After Tom De Longe's friendly divorce from Blink-182, the future was uncertain. Who would fill Tom's shoes? Enter Matt Skiba, frontman with alternative pop-punk band Alkaline Trio and long-time friend of Travis and Mark. After he successfully filled in for Tom at Musink Fest, it was clear he'd be a perfect fit. After a few prior commitment issues, Blink announced in July 2015 that Matt had become a full member of the band, so it's only right we get to know him a little better.
Born in Chicago, Matt showed a talent for music from a young age, learning to play both drums and piano. During the mid-nineties, he began to focus more on the guitar and in 1996, Alkaline Trio was born. Between 1998 and 2013, the band recorded nine studio albums and cemented Matt's place as a talented guitarist and frontman.
Alkaline Trio and Beyond
Matt has had various side and solo projects throughout his career, aside from his success with Alkaline Trio. A split EP with Kevin Seconds of 7 seconds being his first solo release in 2002. In 2006, Matt formed the band Heavens, releasing the album' Patent Pending'.
Over the years Matt's been kept very busy, including working with members of Kill Hannah for the supergroup covers band 'Them Crooked Vulvas', and an EP with former Angels And Airwaves / The Offspring drummer Atom Willard.
The backing band for Matt's second solo album 'Babylon' included AFI bassist, Hunter Burgen and touring drummer for My Chemical Romance, Jarrod Alexander. With numerous guest appearances for bands including New Found Glory, Jeffree Starr and William Control, it's safe to say that Matt is hot property.
Matt – The Man
So that's some musical background, but what about the man himself? Matt currently lives in Los Angeles and is vegetarian. Despite the earlier belief that suffering was the way for musical motivation, he now believes that meditation and a calm mind is a better way to find artistic expression. For a musician in such high demand, it would appear to be working! Calling himself a huge fan of bands including the Damned, The Cure, Nirvana and Green Day.
The Future with Blink-182
And what about Matt's future with Blink-182? So far, everything seems to be positive, with Tom DeLonge moving on and Mark and Travis feeling good about their new bandmate. Matt stated in a recent interview that after knowing the guys for 15 years and becoming friends, he's excited to be recording with them.
"Playing songs I haven't written with Mark and Travis is a blast, so to go in and create music with them would be amazing." - Matt Skiba
Since joining, Matt has gone on to record California and Nine with the former becoming the first album to top the charts for Blink-182 and even got a Grammy nomination.