Published 2010-03-03T00:00:00Z”/>
Thomas Lawrence
From the soccer field to his front porch, Mat Kearney left an incredible impression on those who knew him during his short time in Chico and found his calling in the process.
In fact, he found his way to a career path that has taken him to packed shows across America and on tour with Sheryl Crow and John Mayer, with whom Kearney played to a sold out Madison Square Garden in New York City.
“That was pretty heavy,” Kearney said. “On your way out you see photos of Mick Jagger and Led Zeppelin and it’s like, “Don’t mess up.'”
Long before Oregon-native Kearney began soothing millions with his music, he was the first ever soccer player at Chico State to receive a scholarship, said his former head coach Mike O’Malley, the men’s soccer coach at Chico State for 12 seasons.
“He’s always been an exceptionally honest guy and a nice person,” O’Malley said. He added that Kearney was often as nice on the field as he was off it and thus had to constantly push him to be more intense.
Outside of soccer, Kearney’s nature began to shine through in his growing interest in writing and music, which began in simple, mischievous ways, Kearney said.
“I would break into the music hall and play the piano until 3 a.m.,” he said. “I would just sit there and play for hours. That was really when I first fell in love with music.”
Kearney also used to take the guitar of his roommate and teammate Andy Valderrama and play at their house on Hobart Street, he said.
“I would steal his guitar and just sit on the porch and start writing,” Kearney said.
As an English major, Kearney’s interest in writing began in high school when he started writing poetry. The support of professors such as Robert Burton, who taught him world literature during his time at Chico State, were pivotal in his rapid growth as an aspiring musician and songwriter, Kearney said.
“It really started building confidence in me,” he said. “It gave me a voice.”Burton, still an English professor at Chico State, didn’t think twice about Kearney as a student at first, he said.
“Mat was the proverbial boy in the back of the class,” Burton said. “I used to think OK, he’s the lazy guy.”
A major event in Kearney’s growth as a person and as an artist came with the reading of “Siddhartha” &- a world renowned ancient tale by Hermann Hesse that deals with Buddhism, inner peace and the spiritual journey of the individual, Burton said.
“During Chico State he was at a crossroads,” Burton said. “That’s why he gave up soccer, that’s why he gave up the hedonistic pleasure life. That became his calling, that became his passion.”
As Kearney’s passion for music hit its peak, he decided he would forego the rest of his career at Chico State and head to Nashville, Tenn., which came as a shock to his coach, O’Malley.
Kearney walked into O’Malley’s office and after thanking him for his time playing soccer, let him know he planned to leave for Nashville soon, O’Malley said.
“I was sitting down and I was glad I was,” O’Malley said. “I was blown away. I asked him, “When is this going to happen, Mat?’ and he said, “I’m leaving next week.'”
Sure enough, Kearney was good to his word and a week later, he had left Hobart Street and was on his way to one of America’s great epicenters for country music and rock “n’ roll.
More than 10 years, three albums and countless shows later, Kearney is still enjoying the ride and looking forward to his new tour with Ingrid Michaelson that begins Tuesday in Lancaster, Pa.
“I’m like totally looking forward to it,” Kearney said. “I wish we were coming to Chico though.”
And the Chico State English student turned Nashville star means it, even referencing his old place in the hit single “Nothing Left to Lose.”
“And I can still hear the trains out my window/From Hobart Street to here in Nashville/I can still smell the pomegranates grow,” he says, in the song. That pomegranate tree was in the backyard of my old house, Kearney said.
But despite his growing fame and all the perks of the lifestyle of a musician, Kearney is still nostalgic for his college town, he said.
“Make sure you send my love to everyone in Chico.”
Thomas Lawrence can be reached at<a href= “javascript:void(location.href=’mailto:’+String.fromCharCode(116,108,97,119,114,101,110,99,101,64,116,104,101,111,114,105,111,110,46,99,111,109)+’?subject=re%3A%20From%20Chico%20to%20Nashville%3A%20mat%20Kearney’s%20success%20story’)”>[email protected]</a>
