Matthew Zeiss

Matthew Zeiss (born April 6, 1987) is an American singer/songwriter from Long Island, New York, better known simply as Zeiss. Raised in Lindenhurst, New York by a musically-orientated family. Zeiss began creating music at an early age.
As a child he was highly influenced by artists such as Chuck Berry, Muddy Waters, Tom Jones, Billy Joel and Elvis Presley, spending hours studying and imitating their unique sound. Zeiss often tries to incorporate a retro style into his music.
In January, 2012 Zeiss released his debut album “Last Train to Rock N Roll”. The album features a song “I Am the Boat” written by the artist's father in 1985.
On November 14, 2012 Zeiss recorded a cover of "Midnight Blues", written and originally recorded by the legendary Charlie Rich. Featured on piano is the artist's son, Charlie Rich Jr.
Life and career
Zeiss was born Matthew John Zeiss on April 6, 1987, and raised in Lindenhurst, New York by parents John Zeiss, of German descent, and Rhonda Zeiss, of Russian descent. His parents met in 1980 after his mother heard of his father's trip to Elvis Presley's home, Graceland, in Memphis, Tennessee. The pair met and married within three months.
By the age of three Zeiss had already become an Elvis fan and had begun imitating his likeness. At the age of 10 he entered himself into the 5th grade talent show. His performance earned him a spot in the local newspaper, the Lindy Spotlight. This influenced Zeiss to continue with his interest in music.
After graduating high school in 2006, he began to professionally record music.
On July 15, 2010 Zeiss recorded his first single at the legendary Sun Studio in Memphis. His choice of song was a modern take on , originally recorded at Sun Studio by Elvis Presley on July 5, 1954. In Zeiss' recording of the song, he includes lyrics from Presley's B-Side, "Blue Moon of Kentucky".
It wasn’t until 2012 that he had completed an album he felt comfortable releasing - "Last Train to Rock n' Roll".
Musical Style
Zeiss’ music has been noted to have many different influences song to song, including rock, R&B, blues, and hints of hip hop. As a child, the time spent imitating classic artists heavily influenced his musical and performance style. He has been quoted saying "I study great artists, if you study the greats, what else can you become."
It wasn’t until high school that Zeiss began listening to modern artists who became influential to him, such as Audioslave, Lenny Kravitz, and Gnarls Barkley.
Discography
2011- Last Train to Rock n' Roll

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