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!