Early mornings at Tone Tailors are usually quiet, but this week we kicked off the morning by sitting down on the couch with a staple of the Lancaster music scene: Matt Hostetter.
Matt wears a lot of hats. He’s a musician, a father of three, a recording veteran, and one of the managing partners behind Lancaster’s own Zotropolis and Lancaster Distilleries. He also serves as the Chairman of the Board for Music For Everyone (MFE).
We dug deep into what it takes to balance art with business, the shifting landscape of live music, and why human imperfection is the secret ingredient to great art.
Many artists dream of making a living entirely off their craft, but the jump from creator to business owner is a massive hurdle. Matt’s background in finance gave him a front-row seat to the minds of entrepreneurs, but nothing quite prepares you for the realities of running a venue.
"There's five of us who are managing partners in the business... historically my role centered around live music, although I have spent time doing pretty much everything there, from working on the line in the kitchen to being behind the bar."
Matt attributes this "do whatever it takes" mindset to his upbringing. Raised by parents from local dairy and hog farms, he watched his family figure out how to operationalize independent businesses to compete with factory giants. Whether you're a guitarist, a photographer, or a venue owner, you have to be ready to step out of your comfort zone. Sometimes, being a business owner means booking the talent; sometimes, it means making the mozzarella sticks.
For those who haven't been, Zotropolis (now located in Lancaster's central art district on Water Street) is a full night out under one roof. It houses a restaurant, a bar, a live entertainment theater, and Lancaster Distilleries.
Zotropolis just celebrated 30 years, and Matt has been a part of the journey for over a decade. He walked us through the venue's evolution:
What makes the room at Zo so special for local and touring acts? It’s a dedicated listening space.
Unlike a traditional noisy bar environment, the performance room is isolated. Complete with couches and living room-style furniture, it thrives on dynamic, stripped-down performances that require a keen ear and full attention.
When asked about the hardest part of putting on live events today, Matt didn’t hesitate: "Getting people through the door. Attention is at an extreme premium right now."
While everyone uses social media, relying purely on Instagram or Facebook ads can lead to disappointment. Matt shared some of his core strategies for building a room:
Every music lover has a pinnacle moment. For Matt, it happened back in the early days of the Sugar Tank recording studio.
He had fallen in love with the improvisational music of Circles Around the Sun (set-break music put together for the Grateful Dead’s 50th anniversary shows), led by one of his favorite guitar players, Neil Casal.
"A few years later, I got a message on the Sugar Tank voicemail... and it was Neil Casal. He was in town playing the Chameleon Club and looking for a studio to do an overdub for a friend."
Matt ended up picking him up from the hotel, running the recording session, and hanging out around Lancaster for the night—even playing music through the PA at the unfinished Zotropolis space. That chance encounter led to Circles Around the Sun playing three incredible, unforgettable shows at Zotropolis.
When he isn't running the venue, Matt stays busy on stage. He plays guitar and sings in two primary projects: The Quiet Riders (with fellow friend-of-the-shop Tuck Ryan) and What Would Jerry Do? (WWJD).
If you are looking for a local staple, WWJD holds down a monthly residency at Zotropolis called "Steal Your Sunday" (usually the fourth Sunday of every month at 2:00 PM), playing their own unique, stylized interpretations of the Grateful Dead and Jerry Garcia Band catalog.
Of course, we had to ask about gear. If the house is on fire, Matt’s grabbing his Eastman semi-hollow electric—a resonant, incredibly comfortable guitar he actually bought from touring pro Ian Ethan Case (who once played a clinic at Tone Tailors' old King Street location).
As for the next arrow to add to the quiver? Matt has his eyes set on a Telecaster for its underrated versatility and distinct tonal footprint.
And because Matt knows where the best gear lives, he joked about his board: "I think every pedal on my board was bought at Tone Tailors." His favorite? The Keeley Magnetic Tape Echo Delay, which he uses to create psychedelic, ambient, synthesizer-like feedback loops mid-jam.
Beyond his businesses and bands, Matt serves as the Chairman of the Board for Music For Everyone, a phenomenal local non-profit celebrating its 20th year.
MFE’s mission is simple: use the power of music as an educational, community-building, and wellness tool. The impact they’ve had on Lancaster County is massive:
"If you think about the act of performing music and learning about it... it truly incorporates every other subject. It's math, critical thinking, science, and creativity. It results in extremely positive outcomes in terms of test scores, graduation rates, everything."
To wrap up the conversation, we talked about the future. From shortened song lengths dictated by streaming algorithms to the rise of AI-generated content, tech is changing music fast.
But Matt remains a firm optimist. He believes the cultural pendulum always swings back.
"Imperfection is where you find the authenticity in whatever you're listening to... There's a conversation in competitive snowboarding right now where it's suddenly gotten away from style and it's just all about who can do the most spins. It's all technical, no style. AI can create something that is technically perfect, but it's the little inflections, the micro-bends—that's what resonates."
At Tone Tailors, we couldn't agree more. Guitars have survived every major technological shift because there is simply no replacement for real human emotion, real wood, and the community built when people get together in a room to make noise.
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