What are you up to now?:
About 6'3". I'll be here all ze week. Seriously though, I just moved from my home of 9 years, Boston MA, to Brooklyn, NY. By day I am a bioinformatics software engineer at Rockefeller University in Manhattan. In English, that means I write computer software for biologists to help analyze and make sense of the giants mounds of data they're producing with their new-fangled technology like expression arrays, SNP chips, and DNA sequencing machines.

I also sing with Firedrill! with fellow Hyannis Sound alumni Nate Altimari, Victor Sandman, Mikey B, Mikey's brother Dan Barnicle, Judd Tomaselli, and Vineyard Sound alumnus Dan Lennon. (Paul, Fozz, Bonk, and Mark Manley are also former members)

Has HS affected the general trajectory of your life? If so, how?:
The Sound has, without a doubt, affected the general trajectory of my life. I remember when I first auditioned in 1998 and was accepted into the group, I called my parents to tell them the good news. Their reaction was luke-warm, "Are you sure? Didn't you want to try for an internship this summer? Is this a good move for your future?" "Is this a good move for your future?" As it turns out, the answer to that one was a resounding yes. And when my mom and dad came out to visit that summer and saw us sing together, saw the energy we had on stage, met the rest of the guys, they agreed wholeheartedly, and have visited Cape Cod every summer since.

Sure, I wasn't learning how to be a better engineer or getting a head start on corporate culture. But I was doing something just as, if not more important to being successful in life: learning about myself, stepping out of my comfort zone, and experiencing what it's like to be in a group of motivated, talented individuals focused on a common purpose. We were participating in something that got perceptibly better with every ounce of effort we put into it. No internship could have taught me the things I learned by being a member of the Hyannis Sound those four amazing summers. (PS: I don't want anyone to think my parents aren't the fun-loving party animals that they are. They were just looking out for my future at the time I got into the group)

Tell us about your favorite on-stage moment...:
I have a few favorites...Dave Petrelli's lyrical improvisation at Ocean's Edge, Matty Knowland dancing' the worm' during 'Fresh' in '98, Slick writing a poem about me for final show on the back of a McDonald's double-cheeseburger wrapper, Samrat's video camera hi-jinx ("MULTI-, MULTI-millionaire!"), each time Jason Taylor spoke in front of a crowd, and the time we sang 'The Lonely Goatherd' in the basement of First Baptist in Hyannis with Samrat atop my shoulders and hiding me behind the curtains. Genius. Part of me wishes we had YouTube back then to capture those moments, but a bigger part of me enjoys remembering them the way I do in my own mind.

I'll never forget singing 'Parting Blessing' at our final show of 2000. The group came together in a way that summer that I don't think any of us expected, especially considering how great 1998 and 1999 had been, and how close we'd already become. We didn't really think there was another level to get to, but we got there in 2000, and I'm not sure we had the time to fully realize it until final show arrived. By the end of that summer, a lot of us were pretty sure we weren't going to return for 2001. We were all set to scatter around the country and continue our 'real lives.' This was the end of our time in the group. The emotion on stage was beyond palpable, and not one of us finished that song with dry eyes, some of us choking out the last few words before we converged in a giant weepy group hug on stage. None of us felt the least bit self-conscious about sharing that moment with the fans that had become our family that summer. I remain convinced that the energy and emotion of that night was a big reason 9 of us ended up coming back for 2001 and having another amazing summer together. Our 'real lives' could wait another year.

What is your favorite HS transportation moment?:
Being one of the group drivers from '98-01, I got to know all the highways, back-roads, secret passageways, getaway routes, great views, beaches, bars, and restaurants on Cape Cod. The thing I missed most after every summer, was having my best friends along for the ride ready to harmonize at a moment's notice, whether it was four of us singing a Hyannis Sound tune, singing along to the radio, or belting out Martin Sexton songs together.

Favorite (or least favorite) moment: driving to work at Cape Cod Sea Camps one morning. Take a right on Millstone Rd. in Brewster, and gun it, almost there! As I hit 45 miles per hour, I see a cop in the oncoming lane and realize it's a 35 mph zone. He pulled me over even though I immediately slowed down. When he came to the window, he asks his obligatory, "Why were you driving so fast?" I responded with, "I'm a little late for work." That day happened to be beach day for my unit, the JC's, so I was driving to camp in a swimsuit, t-shirt, towel around my neck and sunglasses on. Needless to say, he wasn't convinced that I was actually going to 'work' and wrote me up. Lesson learned.

What was your craziest HS tour adventure?:
I absolutely love Nate's moose story (and reenactment):

Matt Sings-- "Ain't No Sunshine":