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May 16, 1964 - January 31, 2009
Husband, Father, Friend, Carpenter and Drummer
About Matthew
This blog is dedicated to the memory of my best friend Matthew McKenna. His friendship to me was more than I could ask for. If you have any memories you would like to share please do so by clicking the comments link in the posts column.
Hey Guys, I'm deeply saddened to hear about the loss of one of the most inspiring individuals that you could meet! Mat was so high on life.His attitude was astounding, and his love for music showed every time he took a seat behind a drum kit.One of the best.It's ironic that this morning on the way to work,XM radio was playing Triumph, Fight The Good Fight, Boy did that take me back.My thoughts are with his family. You Guys take care and stay in touch OK?
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I have so many memories of Matthew over the years that have all come flooding back since learning of his passing. The first time I met him, I had been brought over to his house in Kirkland by a mutual friend who told me that “you have to jam with this guy”. When Matthew stepped out of his house and shook my hand and looked me in the eyes with that smile of his he immediately made me feel welcome and that he truly cared. Anyone that has ever met Matthew has experienced that same moment. His love of life, music and people was always on his sleeve. Over the years we enjoyed countless hours of jamming and rehearsals and shows around the Seattle area with Bands like Ballistik Kitty, Zero Tolerance and Tempting Fate and There were times in the early to mid 90’s that I really believe Matthew and I were one of the best rhythm combos in Seattle. There’s a special bond between Bassists and Drummers, but what Matthew and I had went beyond that. Matthew was my brother and musical soul mate and I’ll forever be grateful for the time we had together and all the great memories. I am profoundly saddened by the passing of Matthew and my heart goes out to his family, in particular his sons Matthew and Curtis whom I’ve known since they were toddlers. This is a world of lesser light without Matthew in it. –George Clark
ReplyDeleteOnce I married George Clark, I soon realized as all band wives do, that once you marry a musician you also marry the band. They instantly become a part of your family. Matthew and his family were an extension of my family. Matthew made sure that you felt like his family as well. You were always welcome in his house and were always greeted with a hug. His smile would warm your heart and laughter would lift your spirits. If you needed a friend, just call Matthew and he would be there. I will always remember his devotion to his boys. He was a very loving father. He wanted to his boys to be exposed to music as soon as they could crawl. He would let Matthew Ray and Curtis hang out in the practice space and crawl around the drums as Matthew played. I remember one night the guys took a break and as soon as the guys left Matthew Ray pulled himself up to the drums and began to play. Curtis went over to Mark's guitar and started strumming. The guys came running back into the room and the shine in Matthew's eyes to see that his boys had it goin' on. WOW look at them now. His legacy will live on. Matthew Ray is a machine on the drums and Curtis is a powerhouse on guitar. It is a no wonder, they had a great teacher. Loosing a family member like Matthew breaks my heart in a way that just cannot be mended. I will miss him dearly. I will miss his funny little phrases. "Hey, it's all good", "Peace and Blessings...Peace and Blessings" I will miss the way that George and Matthew would close every phone call and every visit with.....IF IT AIN'T SCOTTISH.....IT AIN'T CRAP!!!!!!!! I have shed so many tears these past few days of hearing of his passing but in the same breath feel so blessed to have had him in my life. --Kris Clark--
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