Aug. 9, 2010
Contact:
Elizabeth Klipp, 404-413-1356
University Relations
As New York Mets third baseman David Wright stepped up to the plate to face the Atlanta Braves' Derek Lowe, a curious tune performed on an instrument from baseball's past echoed through Turner Field.
Braves organist and Georgia State graduate student Matthew Kaminski was playing “You’ve Got it (The Right Stuff)” by New Kids on the Block.
As fans figured out the song’s connection to Wright’s name, they chuckled or sang along. Some even sent kudos to the organist using the social media tool, Twitter.
“To me, it is fun when I can make people happy watching the game here or at home,” said Kaminski, who earned his bachelor’s degree in music at GSU and is currently a graduate student in the School of Music’s jazz studies program.
In an age when most Major League Baseball teams have decided to use pre-recorded music, Kaminski, 33, is keeping alive the tradition of the baseball organ largely through social media. He is one of 15 live organists left in the Major League Baseball and the only one that is known to use Twitter. More than 1,900 people follow Kaminski under the name @bravesorganist.
Kaminski’s clever song selections, which gently poke fun at an opposing player’s name, situation or style, have impressed the Braves organization and Braves fans, as well as fans of other teams and the national media. He has been featured in The Atlanta Journal Constitution, National Public Radio’s “Weekend Edition,” Fox 5's "Good Morning Atlanta" and several other outlets.
“Matthew has done a great job trying to find tunes that connect with the players coming up to the plate and being very subtle about it; it’s not in your face,” said Scott Cunningham, director of game entertainment for the Braves. “And he brought it to another level by Tweeting. I love that because we are always trying to reach out and interact with fans.”
Cunningham hired Kaminiski at the beginning of the 2009 season, ending a four year run of pre-recorded music. Fans say they immediately noticed when the live organ was playing again, and we’re even more excited to see him using Twitter.
“It’s really cool when your suggestions get played,” said Lauren Turbyfield, a 30-year-old human resources professional who tweets under the name @BravesLove. “You feel like you have a connection with the organization.”
Before each home game, Kaminski tweets the list of songs he is thinking about for the Braves’ opposing team line up that night. Fans like Turbyfield and many others write in with their reactions and suggestions. Throughout the game, Kaminski tries to keep up with fans' requests – sometimes learning songs on the fly – and responds as much as possible.
Fans say he is like a “human jukebox” but while working, Kaminski looks more like an air traffic controller. He has one hand on his laptop, the other on his Yamaha keyboard, and wears a headset to talk to the audio-visual producer who is in another room. Kaminski and his keyboard are located in the press box.
When asked via Twitter what are their favorite songs Kaminski has picked for opposing team players, fans respond: the theme song from NBC’s “The Office” for Phillies’ Ryan Howard (Ryan Howard is also the name of one of the main characters on the sitcom); “Beauty School Drop Out” from "Grease" for Mets outfielder Jeff “Frenchy” Francoeur (Frankie Avalon sings the tune to the character Frenchie in the musical); Aqua’s “Barbie Girl” for Kansas City Royals catcher Jason Kendall (Ken doll) and Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven” for Kansas City Royals pitcher Brian Bannister (The banister is part of a staircase).
Even though playing every Braves home game can be a grueling schedule on its own (Kaminski played 83 games last year and possibly more this year as the Braves are in playoff contention), the musician is involved in many other ventures.
“In this day, being a musician means doing more than one thing,” Kaminski said. “So I teach, take gigs, play weddings or corporate events. You have to keep your mind open to a lot of things to make a living as a musician.”
Playing the Hammond Organ since the age of five, Kaminski has also mastered the piano and the accordion, thanks to his musical father. But Kaminski says he is primarily a jazz organist and his group, the Matthew Kaminski Organ Trio, recently released a new album on titled, “Taking My Time” on Summit/Chicken Coup records. The jazz organ group plays around the Atlanta area with different musicians and vocalists, such as Mike 'Kingsized' Geier, Laura Coyle, Will Scruggs, Gwen Hughes, Kayla Taylor and Nicole Chillemi.
Most Saturdays, Kaminski also plays the piano for a Salsa band called “Orquesta MaCuba” at the Atlanta restaurant “Loca Luna” and during the week, he teaches 20 to 30 piano students at The Peggy Still School of Music in Alpharetta and Atlanta. In the fall, Kaminski dons the accordion as part of Polka band called “Laurentz Und Die Katzen” (Lawrence and the Cats). He also gets booked for the occasional wedding or corporate event, and is an endorsee of the Hammond/Suzuki Organ Company.
It’s a tight schedule, which recently became more hectic with the birth of his daughter, Allison, in May.
Proudly displayed on his keyboard at Turner Field is a picture of him, his wife, Kathleen, who is a speech pathologist at the Veteran Affairs Medical Center in Decatur, Ga., and baby Allison. His thoughts are never far from them. Every once in a while, in fact, he plays “California Girls,” for his wife who hails from California.
Kaminski may already have what some would consider a dream job, but he says he’s not finished yet. He thinks it would be rewarding to have a college-level teaching job once he finishes his master’s degree at GSU.
“I’ve definitely gotten a great education at Georgia State,” Kaminski said. “GSU continues to prepare me to be a professional musician and play in a wide variety of venues. It has prepared me for job like this.”
His professors agree Kaminski is indeed a true professional.
“It’s a given you have to be able to play but you also have to be adaptable,” said Gordon Vernick, GSU associate professor and the School of Music’s director of jazz studies. “That’s what I teach the kids and Matthew mastered it. He’s doing very well and we’re really proud of him.”
The future is bright for this rising star and it’s clear Kaminski has potential to go on to other great opportunities. But for now, he says he’s enjoying the journey and definitely taking his time. For more information, visit www.matthewkaminski.com.