Meet the Band: Matt Saunders – Guitarist, Gearhead, and Groove-Builder

We’re kicking off our Meet the Band blog series with none other than Bourbon Legend’s riff master himself, Matt Saunders. Matt’s a Dayton native whose journey into music started with classic rock legends, a high school Metallica cover band, and an ever-growing love for guitar. Get to know the man behind the tone.

Q: Where did you grow up, and how did that place shape your musical tastes or personality?

Matt: I grew up near Dayton Ohio.  Dayton has an unassuming great music scene for bands.  Some good local music memories were watching watching people like Noah Wotherspoon destroy blues guitar when he was still in high school.  In college there were a lot of Emo bands from Dayton getting national attention and major deals. Some friends and I started up an Emo band mainly just to play shows around some of the other bands.

Q: When did you first get into music, and what inspired you to start playing your instrument?

Matt: I think my biggest overall music influence was hearing the music my parents would play at home. Neil young, Eric Clapton, Led Zeppelin, and Bonnie Raitt were literally on rotation growing up. About the time my dad had bought my mom a guitar my friends and I had really gotten into 80s/90s Metallica and hard rock. I really started playing guitar when we started a band we jokingly called Megatallica, because it was mostly Metallica and Megadeth covers. I think we played one show at a house party, but we played the crap out of those songs.

Q: What’s your favorite moment so far playing with Bourbon Legend?

Matt: It’s getting harder and harder to pick one favorite moment with Bourbon Legend. Playing the Gahanna Jazz and Blues fest in 2024 stands out. First is because we played well, had fun, and had a big audience. The second reason is silly.  Unlike most of our shows at the time, we had sound provided and got transportation around the festival. My kids thought that was the coolest thing ever getting to ride on the golf cart.

New close second was our show at opening up this year’s Westerville’s Fourth Friday in May. It was a show that everyone was having a good time.  We played loose and got a great response out of the crowd. There were a lot of familiar faces from our Westerville fans along with a lot of new folks stopping by.

Q: What do you do outside of music (work, hobbies, family, etc.)?

Matt: Outside of the Band, family time is number one.  Preferably getting outside riding bikes, playing soccer, and cruising around.  I enjoy staying active with things like CrossFit, biking, running, sweating on stage. Music has taken the place of woodworking and most other hobbies, so I’ll install my own pickups and do little projects to scratch that itch. My day job I’m an engineering manager for a local company.

Q: If you could jam or share a drink with any musician—living or dead—who would it be and why?

Matt: If I had to have a jam with a musician I’d go with Hendrix. He did so much in a short time it would be cool to see how his mind worked.

We’ll be spotlighting the rest of the band in future posts, so stay tuned to learn more about the faces—and sounds—behind Bourbon Legend.

Got a favorite Matt moment from a show? Drop it in the comments or tag us on social media!