Matt Berninger

Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, Matt Berninger attended St. Xaiver High School, where he played in the school band. After graduation, he studied graphic design at the University of Cincinnati, where he met Scott Devendorf. The pair soon formed a band called Nancy, with Berninger serving as vocalist and Devendorf as bassist. The five-piece group recorded a single record, Ruther 3429, before splitting after Berninger and Devendorf relocated to Brooklyn, New York. There, they joined forces with Devendorf's brother, Bryan, and siblings Bryce and Aaron Dessner, in 1999 to form The National. The group began regular free shows at the Luna Lounge, a club on the Lower East Side, which helped them to build a fanbase. An eponymous album, released on the Dessners' own label, Brassland Records, earned them critical praise, but the group's true breakthrough came after they signed with Beggars Banquet Records to release their third album, Alligator, in 2005. By the time of their fourth album, Boxer (2007), The National had risen to the top of the indie music scene. Their music was featured on numerous television series, as well as Barack Obama's campaign video "Signs for Hope and Change" in 2008. A tour with R.E.M. exposed them to a wider audience, and spurred a documentary film, "A Skin, a Night" (2008). Two years later, the National released their fifth album, High Violet, which debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200. After recording the song "The Rains of Castamere" for the second season finale of "Game of Thrones" (HBO, 2011-) in 2012, The National earned a Grammy nomination and scored a second Top 5 album with their sixth release, Trouble Will Find Me (2013). The group also had a cameo in an episode of "The Mindy Project" (Fox 2012-), playing themselves in an episode set at a music festival. Berninger was front and center in the amusing documentary "Mistaken for Strangers" (2013), which focused on the tumultuous relationship between the singer and his brother Tom, who also served as the film's director.