Mattson 2 show at Hearst Ranch to benefit youths

The Mattson twins had the benefit of supportive music instructors as they developed their musical skills.

That’s one reason they’re eager to help the next generation of musicians.

On Saturday, April 23, Jonathan and Jared Mattson will perform as the Mattson 2 at the Hearst Ranch Warehouse in San Simeon for “An Evening of Oceanfront Surf Jazz,” a fundraiser for the Cambria Education Foundation.

The evening features a social hour at 5 p.m., followed by the show at 6:30 p.m. Beer, wine and food will be available for purchase.

Tickets are available only to those 21 and older.

“We started getting into music in middle school and the interest progressed rapidly throughout high school,” Jared Mattson said in an email. “Nearly every teacher we came across who knew of our musical background had a nurturing effect on us.”

Two teachers, he said, stood out in particular: junior high school music teacher Amy Deller and high school band teacher Nancy Lomax.

“(Deller) had a poster of John Coltrane in her classroom, and she dug all the music we liked at the time — Smashing Pumpkins, The Smiths, Iron Maiden, the list goes on,” Mattson wrote. “She encouraged us to apply for a talent show at school where we performed for the first time in front of an audience.”

Lomax, Mattson said, “knew that Jonathan and I enjoyed improvising, so she allowed us to stray away from the charts if we had something else in mind musically. Although we didn’t make the wisest musical choices, the creative freedom she gave us was very key to our desire to compose.”

The Mattsons’ website describes them as an “identical twin guitar and drums duo” whose music features “jazz-rock orchestration and arrangement” known for “Jared Mattson’s untamed, layered guitars and Jonathan Mattson’s tribal jazz hard-bop drumming.”

The duo has toured in such places as Japan, Brazil, France, Spain, Portugal, Denmark, Finland and the Netherlands, in addition to the United States. They have masters of fine arts degrees in integrated composition, improvisation and technology from UC Irvine.

Their releases include “Agar,” “Feeling Hands” and “Introducing the Mattson 2.”

Why support music instruction in schools?

“The choices we make when we are young will either haunt us or help us achieve greatness when we are older,” Jonathan Mattson said. “Looking back on when I was young, I realize how incredibly important my decisions were in shaping who I am today. I believe getting into music at a young age helps kids feel like they have meaning and purpose.

“Learning an instrument will help them form an independence and an identity in the world in general — not just in creative circles. The confidence, contentment and self-esteem a student gains from developing musical talents could help combat negative traits all to common to youth: peer pressure, low self esteem, and lack of self confidence.”

For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.cambriaeducationfoundation.org.

This story was originally published March 30, 2016 at 12:17 PM with the headline "Mattson 2 show at Hearst Ranch to benefit youths."