NEDERLAND/IDAHO SPRINGS -- “One of the most surefire ways to prove the talent of a musician is to see what they can do with only an acoustic guitar and their voice. That’s exactly how Matthew McClosky proved his on June 19, 2021, at the Train Cars in Nederland, carrying almost three hours worth of folk covers and original material with only his guitar to accompany his vocals.
His passion and excitement for the material emanated from the stage even with such a small crowd watching, and he was always engaged with whatever audience stopped by to watch.”
I wrote these lines within a day of that performance. They were some of the first lines I ever wrote for this column. They were the only lines I wrote for this particular promotion, but I’ve kept them all this time.
In my first “Music of the Mountains” article, which focused on Treeline String Band, I didn’t have a complete handle on the column’s guidelines. In that spotlight, I reviewed a show after it ended instead of promoting a show ahead of time.
Volunteering at Wild Bear Nature Center, I watched Matthew “Matt” McCloskey perform for an hour during my lunch break. I sat in awe of his performance, how he captured the attention of others all by himself.
Once I realized this column should promote shows and not review them, I had to shift gears, with Grayson Capps being the first musician I promoted. The paragraphs about McCloskey are the only time I have ever started a “Music of the Mountains” article and left it unfinished.
I never deleted these paragraphs because I never forgot my admiration for that performance. In a lot of ways, I think it’s stuck with me through all I’ve written for this column in the last four years.
Now, I want to flesh out those paragraphs into an important musical (and artistic) lesson from me and all of the artists I’ve interviewed and learned from: you can always create with what you have.
Through this column, I’ve completely immersed myself in the local music scene. As one of the first acts I saw as part of this column, McCloskey’s set made me realize what passionate, driven people could do even by themselves in such a small community.
In high school, I explored more music outside of hits played on the radio. Exposing myself to more albums, I started honing my music taste for the first time. I’ve always had trouble absorbing a song’s lyrics just from listening to it once or twice, but I’ve always been able to connect with a song’s musicality.
Whether I’m listening to a song bursting with energy or one purposefully more subdued, I’ve always connected to how well an artist can communicate emotional meaning in a song just through their musical choices. Here, in this mountain community, so many of those choices revolve around one instrument (or a few) and one voice (or a few).
In 2024, I interviewed the duo Strangebyrds, Cari Minor and Ray Smith, to promote a songwriting showcase for a workshop they hosted, which I also took. During the interview, Smith emphasized that some of the best songs ever released still sound completely structured with just one voice and one instrument.
Artists who challenge and excite themselves and others by breaking the boundaries of what we know as music have cemented themselves as some of the best artists in history. On the other side of the coin, so have artists whose lyrics and minimal production resonate with generations of listeners who have experienced similar feelings and events.
Until after I graduated high school, I always kicked myself internally if a performance or piece of mine wasn’t “technically perfect,” if I missed a note singing, or stumbled on a line acting. Now, I’m able to recognize when I’m ready to perform or when I’ve finished writing to the best of my ability.
Artists like McCloskey, who can stand on a stage in a small town shopping center and engage passersby with hours of originals and covers, remind me of how powerful art can be, whether from a collective of people or a single person.
If you’re inspired to create, don’t let a fear of not knowing something or not being able to do something stop you from learning or even practicing to gain experience.
In my eyes, the most important thing an artist can learn is what artistic choices speak to them the loudest. With practice, inspiration, and drive, anyone can find a way to express their core truths in the best way they can.
Matt McCloskey will be coming back to the Peak to Peak area to perform at Two Bears Tap and Grill, located at 33295 US-6 in Idaho Springs, on Saturday, July 19, 2025, starting at 1 p.m.
To keep up with his music, you can follow @matt_mccloskey_music on Instagram, listen to “Different Skies” and “Whoever That Is” everywhere, and watch him perform live on the Black and Blues Music and Brews YouTube channel as part of their “Locals Lounge” series.
