The Sound

Howdy do! As you may know, I have an EP coming out this July. My artwork extraordinaire Richard Tobin (he did the packaging for my Rearranged LP) asked for a synopsis of the record and I thought, “well hot dang, mah fans would love it if’n I shared these insights wit dem!” So here it is below for your enjoyment!

“The Sound” is the name of my upcoming EP. It is a more overtly Christian album than I’ve released in the recent past. I was always very much entrenched in the secular music scene (and still am). However, after going through all the crap I did that led to the Rearranged LP, I am now in the greatest season of my life. Ever. Single and happy, self-employed as a musician for a year now, paying the bills and living the dream. You can read a super abridged version of my story here – http://mattadlermusic.com/345/. I have been blessed beyond all measure and therefore, I want to more directly praise God with the lyrical content of this album.

Track list -

1) Opening
2) Thank God
3) Love Will Find Me
4) The One That Got Away
5) The Sound
6) Make Up Your Own Mind
7) I Do

Opening is a minute long instrumental that melts faces.

Thank God is a super heavy track with a dubstep breakdown as the middle eight. It also melts faces. It’s about how I just can’t do it by myself. Never could, can’t ever. “Thank God I’m not my own and I’m not on my own” is the hook.

Love Will Find Me was released as a free demo a few months ago on my web site. It’s about how God has a girl in mind for me. I know it and he’s not going to let me miss her. I’d struggled with that a lot recently, being impatient with my situation. This song is a confession that I will not be looking for love. It’ll find me.

The One That Got Away is a story about a guy questioning the status of his relationship with a girl. He likes her but doesn’t know if it’s reciprocated. This song isn’t a true story. It’s a hopeful one. By the end, he comes to find that she feels the same way and won’t be the one that got away.

The Sound is a straight up praise and worship song to Jesus.

Make Up Your Own Mind was also released as a free demo, though this one on Noisetrade. It’s about a guy with an ego (perhaps there is a semi-biographical side to this song) that doesn’t like to let people make their own decisions. In the end he realizes he’s obnoxious for doing so.

I Do is similar in story to Love Will Find Me. It’s just a little less hopeful and a little more worried.

- Matt

Robbie Seay Band/Bellarive Show Debrief

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Holy smokes, what a whirlwind. So I reached out to Shaun Groves to see if he could play at my CD release this coming summer and his booking agent said he wasn’t available. Then out of the blue, the agent asked if I would be interested in helping put on a show for Robbie Seay Band and Bellarive on May 4th. And that, my friends, is how I got into the concert promotion business! Haha. It was my first. And I would say, it was a resounding success!

I partnered with Grace Community Church to host the event, and they did a bang up job providing a killer sound system, awesome volunteers and an overall brilliant facility to host the show. I hope to have many more shows there.

I wound up advertising the show like my life depended on it (mostly because I was terrified the crowd would consist of me and my parents). I papered the entire city with flyers. –>

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I did a radio show (AM630 @ 8pm on Saturdays – R3V Radio). I did a TV morning show (Great Day SA). I annoyed the heck out of the Facebook community with my incessant hounding. I posted to KLOVE’s event calendar. But it was worth it. We got close to 200 out there. There were butts in seats (well, sometimes. Many folks stood the whole time!) and I was happy.

Both Robbie Seay Band and Bellarive were phenomenal. I highly recommend you check out both bands. They are great people that do what they do for the glory of God and not themselves. The evening was more than just a concert. It was a night of worship. My cajon-ist extraordinaire, Dave Brent, and I closed with a cover of For the Sake of the World by Bethel Live and it was such a worshipful experience. Everyone in the auditorium was singing their hearts out. It was a super special moment.

Thanks to everyone for the help and support in getting this done. Hopefully there will be more big shows in the future!

- Matt

What’s Goin’ DOWN – Apr/May 2013

Howdy all,

I will keep this short and sweet. Tons of neato stuff is going down over the next month or two! Notable events are listed below -->

1) April 12th: Show @ the Angry Elephant w/ Lucas Jack. I open the night with an acoustic set (along with cajon player extraordinaire Dave Brent) and then play with Lucas' full band to close out the night. Lucas is AWESOME. That is all.

2) April 13th: I'm going to be on R3V radio (KSLR - AM630 from 8pm-9pm) to play a few songs and chat about life, music and the big show on May 4th (details below).

3) April 19th: Show in Lubbock, TX w/ Ryan Proudfoot opening for Brandon Heath. Yippee!

4) April 24th: I'm going to be on Great Day SA (KENS5) playing a few tunes and talking about music and the big show on May 4th (once again, details below).

5) April 28th: Show @ 502 w/ Seleste Paige. This is Seleste's CD release party. It's been a long time coming and I'm super excited this album will finally be out for everyone to enjoy! I had the privilege of producing and playing on this album. And it came out HUUUUGE! Acoustic set, featuring Davely Brentward on cajon.

6) May 4th: FREE show @ Grace Community Church in Universal City w/ Robbie Seay Band and Bellarive. I will be opening up the night with an acoustic set, once again featuring the glorious cajon/percussion stylings of Dave Brent. --> https://www.facebook.com/events/160786954085046

7) May 10th: Full band show @ Jack's Patio Bar w/ Attica, Renevus and Rumors. HUGE.

Hope you are able to attend one or more of these events. Super pumped!

- Matt

Where I Am Now #2

Howdy do peeps! What a WHIRLWIND of a 2013 so far. I've been moving at a mile-a-minute for so long, I'm surprised I haven't burst into flames. Today is my first somewhat "down" day in over a month. But no worries! I'm blessed beyond anything I deserve. It's just sometimes hard to think straight when you're constantly going going going (cue Energizer Bunny joke here).

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I've been in the new Splendid Studios location for nearly a month now and the calendar has filled in nicely. It's so rewarding to be in a facility that is mine. My name is on the lease and not someone else's. It's comforting to know I likely won't be kicked out at a moment's notice and without warning.

This next few months are going to be super exciting as many projects I have worked on (as both a producer and session musician) will be released!

1) Lucas Jack - Sun City LP. I played nearly all the guitars on this 15 track monster of an album. I have tremendous respect for Lucas. This guy writes the catchiest songs ever and is a phenomenal keyboard player and vocalist. Think a modern take on 70s/80s piano-based singer/songwriter pop a la Billy Joel. His CD release party is this Saturday, the 23rd, and I am honored that Lucas asked me to play guitar. If you have nothing going on, you should come out. The show is going to be totes epical. AND, to make life even MORE glorious, it's a joint CD release party with...

2) Jackson Parten. This guy is tremendous. Amazing vocalist and songwriter. I was fortunate to be able to play electric guitar on the title track of his forthcoming EP. Both this project and Lucas' were tracked at Hollywood Studios and produced by the illustrious and always lovely Mack Damon.

3) Seleste Paige - Here I Go EP. It's been a long time coming! This EP has the distinction of having been tracked across three different Splendid Studios locations, including my old home studio. I produced this record and played many of the instruments, accompanied by the electric guitar wizardry of Adam Flohmeyer on a few tracks and Blake Alexander's patented drummery. Señor Mack Damon provided mastering services. I am absolutely stoked about this project. The songs range from catchy as heck to punch-you-in-the-face indie to purdy jazziness to Civil Wars-y acoustic... yet they all fit together. This record is slated for release in late April. To preorder the album and help Seleste pay some last minute album-related bills, click here.

4) Ty Dillon - Self Titled EP. Ty is a TX country artist from Dallas who came down to have me produce his forthcoming EP. This guy is only 19 years old and is already writing some of the catchiest country tunes I've ever heard. He released his If You Only Knew single on Valentine's Day and is looking to hopefully release his full record next month or the month after. Tracking his record was a very cool experience because of all the talent that played. The bassist and banjo player from the Josh Abbott Band (James Hertless and Austin Davis, respectively) as well as Robert Earl Keen's pedal steel player (Marty Muse) all make an appearance. An ex-student of mine named Seth Greco played most of the lead electric parts and completely blew everyone away. SA-based studio drummer extraordinaire Chris Mize plays a tune, and we even had an award-winning 15 year old fiddle player named Harrison Schumann play on several tracks. We cranked all five songs out in less than two weeks of work. Insanity. But we did it and the end result is fantastic!

5) Ryan Proudfoot - Treasure LP. What else can I say about the Foot? I produced his debut My Everything EP, released 13 months ago. We have since become great friends and have begun playing tons of shows together, releasing a string of ridiculous and awesome and ridiculous YouTube videos, and simply doing life together. This latest LP is going to blow minds and melt faces. Every song is amazing and catchy, yet unique. Steve Fallone at Sterling Sound in NYC will be mastering this album. Ryan has a music video coming out in 6 days for one of the songs we tracked for this new LP (released as a single in August) called "I Need You Now". Check his Facebook page to be kept in the loop. I saw the video and it's fantastic. All proceeds from sales of this single go to support victims of human trafficking.

I am super blessed to be able to work with incredible talent every day. Amazing people. Amazing music. Tomorrow will bring me back to the ol' grindstone. But I wouldn't change anything for the world.

-Matt