The entertainment keeps growing for FrogFest 32 at the Herkimer County Fairgrounds. Nashville newcomer Matt Farris has been added to this year's lineup. He'll join headliners Eli Young Band, Dylan Jakobsen, Alexandria Corn, and J Antonette on September 18.

Lots of new country artists acknowledge an influence from the legends as the reason they got into country music. Matt Farris is no different, how he got influenced is the real story. He comes from a family of musicians beginning with his grandfather and father. When he was a baby his mom didn’t know any of the traditional nursery rhymes, so she sang him what she did know.

Another family experience led to Matt moving to Nashville, although at the time it's hard to imagine seeing the bigger picture. He was staying at his father's house in Arizona when someone tried to break into the elder Farris' truck. When they went to confront the would be burglars one of the passengers fired a shot, it traveled through Dad and struck Matt in the chest.

My Dad took a bullet for me, obviously it brought us closer together. Shortly thereafter we started playing music together.

Credit - Matt Farris
Credit - Matt Farris
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Matt seems to have his fair share of unusual stories and coincidences leading him from his home in Arizona to taking the stage at FrogFest 32 on September 18. He and a friend attended a Toby Keith concert in Phoenix, one of the opening acts on the evening's lineup was a little 'ol band we affectionately named, "FrogFest Favorites" several years ago, Trailer Choir. Matt says he instantly fell in love with Butter and Big Vinnie.

I looked at the person I was with and said, someday I'm gonna be on stage with those guys because they are the two coolest people I have ever seen in my life.

One of Matt's songs released late in 2019 even featured his twin brothers from a different mother, Butter and Vinnie on "Keepin' It Real."

Matt's current song is a perfect fit for the FrogFest stage, "Just Havin' One," is about planning to have one beer, but it leads to another, and another. The song hadn't even been released to radio stations and was already getting thousands of streams on Spotify and iTunes when the COVID shutdown struck.

everyone has that time in their life where they say I'm going out just having one tonight, and then it turns into and another and another and another

Matt joins the Eli Young Band, Dylan Jakobsen, Alexandria Korn, and J Antoinette at FrogFest 32, presented by Curtis Lumber, September 18 at the Herkimer County Fairgrounds. More info and tickets are available here.

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