My boss at the time heard about Matt’s band, Prester John, and suggested I write a feature story on him to showcase the band and his conservation-related research.
I drove to Denver, where the band rehearsed, and brought my new puppy, which I cleared with him in advance.
When I first saw the band live, they reminded me of Fleet Foxes and exquisitely covered “Helplessness Blues,” with beautiful harmonies and guitar. Other members of the band included Steve Chignell, Rich Fordham and Corey Smith. At the time, Chignell was a graduate student in the Department of Ecosystem Science and Sustainability at CSU.
Matt has studied poaching and illegal wildlife trafficking in Africa. At the time the story was published, he was heading to D.C. for a prestigious fellowship. In that role, he would travel to Central Africa to work with governments, nongovernmental organizations and local communities doing conservation work.
Photo: Swing-Photo. Pictured from left, Fordham, Luizza, Chignell and Smith.
Mary Guiden 