Matt Noveskey’s love for music began when he was just a young child.
Growing up in a musical family, he always was attracted to it.
Matt Noveskey of Blue October looks at basses at Guitar Center. He has been with the band since 1999. Noveskey also co-owns Orb Recording Studios, where he produces records with emerging artists as well as known musicians.
Now 38 years old, he is the bassist for the alterative rock band Blue October. Noveskey also is a songwriter, record producer and guitarist besides having many other talents.
But his start was far from easy.
Having been strongly influenced by music since childhood, he created his own band his eighth grade year for a Battle of the Bands competition at his Catholic school.
He and his bandmates decided to name it Love Muscle, much to the embarrassment of the nuns.
Several years later, Noveskey was in another band called Switch in Michigan.
In a matter of weeks, personal issues and coincidence led him to meet Blue October’s manager while performing with the band in 1999.
He flew to Austin, where Blue October originated, and auditioned.
Fifteen years later, he’s still there.
Although he knew it was his passion, he was not always convinced about working in the music industry.
He attended college to be an elementary school teacher but wasn’t very dedicated to his studies.
“When I was in school, it was easy for me to blow off school because everyone needed a bass player, so I got a lot of gigs,” Noveskey said.
In the end, he realized attending college was just to please his parents.
His passion for music was greater than getting a degree in something he knew he was not going to do the rest of his life, so he dropped out and decided to shift gears and go after what he really wanted.
“It just got to a point where music was the only option,” Noveskey said.
He co-owns a recording studio called Orb Recording Studios with Blue October guitarist C.B. Hudson.
Besides spending time with his wife and two kids, whenever he is not on tour he finds himself producing records for other artists.
He works with emerging artists, but big names such as Lil Wayne, Justin Bieber and Erykah Badu also have worked with Noveskey.
“My favorite thing in the world is to make records,” he said.
“Making a record is my absolute passion.”
While he spends his time rocking out with the band, Noveskey said he has had other influences in his life.
“I think that at heart, I’m a Motown guy,” he admitted, adding that he also has come to love country music.
It’s not the only change he’s had in his life.
After years of touring with the band, something that has changed over time is the focus of his motivation to wake up in the morning.
Nowadays, all the band members are married with kids.
Noveskey and his wife, Reagan, have a daughter, Avery, 7, and a son, Liam, 3.
His days “off” are spent working on side projects, unlike before, when a typical day would have been relaxing beside a pool.
“It’s a lot easier to get up and face the day,” he said.
“Nobody’s hurting. Nobody’s hung over.”
He said Avery has begun showing interest in music.
He bought her two guitars and also is trying to teach her how to play the piano.
Whether it is on tour or in the studio, Noveskey said he believes he made the right decision that day many years ago when he chose music as his career.
“That’s when I realized that being in a band,” he said, “as hard as it is to get into that, that’s what I had to do with my life.”
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