Matthew Kaminski has been the organist for the Atlanta Braves since 2009.
He’s played his tunes plenty of times at Turner Field, but when the Braves packed up and moved to Cobb County for SunTrust Park, so did he. His popularity has grown for playing distracting and funny songs as the opposing batters approach the plate, like theme songs from “The Office” or “Veggie Tales.”
But never before has Kaminski, 40, played the organ at a football game. That will change this fall when Kaminski marches back into the press box at what was once “The Ted” — now known simply as Georgia State Stadium — to play his tunes during Georgia State University football games.
"I'm very pleased to announce that I will be playing the organ for Georgia State University Football this season!!!" Kaminski wrote in an Instagram post, accompanied by a photo of him looking out over his keyboards onto a covered football field. Kaminski is a GSU alumnus, holding a Master of Music degree from the Atlanta school.
It’s rare to find an organist at football games. Most college teams rely on marching bands and pre-recorded music. But original music from organists is something that can still be found in pro baseball parks and basketball arenas around the country.
Sir Foster, the organist for the Atlanta Hawks, has become famous for playing hip-hop music — like Future's "Mask Off" — on the organ at games.
Kaminski plays all types of music at Braves games. In his first season with the Braves, he greeted former Atlanta first baseman Mark Teixeira with his own rendition of Radiohead’s “Creep.”
Recently, Kaminski trolled Cubs’ outfielder Kyle Schwarber by playing ELO’s “Don’t Bring Me Down” as he approached the plate. A few weeks earlier, Chicago had sent the struggling slugger down to the minors to work out a few kinks.
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Kaminski has a large following on social media, and often takes to Twitter for song suggestions. On Friday, he asked followers what song they would consider as the “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” of football.
The answer might be Hank Williams Jr.’s “Monday Night Football” theme, but Kaminski will likely be flooded with suggestions in the coming days.
Maybe he’ll put an Atlanta twist on it and play OutKast’s “Bombs Over Baghdad” to get Panthers’ fans charged up when they open their new stadium on Aug. 31 against Tennessee State.
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