Former runner-up of “The Voice” coming back to Tamaqua

The lead vocalist of an internationally touring rock band is coming to The Stitch of the Tamaqua Community Arts Center.

Matt McAndrew, lead singer of the band Slaves, will be performing in Tamaqua on Dec. 28.

“I’m brand-new to the band,” McAndrew said. “The only stuff that I’m a part of so far is being released off this upcoming album, it’ll be coming out in 2020. But I am on two singles with Slaves (currently) first one is called ‘Heavier,’ and the second one is called ‘Prayers.’ They’re both out now. We just got back from doing some Florida shows, that’ll be the end of the year for us.

“In the past year, we’ve done U.K., Europe, Australia, two U.S. tours and recorded a new record. It’s been a really busy year for us.”

McAndrew’s name might sound familiar for another reason, as he was runner-up on Season 7 (2014) of “The Voice,” where up-and-coming artists and musicians compete against each other for a crack at $100,000 and a record deal.

Although he finished second, the competition helped propel McAndrew to stardom. His original song “Wasted Love,” which he performed in the season finale, was top-15 on the Hot 100 and sold well over 200,000 units.

“My Voice journey was all about taking me from a recent college grad, who was working at Trader Joe’s in Philly, to being on sort of a world stage. That was my first big break in music. It was kind of an odd break to have. I always thought that I would grind it out, playing original music in clubs and do that whole deal. I tried that and I didn’t really move the needle much. It took going on TV, and it was fun to have that journey in front of everybody. … It was kind of the thing that plucked me from obscurity and got me into the industry and I’ve been able to do music and entertainment ever since.”

McAndrew is originally from New Jersey, attended the University of the Arts in Philadelphia and currently lives in Los Angeles.

“When I was about 15 or so, I decided I wanted to be a musician. Honestly, I was a big Modest Mouse fan as a kid. Something about those records just really inspired me to want to do it myself, that was pretty much the turning point for me.”

The New Jersey native previously performed in Tamaqua in 2018. He was scheduled in 2019, but something big came up.

“Basically this gig is a reschedule from last year. I got the call last minute to do this European U.K. tour with Slaves, and that’s why I had to reschedule. I was like man, I can’t say no to the opportunity, is there any way we can reschedule this gig? It’s coming full circle and I can finally do the Tamaqua gig now. I’m excited to do it, after doing more gritty rock shows where there’s a mosh pit, I’ll be excited to going back to doing my little singer-songwriter thing.”

Additionally, McAndrew’s show at The Stitch will feature an opportunity to purchase meet-and-greet tickets.

For more information, visit tamaquaarts.org, or call 570-668-1192.