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Matthew James Fitch grew up in Gilroy, in the south border boonies of the Bay Area, where country-western music was the family soundtrack. From Bill Monroe to Buck Owens to Big & Rich, it was all fair game in the Fitch household. But it was his nana's love of big band and western swing that lit the fuse for his own musical obsession, leading him south to Orange County to study music education and jazz studies.
Matthew James Fitch grew up in Gilroy, in the south border boonies of the Bay Area, where country-western music was the family soundtrack. From Bill Monroe to Buck Owens to Big & Rich, it was all fair game in the Fitch household. But it was his nana's love of big band and western swing that lit the fuse for his own musical obsession, leading him south to Orange County to study music education and jazz studies.
These days, Matthew splits his time between three projects that show the full range of what he's after: The Cobblestone Ramblers, where he lays down upright bass for straight-ahead bluegrass and American traditional music; The Passing Fancies, a bluegrass fusion outfit that stretches the boundaries of trad music, and The MJ Fitch Swing Unit, his own group dedicated to the swing sounds that started it all.
These days, Matthew splits his time between three projects that show the full range of what he's after: The Cobblestone Ramblers, where he lays down upright bass for straight-ahead bluegrass and American traditional music; The Passing Fancies, a bluegrass fusion outfit that stretches the boundaries of trad music, and The MJ Fitch Swing Unit, his own group dedicated to the swing sounds that started it all.
On bass, Matthew draws from the heavyweight (Willie Dixon, Ray Brown, Barry Bales, Todd Phillips, Slick Joe Fick, and Jimbo Wallace) but he's equally at home on electric bass, dobro, and guitar. He's also the bass workshop instructor for the 2026 Father's Day Bluegrass Festival in Grass Valley, passing along what he's learned to the next wave of players coming up.
On bass, Matthew draws from the heavyweight (Willie Dixon, Ray Brown, Barry Bales, Todd Phillips, Slick Joe Fick, and Jimbo Wallace) but he's equally at home on electric bass, dobro, and guitar. He's also the bass workshop instructor for the 2026 Father's Day Bluegrass Festival in Grass Valley, passing along what he's learned to the next wave of players coming up.
The Cobblestone Ramblers is where Matthew gets back to roots, played the way it's supposed to be played. Raw, honest, and fun.
The Cobblestone Ramblers is where Matthew gets back to roots, played the way it's supposed to be played. Raw, honest, and fun.
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