At the ripe age of 15, Matt Heinecke walked into Cafe 1134 on Orange Avenue, now Parakeet Cafe, to see about regularly performing at the restaurant.
Guitar in hand and prepped with a five-song repertoire, he auditioned for the owner, Rick Chapman, who currently owns Coronado Brewing Company.
Chapman gave the go ahead and told him to come back the following Friday to play for three hours — to which Heinecke immediately realized he would need to prep more songs in order to fill that time.
“Rick was amazing and let me come back every two weeks,” Heinecke said. “He could have laughed me out of the shop, but instead gave me a life changing opportunity. By the end of the summer I had enough material and equipment and it became my regular gig for the rest of high school.”
Now, with a much more extensive song list and 20-plus years of professional performances, this singer/songwriter has been featured all over — from Coronado to Nashville and Los Angeles.
And, on Aug. 25, Heinecke will perform in Spreckels Park at 5 p.m. as part of the Coronado Promenade Concert Series with four others in his band.
Heinecke’s unique style of guitar draws on a wide range of influences, including folk, classical, rock, jazz, country and bluegrass.
He is the band director at Coronado High School and Coronado Middle School, as well as the director of Coronado School of the Arts’ instrumental music program.
He has been performing in Coronado Promenade Concerts for a decade.
“My band first performed in 2014 and have played most years since,” Heinecke said. “I love seeing the community come together and connect with the music, and I try to attend each week no matter who is playing. It’s one of my favorite parts of living here.”
Coronado’s summer concert series will come to a close with a performance by It’s Never 2L8 on Sept. 1.
