Tuesday, April 30th, 2013

Just uploaded a couple of videos from the Adelaide show the other day. It was such a fun show, just pickin' and playin' around. If you didn't get a chance to make it out, we recorded a little video of some of the tunes and threw 'em up on YouTube. 

This first one is a song by The Avett Brothers called "Laundry Room"

This second one is actually a stripped-down version of a tune from the album.

This song is called "Doubt"

Hope y'all enjoy these! Still shaking off the rust a little bit after a long break from performing, but I'm back in the game and it feels fantastic. I'll be announcing another show within the week!

Thanks for stopping by,

-Matthew

Monday, April 29th, 2013

Not sure if I've mentioned it, but the record officially has a title: When You're Down

Also, I just submitted the order for my first run of merch for the album! Design-work has been approved and it's all in production, so I'll have 'em in the next few weeks! I've been trying to think of really cool merch ideas that everyone would actually want/like rather than some goofy graphic tee with cartoons all over it (thank goodness those days are behind us all).

So, that raises the question of: "What in the world are you getting for merch? Lame graphic tees are so IN right now!"

Regardless of the fact that you need to re-evaluate yourself, this is where things get pretty cool for everyone reading this.

I've decided that I won't get any merchandise that I wouldn't wear if I weren't me (if that makes any sense). Here lately with the warmer weather coming in and days on the lake seeming more appealing, I've become a firm believer in the all-American trucker hat. So that's what I'm getting for merch this time around! This will be the design embroidered on the front of the hats:

I couldn't be happier with how the design turned out. Now that I've given a sneak-peek at what the merch will be like, I've got to find a way to keep some of your interest for the next couple of months before the record comes out in July, so....

Looks like I'll be holding some sort of contest/thank-you-for-sticking-with-me promotion to my handful of readers that have stuck with me from the very beginning. All of those details will unfold once the shipment arrives, so stay tuned.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope y'all love the design as much as I do!

-Matthew

Sunday, April 28th, 2013

Hey everyone! Just got back into Arlington after a weekend with the folks, and I've decided that so much is going on right now that I need to start posting in here just about every day for a while.

I got the opportunity to spend the afternoon with Hunter Sprague, an Adelaide buddy of mine from years back, and he shot all of the promo photos for the record. I really can't speak highly enough of Hunter as a person, and it just felt so natural to be able to work with someone that's cut from the same cloth as I am. I can't wait to see the results and to show all of y'all! 

Also, I leave for Houston again in less than a week. Ben and I will get to really spend all of our time perfecting all of the music and adding some final touches. It's becoming more and more surreal that this is it, THIS is where the "Road To A Record" really comes to fruition and things begin to be fulfilled, and there is no time better for it all than the present. 

Like I mentioned before, updates are going to be written just about every day for the next little while, so stay tuned for a bunch of really cool info on what's going on as the record finally begins to unfold!

-Matthew

Monday, April 22nd, 2013

The show on Friday night was FANTASTIC! Thank you to everyone who came out and had a good time with all of us. After such a long break from performing, it was a great "welcome back" to have so many laughs and yells and excitement. Again, thank y'all so much.

In other news, Hunter Sprague and I are getting together this Sunday to shoot some photos for the record. Check out his portfolio and get excited about how fantastic he is at what he does.
(http://huntersprague.com/#/Gallery/Portfolio/Portfolio)

I got to hang out with my best friends and brothers on Friday night and some of the words said to me were definitely monumental in regard to my music. The hollers and yells, singing and claps that came from the Nichols brothers were some of the most encouraging sounds I could've possibly heard from the stage. Matthew Nichols pulled me aside and we talked about the weekend we went out to camp and shot the video for "When You're Down" back in January. Hearing that one of the songs that I created changed someone's life and helped them get through a dark time made everything I've done with this record worthwhile, especially coming from one of my brothers.

Thank y'all for stopping by,
Matthew

Wednesday, April 17th, 2013

For everyone that plans on making it to the show this Friday at the Adelaide (Terrell, TX), I figured I'd give a heads-up on what to expect:

 It's looking like I'll be playing 3 songs off of the upcoming record. I realized that it's hard to be relevant at a show supporting a return from a performance-hiatus if the majority of your music is covered material, so I guess I'm going to have to start leaking some of these new tunes at my low-key shows until the record is out. I'm really eager to see how the songs are received by all of my hometown friends and family. To build a little excitement/fun and to keep it a little more interesting, all of the songs will be played in a different way than on the actual album. I really want live performances to be a completely new, different, and exciting experience every time, as well as wanting the record to be timeless in itself.

I really can't thank y'all enough for all of the endless support over this past year. Starting on Friday, it's all going to start paying off. You won't want to miss this gig.

-Matthew

P.S. - Though it may not be music related, I can't post on here this week without recognizing the current events of our country. Not only has my hometown been hit by murder and controversy, but the bombings in Boston and the explosion in West, Texas are in dire need of prayer. The lives of everyone affected by these recent tragedies are much more important than this website and my silly thoughts. Thank you.

Wednesday, April 10th, 2013

I've spent the last week talking back and forth with Steven, the artist/designer that's doing the album artwork for me, and I couldn't be happier with the way things are turning out. Even though the artwork isn't finished quite yet, I'm really eager to show you guys. BUT, since I want the final product to really blow y'all away, I've got to hold onto it for just a little while longer while we fine tune it. 

In the meantime, I'm happy to announce that I'll be playing a hometown show at The Adelaide on Friday, April 19th. From the looks of it, I'll be headlining the show, so we'll get to have a good ol' time together. I'll be playing a handful of songs from the record, so this will technically be the first time I've ever performed the tunes. In all actuality, this is the first legitimate "show" I've played in over a year! Hard to believe that, but with everything about to happen, I'll be all over the place before I know it. 

Thanks for being patient with me through all of this. Some of you have stuck around for over a year, reading my letters and keeping up with me, and it means more to me than you'll ever know. 

I look forward to seeing some of y'all on the 19th! 

-Matthew