It’s been too long since I’ve updated this website.  I’ve been hard at work finishing up my album, which is in the mixing process right now.  Up to this point I haven’t had much “news” to update you all with.  That’s about to change!  This is one of many updates you’ll be seeing from me as we start ramping up to the album launch! 

So, without further ado…..here is the official album cover design for Insert Coin!

Thanks again to Rebekah Laude, the album art contest winner, for putting together such an amazing image.  Being the perfecitonist that I am, there has been some tweaking done to the original image to get it to this final stage, but Rebekah was so easy to work with it made the process a real pleasure!

Stay tuned for more updates and…

…Keep the music flowin’!

This video is part of a series I call the “Living Room Sessions“, where I record performances done right in my own living room.

Happy Holidays! I had some fun with my Boomerang Phrase Sampler this holiday season and constructed a live looped performance of a couple classic tunes. Check it out below, and visit the You Tube page to let me know what you think!

Did this video get you in the Christmas Spirit?  If so, why not hit up the You Tube page and give the video some stars…it’ll help it get seen by more folks!

Calling all artists!

Since I have the pleasure of knowing some amazingly artistic folks, I thought I’d extend an invitation to you….a chance to design the art for the cover of my upcoming album!!!

I’ll make it worth your while by offering $50 + a signed copy of the album to the artist of the submission that I end up using in my final album.  Keep in mind that I may not end up using any of the submissions, or I may end up using more than one, in which case you’ll each get a signed album and an equal cut of the $50!  I wish I could offer better compensation, but as those of you who have been following me know, this operation is on a tight budget!

So without further ado, here’s the rules:

1. You’re art can be any graphical medium: paint, pencil drawing, collage, photo, digital, CG, and probably stuff I’ve never even dreamed of.
2. The name of my album is “Insert Coin”, so you may want to incorporate that into the art somehow.  Also, think of adjectives such as uplifting, powerful, bright, colorful, uncomplicated, and mellow when creating your work.
3. If your art is some kind of physical medium, like a painting or a sculpture or something, take a quick no-frills picture of it and submit the picture.  Then, if it’s chosen, we can arrange to have it professionally photographed for the CD jacket.
4. All submission must be electronic (digital photo or image file) in any standard format.  I have photoshop so chances are I’ll be able to open it.
5. There are no restrictions on dimensions or size, but please try to keep the file at a decent size to transfer through email.  If I choose your submission, we will arrange to make a higher-quality version of it for the final album if necessary.
6. Have fun and be creative!

To submit your art, simply go to the contact page of this website and let me know you’d like to submit something.  From there, I’ll give you instructions on how to get it to me.  It’s that simple.

Feel free to tell your friends and have them submit something too!

I can’t wait to see the results!

**UPDATE** – I forgot to add a due date!  I will be accepting submissions until Sept 1st!

**UPDATE** – The artist who’s work is chosen WILL receive full credit in the liner notes of the album.

Recently, I invited members of my mailing list to vote on a title for my debut album.  The reponse was good and I thank all of you that took the time to help me out with this!  The results are in and I’m happy to say that I agree with the most popular choice and have settled on an album title!  My debut CD will officially be called:

I think “Insert Coin” is a quirky, simple, and memorable title.  The name represents the fact that this album will be my first attempt to “sell” my original music to the world.  It symbolizes the modern love-hate relationship between money and music.  Music is not a possession, but an art, an experience, and an expression of the musician’s heart and soul….things that still struggle to find their place in a capitalist world.

The title also evokes memories of jukeboxes and arcades, complemening the old-school vibe of some of the songs that will be on the CD.

I’m excited to get this title business out of the way.   I wanted to get this part done now because I have a lot of other plans in store for you in relation to the title.  Stay tuned in the next week for some big news and an opportunity for you to earn some money for helping me out!

Keep the music flowin’…

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 may 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!!!