William Matheny (musician)


Not to be confused with William A. Matheny.
William Matheny is a Morgantown, West Virginia based singer-songwriter. Matheny was also a multi-instrumentalist for Southeast Engine and is currently a keyboardist and guitarist for The Paranoid Style. His musical style has been compared to the likes of Elvis Costello, Nick Lowe, Marshall Crenshaw, and The Modern Lovers’ Jonathan Richman.

Early life

Born in 1984 in Mannington, West Virginia, he is the grandson of Mansfield Matheny, lead singer for The Rhythm Rascals. His great-grandfather was a gospel singer and his father was a bluegrass guitarist. Matheny claims to have been performing with bands as a guitarist since the age of nine. He became the drummer of Cheap Truckers’ Speed as a teenager, eventually moving to Morgantown and becoming a musician-for-hire.

Musical career

In 2008, Matheny joined the band Southeast Engine as a pianist and organ player. He remained with the band until it went on "indefinite hiatus" at the end of 2012. Since that time, Matheny has continued to serve as a musician for The Paranoid Style and Todd Burge, among others. He and his band have been writing and recording the album that would eventually become Strange Constellations since 2013. Matheny has appeared on the West Virginia Public Broadcasting program Mountain Stage a total of four times to date, both as a solo artist and as a member of a band.

Current live band members

As Billy Matheny