Mat Kearney left Eugene, Oregon, eight years ago to play soccer at Chico State University, the school once notoriously dubbed the No. 1 party school in the nation. Kearney exploited the universitys reputation before he eventually hit rock bottom. After getting his life on a positive spiritual track, Kearney began immersing himself in the local grassroots music scene. And the rest, as they say, is history.

