Matthew Leone

Early life

Matthew grew up in the suburbs of Chicago, Illinois. He has a twin brother and three older sisters: Allison, Jill and Paula.

When Matthew and Nathan were 12 years old, their mother was killed in a car accident.

Matthew landed a sports scholarship to go to college in Indianapolis, Indiana at Butler University. He pursued professional soccer in the United States and for nine months in Florence, Italy. Matthew also shortly attended Columbia College studying Music management.

Career

Matthew picked up the bass for the first time at the age of 21. Seeking professional instruction, he was turned down by his first teacher, who said that his hands were too small to ever play the bass. He never went to another teacher, instead deciding to teach himself.

Matthew plays mainly with his index and middle fingers, but has been seen playing with a pick on rare occasions.

Matthew and his brother Nathan then formed their first band, The Blank Theory, in 1998. In the early days of The Blank Theory, they also formed an independent label called 4 Alarm Records which also included The Frogs, The Pinehurst Kids, and Monkey Paw.

Nathan and Matthew appeared on a special edition of Twin Fear Factor, which they won. The $50,000 was the start up money for Madina Lake. The band's first self-produced EP, The Disappearance of Adalia, came out in early 2006 around October. Later that year, they were signed to Roadrunner Records and created their first full-length album entitled From Them, Through Us, To You, which was released in March 2007.

He cites the alternative rock bands The Smashing Pumpkins, Muse and Nine Inch Nails as his favorite bands and biggest influences.

Matthew loves philosophy and hopes to one day pursue a career as a writer. He is the author of The Auspice- a mythological story about the fictitious town - Madina Lake, and "Scorched Earth"- and the basis for the band. The book is expected to be released in segments, which can only be put together by clues found by fans, through the band's website in 2008. Many of the songs also relate to the book in pieces.

Often getting muddled up with his twin brother Nathan, Matthew had a black streak in his hair for a long while, in an interview with Kerrang when asked why the black streak had gone he replied "Well, to be quite honest it's one of those things you do for a minute and happens to be captured on film forever. I imagine a decent percentage of adults aren't too pumped to see their senior photo. To them i say, 'imagine if it were your Freshman record cycle photo'""

Assault and hospitalization

On June 30, 2010, Nathan Leone reported on his blog that Matthew had been hospitalized after being assaulted in the street near Nathan's Chicago apartment. Matthew was trying to help a woman who was being beaten by her husband, and although Matthew subdued him, the man severely attacked Matthew from behind. Matthew was in critical condition, and Dr Neckrysh and Dr Chan at the University of Illinois Department of Neurosurgery, removed one-third of his skull while waiting for the swelling in his brain to go down.

On July 1, 2010, Nathan Leone said that Matthew's condition had improved. Matthew had been in and out of consciousness during the previous three days after suffering a broken jaw, a broken nose and a fractured skull. Nathan said, "It was touch and go for a while there, but at this point, things are starting to turn around, which is wonderful. The first couple of days, [Matthew] couldn't recognize me or say anything coherent, but this morning he did. And now he's aware and talking and moving around a little, which is wonderful. So the prognosis is getting better by the hour."

Nathan also said that Chicago police have made an arrest in connection to the assault. He added that while he was at his brother's bedside, Nathan read emails and comments posted online from fans and claims the support helped save Matthew's life. "The outpouring of support has been amazing," Leone said. "Every band we've ever toured with, every Facebook and MySpace outlet has been going crazy with love and support. We've heard from friends, fans, neighbors, labels and management. It's honestly overwhelming. When something horrible happens, you're inclined to despise humanity, but this proves how many amazing people there are in the world."

The Leone brothers do not have health insurance, but Nathan says, "We'll deal with that when we have to." Matthew was allowed home and wore protective headgear until doctors could re-attach parts of his skull. Matthew underwent a second successful surgery on July 21 to re-apply the removed portion of his skull.

On July 2, Chicago Police arrested 33-year-old Chicago resident for the beating of Matthew. He was also charged with battery for the beating of his wife, who had minor injuries. She dropped the charges the next day. On August 21, 2010 Nathan stated in his blog that additional charges had been filed against him, including attempted first-degree murder and aggravated battery in a public place.

Leone was voted "Hero of the Year" by readers of Kerrang! magazine because of his efforts.

Equipment

UK touring equipment