Matt Dodge & The LOBSTERS!

So, I went and saw the LOBSTERS! at The Rock in Maplewood for this Live, Loud n' Local concert and at first they seemed a little out of place. The Rock is a pretty hardcore club with a lot of metal and heavy rock such as Puddle of Mudd and Staind. Matt Dodge's LOBSTERS! project was rocky but had a lot of pop aspects to it. The tunes were solid. That's what stood out the most to me. They had amazing stage presence, jumping off of the drum sets, having a bucket drumming segment, and the lead singer even went back and dueled the drummer like a Max Roach vs. Buddy Rich kind of thing. Very cool!! I will certainly be at the next LOBSTERS! show!! - MinnesotaMusic

ORLANDO, Fla.--Matt Dodge and the Lobsters are a classic rock and pop group from Minnesota. They took the stage at Club 57 West at April 22.

Dodge is currently in his last semester before graduating from the University of St. Thomas as an entrepreneur major. Tom Delonge, an established musician, encouraged him to follow his passions and become a musician.

"I was at a gym in Minnesota and he was there with Travis [Barker] working out. I asked him for five minutes to ask some questions. I asked "should I become a musician?" He asked "how bad do you want it? Are you willing to suffer?" I said "yes, I want it more than family, more than friends." At that time I was still going to school and deciding what to do. It was a turning point that helped me to make a decision."

It didn't seem like Dodge suffered during his performance as he engaged the crowd throughout the performance, dedicated a song to military reserves, and even singled out an audience member before he played his single: "Egyptian Princess Eyes." "This one is for you," said Dodge, 22.

The only downside to the performance was that Dodge shared a time slot with Anberlin who played on center stage during the Florida Music Festival and may have lost some of his audience. Maybe that is what Delonge meant by 'suffering.'

His latest album was "Lobsters!"

http://jimmytater.blogspot.com/2010/04/feature-story-matt-dodge-and-lobsters.html - Jimmy Tater