Things are moving along handsomely (I’ve always wanted to say handsomely to describe something!) with my album recording and preparation.  I’m still on track for a release date sometime in the fall, but I’m not quite sure when yet.  I’ll be sure to let you know when I do!

To keep you all entertained while I’m recording, I’m uploading pictures and videos from my recording sessions.  I’m calling this collection “Anatomy of an Album” and it’s purpose is to give you all a window into the process that goes on behind the scenes when recording an album.  I’ve always been fascinated by the work that goes into the making of an album; from recording tracks all the way up to the promotion and distribution!  Thanks again for your generous donations, they’re really helping out…keep ‘em coming!

Here’s what I’ve been up to lately:

Drums N’ Bass

To kick things off I decided to lay the groundwork for my songs by recording the bass and drum tracks for all of them.  Anders, the drummer, was not only kind enough to lend me his talents on the drum set, but also his parent’s basement!  Turned out to be the perfect little make-shift recording studio.

Check out all pictures of the session here.

Here’s a little video from the session, raw and uncut. (planning a “making-of” feature when the CD comes out with interviews and much more studio footage)

Horns

A big part of my music involves horns.  Sounds ranging from a full 6 peice horn section to a lone muted trumpet will be featured on this CD.  What can I say, I’m a trumpet player and I love good horns.

Finding a place to record horns was challenging.  I wanted to have us all playing together, but in separate rooms for sound isolation purposes.  A studio would be great for that, but studios have this funny way of asking for money to use their space.  Huh.  So instead my girlfriend Daisy offered up her apartment, which had a nice assortment of rooms for us to hide away in.  Mike got to see how it feels to play trombone in a closet and I got to see how it felt to go door to door apologizing to the neighbors after the cops were called on us for being too loud.  Just another day in the studio!

Pics on Flickr

Videos of me playing trumpet and Brian playing sax on You Tube.

Acoustic Guitar

The latest recording session took place at Dave the engineer’s house.  It was just me, him, some microphones, and a custom series Breedlove that I rented from a local dealer.  I spent hours playing different guitars until I settled on this baby.  It has a beautiful, mellow, round tone that I think will really fill out my songs nicely.

Pics on Flickr

Video of me playing a little bit of “Rain Song”.

What’s left?:Right now I’m spending some time listening to the tracks that I have so far, doing a little editing, and writing the other layers that will go on top; stuff like strings, electric guitar, auxiliary percussion, etc.  Once all that’s done, I’ll sprinkle a little vocals on top, mix it, master it, press it, and it will be ready to tickle your ears!  Don’t forget I gotta name the thing and get some artwork for the cover of the physical CD.  All stuff that I’m gonna need your help on, so stay tuned!

Keep the music flowin’…

Matt

I’d like to introduce you a new button I’ve added to the sidebar there under “Visit Me On…”.  It’s my official YouTube channel!  Check it out, I have some video from my visit to the New Orleans Jazz Fest along with exclusive raw footage of my recording sessions.   

While you’re there, be sure to subscribe to my channel so you can be updated any time I add a new video!

Keep the music flowin’…

Matt

Just a quick note to let you know my MySpace page has a new look!  My awesome friend at Designs By Gypsy did it up for me real nice-like, and you can check it out here.

While you’re there, leave a comment and pay a visit some of my uber-talented friends!  I promise hours of musical enjoyment are in-store for you…

Stay tuned here in a few days for an update on how my album recording is going!  Here’s a hint: it rhymes with freight.

Keep the music flowin’…

This video is part of a series I’m calling the “Living Room Sessions”. In this series, I’ll be accompanied in my living room by some of the folks you’ll be hearing on my up-coming album.

For my first Living room Sessions video, I’m accompanied by the ultra-talented Alex Barron plucking and bowing his cello.  He also throws in some backup vocals for good measure!  We’re playing a cover of Santa and Rob Thomas’ hit, Smooth.  Enjoy!

Dig the video?  It’d make my day if you hit up the You Tube page and left a nice comment under the video!

If you’re itching to know more about my debut CD, like when it’s going to be released and how you can get your hands on it before everyone else, sign up for my mailing list over there on the right so you can stay in the loop!

Keep the Music Flowin’…

Wow, what a show last night at Mad City Coffee!! I was so thrilled at how many of my friends, family, and fans showed up to support me and my band.  It was standing room only for most of the night!

The energy we received from all my friends in the audience really fueled the performance and allowed us to put on one of our best shows ever!

Thanks, as always, to the stellar musicianship of Alex Barron, Brian Falkowski, and Anders Eliasson. You guys really make me look and sound good!

Also, thanks to Daisy Eun, Vijay Ankem, and Erica the photographer for taking pictures at the show. Check out Daisy’s shots here, on my Flickr page.

Erica contacted me via MySpace asking if she could come snap some photos of my show to add to her portfolio.  Hopefully we provided some good shots for her!  Take a look at the photos she took here on her Flickr page.

Thanks to the wonderful staff at Mad City Coffee for taking care of us last night.  Special shout outs to Bill (the owner), Brian (the barista), and Rick (the talent booker) for being great hosts and continuing to keep Mad City one of my favorite places to play!

What a great way to kick off 2009!!!

It’s been a great year in 2008.  I’ve distributed hundreds of demo CDs, played out more, and collaborated with some wonderful local musicians!  In fact, let me take this opportunity to thank Emily Case, Brian Falkowski, Anders Eliasson, Andrew Green, Chrissy Ungaro, and Alex Barron for lending their musical talents to some of my gigs this year.  Thanks guys, you’ve really helped me take my music to new hieghts!

I’m really excited for what’s in store for 2009!  If the theme for ‘08 was gigging, the theme for ‘09 is definitely RECORDING!  Here’s what you can expect form me:

• My Debut Full Length Studio Album - I’ve already set the gears in motion on creating my first full length CD.  I hope to start recording in February and have the CD ready by fall.  Stay tuned to this website for all the latest news on this effort.  “How do I stay tuned”, you ask?  Well, you can follow me on twitter, sign up for my mailing list over in the toolbar, subscribe to my RSS feed, or friend me on MySpace.
• Lots of Videos - Since I’m not going to be playing live nearly as much as usual, I thought I’d do the next best thing and record some performances to share with you all here on the interwebs.  I’m going to try to put up a new video each month.  You never know what you might get: me playing by myself in my bedroom, a recording of one of my live shows, me jamming with some friends….whatever the case, it will be entertaining!
  
• More Interaction - I also plan on getting more personal with you, my fans.  I’ll reach out to you to help me on things like spreading the word about my music and in return I’ll try my best to have a one-on-one relationship with each of you to make sure I’m delivering on my part.  Right now I’d really appreciate it if you could swing on over to my tip jar and drop a couple bucks in there!  As a reward, I giving away lots of stuff to folks who contribute, including exclusive access to hidden pages on this website!
• That’s about it - That’s enough to keep me busy for the year!  I hope you enjoy all I have planned!

Keep the Music Flowin’…

Hope everyone is having a relatively relaxing holiday! To keep you in a joyful mood, I’m posting a couple tracks from the “Holiday Traditions” CD, recorded while I was stationed with the 2ID Army Band in Korea back in 2003.

Please be sure keep all of our troops overseas in your hearts and minds this, and every, holiday season!

Enjoy and see you next year!

Please Come Home For Christmas (2003)
Recorded by The “Shockwave” Showband, 2ID Army Band
I’m playing guitar on this one.

White Christmas (2003)
Recorded by The “Cheifs” Jazz Ensemble, 2ID Army Band
I’m playing Flugel Horn and Trumpet on this one.

After months of waiting, tweaking, developing, re-developing, blood, sweat, and a few beers…I’m excited to re-launch my website!

Here’s a brief walk-through of the new features of Matt Rodela 2.0 to get you started:

You’ll notice the familiar navigation menu options from my previous website along the top there. But what they contained has changed a bit:

{Now - This is where I’ll post updates with the latest information on what I’m up to. Gigs, recording, songwriting, and announcements will all show up here. I’ll also be posting my thoughts, feelings, ramblings, and maybe even the occasional poem. This will be very blog-like, and I’ll be updating it constantly with new stuff. You can subscribe to all my “Now” updates via RSS or Email.

{Up to Now - Why am I doing this? Where did I come from? Who do I think I am anyway? Who cares? Visit this page to read my newly written, up to date biography. Plus, I included a list of my musical influences, the people that have helped shaped my sound.

{Gigs - A big part of my musical journey is sharing my love of song with others. Check here for info on all my upcoming live shows.

{Media - Experience my music through sound, pictures, and video! There’s not too much here now, but I plan on adding stuff on a consistent basis, so check back often!

{Links - I wouldn’t be doing this if it weren’t for my influences, inspirations, and the tools that help me bring my songs to life. Visit the web homes of all those that helped make ME possible.

{Say Hi! - Have something to say to me? All you gotta do is fill out the form and click send, no need to open your email!

You may have noticed a bunch of stuff over there on the right side of the page (if you didn’t notice, you’re probably wearing an eye patch on your right eye, in which case I say, “Arrr matey, turn your good eye toward the starboard side of this page to check out some cool loot!”). That’s my sidebar!

Tip Jar- Think of the Internet as a Coffee Shop. Think of this website as my corner of the shop, where I play music and talk to whoever is listening. Think of the tip jar as a tip jar where you can drop a couple bucks to let me know I’m doing a decent job. Limited time only: In the months leading up to my CD release, I’m asking for your help in funding the album recording. I don’t have record label to help me pay for this, it’s all coming out of my pocket, so I could really use your help! I want this to be a high-quality, professional production. That’s where you come in. Depending on the amount you tip, you’ll be designated with a certain fan level which will grant you access to all sorts of cool stuff like secret pages on this website, copies of my demo CD, copies of my upcoming album, and even a chance to be featured in the album itself!

Mailing List- Sign up for my mailing list to get exclusive deals, sneak previews, and periodic summaries of my “Now” page. I know you probably get WAY too much email, so I’ll only send out mailings once or twice a month.

Visit Me On… - There are so many social media and music networking sites out there, it’s hard to keep track! I tried to settle on a few that would play well together, help me reach the most potential fans, and keep you all updated on what I’m doing no matter where you are. I decided on ReverbNation as a sister site for mattrodela.com (I’ll be updating it more as my CD release date gets closer). My MySpace, which is where the majority of my fans come from, will continue to be the social hub of my music world. Flickr is what I will be using to post the pictures from all my latest shows. Finally, I’m experimenting with twitter as a way to keep you all informed on what I’m doing day-in and day-out with my CD recording. Check it out and start following me, it’s free and fun!

Random Photos- This will be a random smattering of old and new pictures from my Flickr page.

So there you have it. I hope the new MattRodela.com is the perfect place for you to get to know me and my music and for me to get to know you!