Matt Sheehy

Matt Sheehy splits his days between Oregon’s immense wooded expanse – where he studies forest systems, and occasionally dodges 4,000-pound bull elks or the stray hunter’s bullet – and the city where he folds those experiences into his work as a fiction writer and songwriter.

He left his hometown of Juneau, Alaska to arrive in Portland just as its art scene was blooming. It was a robust community of like-minded creatives focused on finding ways to make stuff, play in bands, and innovate. He released a solo album and became an established club act. Before long he found himself touring the US with Ramona Falls, a band led by his friend and collaborator Brent Knopf. His second solo album, with a name change to Lost Lander, would land him critical recognition, a signing with the Paradigm Agency and multiple world tours spanning years and hundreds of performances. Matt has also toured with EL VY – a collaboration between Matt Berninger of The National and Knopf – and has recorded and performed as a member of the Bob’s Burgers band. 

He has performed multiple times on the Late Show with Stephen Colbert, The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, Conan O’Brien, and on the TED mainstage. His music has been featured on Saturday Night Live, The Good Wife, Revenge, The Real World, Bob’s Burgers and the documentary film Terms and Conditions May Apply. He is the co-writer of “One More Second”, the radio single on Matt Berninger’s solo album Serpentine Prison. It is currently climbing the Billboard Alternative Rock Chart and marks his first entry in the Top 40. 

All the while, he kept to his rural roots and developed an adjacent career as a forester. He took over Northwest Forestry Services, a small consulting firm, after his employer and mentor retired in 2018. 

Most recently, Matt received a RACC Grant to develop Aberdeen, his one-person stage performance combining story elements of his life as a forester, musician, and family grief with original songs. He collaborated with a team of accomplished creatives including animator Stefan Nadelman (Tiger King, Gary Shandling) and lighting director Ben Krall (The National, Bon Iver). Aberdeen toured limited cities in the US, culminating in a NYC debut at The Public Theater.