician independently masters the bass.

In 1998, together with Nathan and friends, creates the group The Blank Theory . The group independently releases two mini-albums and signs a contract with New Line Records for the release of the full-length album Beyond the Calm of the Corridor , produced by former Smashing Pumpkins guitarist James Iha and Ivy and Fountains of Wayne bass player Adam Schlesinger . Despite the popularity of the group in Chicago and the warm reception of the album, in 2004 the group split up.

In 2004, the story of Madina Lake begins. In the summer of 2004, in a Chicago cafe, Matthew and Nathan discuss the breakup of their groups with their Reforma friends and realize that they have much more in common than they seem. The result of this evening is the idea to create a Madina Lake group. The basis is the concept of the city of Madina Lake cut off from the rest of the world, which reflects the state of American pop culture. Matthew undertakes to develop this idea in the form of a story.

In 2005, together with Nathan, she takes part in a special issue of the Fear Factor show and wins $ 45,000 for the recording of the debut EP The Disapearence Of Adalia .

On June 30, 2010, in an alley, he tried to stop a man who had beaten a woman. Matt first tried to calm the man with words, and then called the police, after which a blow to the head followed from the back. The result of this incident was a long treatment and the replacement of a third of the skull with a metal plate ^{[2] [3]} . Medical bills were covered by donations from fans and charity concerts by many musicians such as The Smashing Pumpkins. ^[4] For his heroic deed, the musician received a letter from the Governor of Illinois and the Kerrang Award ! Hero Of The Year ^[1] .

In 2011, while working on his third album, he collaborated with his idol Billy Corgan of The Smashing Pumpkins .

He was married to Otom Leoni (Autumn Leone) in 2011 - 2012. Now meets with Englishwoman Vick Mackay.

• The vegetarian .
• Left-handed , but plays right-handed bass.
• Matt prefers to play the index finger and middle finger on the bass , however, he uses the pick to record the studio recording of World War III and perform some songs at concerts.
• Other bass prefers MusicMan StingRay and Fender Jazz Bass
• Favorite bands are The Smashing Pumpkins , Nine Inch Nails and Muse .
• Songs by Madina Lake We Got This and Howdy Neighbor! are dedicated to Matt and the events of June 30, and the songs Morning Sadness and Friends & Lovers are dedicated to the twin mother.
• Favorite songs of Madina Lake - Stars, Never Walk Alone, Howdy Neighbor! and We Got This.
• Collects canes and tubes

1. ↑ ^{1 2} Madina Matt Voted Hero Of The Year , on the Ultimate Guitar website.
2. ↑ Madina Lake's Matthew Leone Returns To Rocking on Ultimate Guitar .
3. ↑ Man Charged Over Madina Lake Attack on Ultimate Guitar .
4. ↑ Smashing Pumpkins Raise Over $ 80,000 For Madina Lake's Matthew Leone , on Roadrunner Records .