About

Behind the Music

Human Obstacles

2026 saw PawnShop Motel beat cancer, recover from a torn ACL, and release 10 singles. An indie rock duo formed by best friends could not be deterred by meager human obstacles to continue to follow their passion.

Matt and Stew met in 2015 at a job in Kansas City, MO going door to door selling lawn fertilizer. After a conversation about grits indeed being edible, they began their journey together a few days after. After almost a decade and a handful of bands, they formed PawnShop Motel to create their version of blues + indie + rock.

Linktree

Music

Press

Coverage from the industry

    Sep 16, 2026

    PawnShop Motel – Under Neon Signs

    There's something unnervingly authentic about Denver duo PawnShop Motel's latest offering that makes one pause mid-drink in a dimly lit venue, transfixed by what's pouring from the speakers. "Under Neon Signs" arrives not with the customary flash of newcomers desperate…

    Read more

    Sep 11, 2026

    Pawnshop Motel Confront the Cycles We Inherit on ‘Hole in the Screen Door’

    Some memories stay with you long after childhood ends. For Pawnshop Motel, “Hole in the Screen Door” takes one of those memories and turns it into a song about family, repetition, and the helpless feeling of watching the same patterns…

    Read more

    Aug 29, 2026

    Pawnshop Motel Turns Emotional Burnout Into a Rock Anthem on ‘The Haunting’

    There is a certain kind of tiredness that comes when you have fought for a relationship for too long. Pawnshop Motel captures that feeling on “The Haunting,” an indie rock track about reaching the point where walking away is the…

    Read more

    Photos

    Videos

    Press Kit

    About Pawnshop Motel

    PawnShop Motel is an indie rock duo from Denver, CO formed in 2024 by Matt and Stew. The band has gone through it in 2026 but on the path to completing their primary goal of releasing 10 singles in a calendar year. They are ramping up their live shows going into 2027 and will hit the ground running following the momentum building from the constant set of releases. Their influences lean heavy 90s-2000s rock (RadioHead, The Strokes, Cage the Elephant, The Black Keys, Kings of Leon) but the band loves finding new music like LEAP, alexsucks, Father of Peace, and Dogpark. 

    Inquiries

    Press Photos