Second Cup Café: Mat Kearney

Like many singer-songwriters, Mat Kearney doesn't like to be tied down to a single type of music.

"Great songs connect beyond genre and style," says Mat in his biography.

The Oregon-born musician likes to experiment with a mix of acoustic folk, pop, spoken word, and hip-hop beats. His lyrics are influenced by the cities and the many people he meets as he tours the country.

Kearney visits Second Cup Café to sing songs from his most recent album, "Nothing Left To Lose."

Music became a central part of Kearney's life while he was attending Chico State University in California. He studied poetry and kept journals of prose that influenced his songwriting. He also began performing locally.

Towards the end of his junior year, Kearney moved to Nashville where he soon received several offers from record companies. But he declined all offers because he wanted to hone his musical chops in the city's vibrant live music scene.

In 2004, after three years of playing open mic nights and working on his songwriting, Kearney released his self-financed first album, "Bullet."

That lead to a major label contract with Aware/Columbia Records and the release of his second album "Nothing Left To Lose" in April, 2006.

Kearney kicks off the first leg of his U.S. headlining tour on Sept. 29 in Boise, Idaho.