Americana Songwriter Mat D Showcases Booming Vocals In Emotional New Single ‘The Company I Keep’

With his deep commanding vocals and poetic lyrics, it’s no surprise that this South Dakota-based artist is referred to by many fans as the “Hemingway of the Highway.” 

Mat D, also known as Mathew deRiso, began recording and performing country rock tracks back in 2006. The same year, he released his first single, “Drinking Gin and Sipping Tea,” and has consistently continued to release new tunes for almost two decades now.

From 2006 until 2019, the Great Plains songsmith was the lead songwriter and vocalist for the Americana band The Profane Saints. During their time together, the band released several albums, achieved international radio airplay, and earned road dog status touring across the Midwest before disbanding in 2019. 

Now a solo songwriter and performer, Mat D’s passion for making music hasn’t wavered, as he continues to release new tracks, and is working on an upcoming album.

His latest single, “The Company I Keep,” which dropped in late October, is a deeply emotional and theatrical ballad about losing the one you love. Any listener can hear the raw and honest emotion of this heartbroken man with his guitar, as he belts out the chorus, “I fell in love so deep / It shook my soul to sleep / Broke me in two / Dreaming of you / Now that you’re gone.” 

With striking, unforgettable vocals, Mat D has a natural talent many artists can only dream of. Music journalist Fred Philips commented, “It’s a crying shame that the world at large isn’t familiar with this guy yet. It’s time for that to change. Country, Americana, Southern rock, call it what you want to call it. I’ll just call it bad-ass.”

And we’d have to agree with that sentiment.