The very week of their arrival in L.A., Mat auditioned and was hand-picked by Sharon and Kelly Osbourne to play lead guitar in Kelly's band, immediately launching a worldwide tour supporting her debut album "SHUT UP
" on Sony Records. Touring the world and making a multitude of high-profile TV performances including The Tonight Show With Jay Leno, Regis and Kelly, The American Music Awards, MTV's Total Request Live, Mad TV, Top of the Pops, and MTV's hit reality show The Osbournes
, Dauzat formed strong entertainment industry allies and expanded the Hydrovibe fan base worldwide.
While touring with Kelly Osbourne, Dauzat and St. Marie continued writing music via the internet and upon Mat's return to Los Angeles, the duo began recording demos and scouring the scene for players to complete the band. After a long nation-wide search for members, Hydrovibe
was completed in 2006 when drummer Philippe Mathys (formerly of Sony/Nitrus Records' rock band UPO) and bass player Eliot Lorango joined the band. The four decided to delve into the budding DIY music business model and release their first album independently. In late Summer of 2006 Hydrovibe began work on their debut LP NOTHING LEFT TO LOSE
with Tom Fletcher (Ozzy Osbourne, Motorhead) at Clearlake Audio in North Hollywood, CA. Upon finishing tracking, they began mixing the album with Kevin Lamb (The Doors, The Neptunes, Keane) in early September with plans for a 2007 release. However, while mixing the album, Lion's Gate/Twisted Pictures notified the band that their track "Killer Inside
" would be featured in the upcoming third installment of the blockbuster SAW 
film franchise. The band quickly switched gears and released a 5-song EP featuring "Killer Inside" (which also featured a guest vocal appearance from the film’s star SHAWNEE SMITH), capitalizing on the track’s exposure in the movie SAW III
. Lion's Gate/Twisted Pictures would later fund Hydrovibe's music video for “Killer Inside - Messed Up World remix" (also featuring Shawnee Smith), which was featured on the SAW III DIRECTOR’S CUT DVD
, and the SAW TRILOGY BOX SET.With the release of the movie SAW III
and a blistering performance with Static-X at the film’s Vegas premier at Rain in the Palms Casino, Hydrovibe received even more media and fan attention. The band was offered a spot on METAL EDGE Magazine sponsored "Corporate Punishment Tour" with Amity Lane featuring Kevin Palmer and Josh Moates of Trustcompany and hit the road in early January, 2007. Hydrovibe would continue to tour the U.S. heavily for the next 2 years, creating a strong grassroots following and sharing stages with Static-X, Taproot, Soulfly, Trustcompany, Powerman 5000, (hed) P.E., Black Stone Cherry, Soil, and Drowning Pool.
Through performing every night for such an extensive period, Hydrovibe
truly forged themselves into a very tight and multi-faceted rock unit. The chemistries between the players solidified immensely, and the songs themselves took on lives of their own. When the band came home to L.A. from the long stint on the road and revisited the mostly finished album, they quickly decided that it would not be fair to continue working on the previous recordings of the songs. They knew they must re-record the album to capture the band's new strength and intensity and to perform the more honed, road-tested versions of the songs. Hydrovibe entered Mad Dog Studios in Burbank, CA with Kevin Lamb to re-track and mix the 15-song full-length album "Nothing Left To Lose." The band also enlisted Kevin Churko, (Ozzy Osbourne, In This Moment, Five Finger Death Punch) who took a break from his work on Ozzy's new album to mix Hydrovibe's first single “Fame
.” MTV quickly took notice and included both the title track to "Nothing Left To Lose
" as well as album track "Shallow Grave
" in the series premier of "Real World Challenge".
How do you describe your music to people, Mat?
We're heavy, melodic rock... female-fronted, obviously, with lots of delicious vocal harmonies!
Tell me about how you originally got into your craft.
Some of my earliest memories are of wanting to be a guitar player. I was shy about asking my parents to get me a guitar, but one day while playing around in our attic, I found an old acoustic guitar up there. I began teaching myself immediately and have been glued to the instrument ever since!
What is your favorite thing to do in the whole wide world?
Perform. Period. You give us an audience (big or small), and we'll give you the best performance we can possibly put forth!
What is your biggest challenge when it comes to running your business?
RUNNING OUR BUSINESS is the biggest challenge in running our business!!! We are mostly self-managed (though we are close to remedying that), so we often get too engulfed in running the business side of the band, which puts a damper on the creative side. Our newest mission is to find the right manager to assist with the business side of things, so we can stay clearly focused on the creative aspect. We'll never be a hands-off band, mind you... we are very hard-working and will want to be close-at-hand when it comes to business matters, but it will be nice to mostly focus on our art.
When you were a kid, what did you think you were going to be when you grew up?
A guitarist in a rock band.
In what way has your community impacted your development as a musician?
Los Angeles has to be one of the most difficult places to be a successful band... there are just so many artists and bands out here that the market is over-saturated. Hydrovibe has been extremely fortunate, however, in that folks around here have really rallied behind our band and have been very forthcoming in their show of support. Our shows out here are all extremely well-attended by a grouping of very cool people... it's something I'd recommend you experience if you ever get the chance. Our shows here tend to bring out a mix of professionals in the music business, working musicians in the scene, other cool bands, good friends and supporters, and great appreciators of independent music... which makes for a VERY cool hang on the Sunset Strip!
What other artists out there do you love?
Anyone that is putting their neck on the chopping block for their art in this crazy economy! This is a tough, tough business... ESPECIALLY right now. The music business is in such times of uncertainty that bands are falling by the wayside daily. So, any band that is out there hustling, hitting the road, playing their hearts out nightly for very little money, sleeping on floors and in vans when they have to, etc.... they deserve (and desperately need) your support! Go to their shows and buy their CDs and merch... it's how they'll be able to afford their next meal! Also, employ the power of word-of-mouth: turn on your friends to your favorite independent band... it is a powerful marketing tool! Any independent artist that has the will to endure these tough times and the dedication to remain true to their art, WE SALUTE YOU!
What does your future hold?
New song releases! We're excited! We've debuted some new songs on this last tour we did and have been getting extremely good feedback, so we are hitting the studio in the coming months to record them. We plan on digitally releasing some singles very soon. We always debut new stuff to newsletter subscribers FIRST *hint hint*
Many thanks for a great interview! We appreciate your support and help in spreading the word about Hydrovibe.
