“The Sound” CD Release Party Debrief

August 25th, 2013 at Sam’s Burger Joint was the CD release party for my new album, “The Sound”. I am humbled and blown away by the outpouring of love and support from friends, family, and fans – old and new. I don’t even know where to begin. What I CAN say is that I give God all the glory. I had no business even getting this album out.

You may or may not know this, but I actually had completed an album called “The Sound” in June of this year. I also promptly deleted the whole thing and started over from scratch. In July. With my CD release already scheduled for August 25th. That original rendition of the album wasn’t ‘bad’, per se. But it sure as heck wasn’t ME. So I scratched it completely. I reused a few songs from it (with different arrangements entirely) and added new ones. It became a completely different album that, as of today, is barely a month old. It’s much more “indie” and much more Matt Adler. Originally I had intended for it to be a more folky record but then it ballooned into what it is now. And I’m okay with that!

Whoa Nelly, did I struggle mightily to get this album out. Sure, it was a labor of love. But so many things outside my control caused some serious issues and threatened to delay the release. Illnesses among the Madler Choir (this is what I dubbed the group of vocalists that lent their amazing pipes to the recordings), scheduling issues, technical glitches that ruined the first set of masters, financial issues… Please Be My Strength was recorded in just a few hours the day before the album was supposed to be mastered. Originally it was not even going to be on the track list, in favor of a duet that I’ll likely finish and release at some point. My buddy Chad was supposed to sing the second part but completely lost his voice. I was bummed, but then the cover of Please Be My Strength has turned out to be one of the songs that seems to speak to many people. Funny how God works sometimes.

The folks in my band blow my mind. Most of them lead worship with me at a church called “The Park Community Church” here in San Antonio. They are the greatest people with the most inspiring hearts. And they’re freakishly talented. Brett Shudak, Chad Humprey, Dave Brent, David Hernandez, Katie Boyd, and Tony Neely: I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. It is truly a blessing to know you all. THANK YOU for your dedication, hard work, and willingness to devote your time and energy to helping me with this release show. I love you all and I’m overjoyed that we get to do life together.

Thanks to Sam’s Burger Joint for hosting the event (FYI, we packed nearly 400 people into the venue!!), thanks to Defiant Artist Agency/Greg Carnes for the help in getting this show together, thanks to Alanna D’Antonio and Natalie Saldaña (my publicists) for all they do in helping me further my career (and being super fun peeps), thanks again to EVERYONE that allows me and my music a small place in their lives – I love you all and appreciate you more than you’ll ever know. And thanks be to God for… everything. Absolutely everything. It’s HIS story, not mine. For HIS glory, not mine. I’m blessed beyond anything I deserve, and for that I’m thankful.

I can’t wait to see what He has in store. I’m a passenger. I wanna go for a ride.

– M

PS – photos and videos (like this one) of the event will be posted soon!

PPS – The Sound is now available on iTunes!