Everybody Needs A Pirate… Er, I Mean…

What happens when you take your average, everyday Pirate Festival and add a healthy dose of Ninja? Well… let’s just say interesting ensues. These hard-working Ninjas- one might even go so far as to say Full-Time Ninjas, simply wanted their voices to be heard. Wait, Ninjas are silent, aren’t they? Where was I going with this again?

Nevermind, just watch the video and see what happens when these two worlds collide.

(Yeah, that’s my song in the middle of it all.) And don’t forget to see what these hard-working Ninjas are up to over at www.fulltimeninjas.com


JustVocabulary: Words, Words, Words

Language is a tricky thing. The spoken or written word is comparable to the disks passed between computers; language is the medium through which our internal software shares its files. If our operating systems are incompatible, language acts as the emulator that allows another to see from our perspective.

JustVocabulary.comAs such, we are judged by the breadth of our vocabulary. I’ve always prided myself my linguistic prowess (despite the, ahem, flavor of vocabulary I choose while playing video games late at night), so I’m happy to share with you a recent client of mine, JustVocabulary.com

Take a listen to their new theme music and, while you’re there, perhaps learn a little bit about the English language. Or, if you’re already a linguistic savant, learn a few new ways to transfer files from one brain to the next!


Cancelled: Unums show this weekend

Sorry folks, but it looks like I’ll be heading out of town this weekend so I won’t be heading up to New Hampshire. I’ll be coming back next week, tho, so check out the tour schedule at matthewebel.com/tour for details!


Victory! I'm now on Pandora

Pandora.com If you remember me asking you via email to bug the folks over at Pandora, I’d like to thank you for your efforts. Even though one representative said they couldn’t find the CD’s I sent them months ago, it seems they must’ve found one. Goodbye Planet Earth is now available on the most cutting edge internet radio station, ready to stream!

(By the way, if you don’t remember me asking you about this, you’re not signed up for my email list yet.)

Why is this a slice of awesome pie? Two reasons: First, Pandora pays its BMI licensing fees like any other radio station, so the more my music plays on their system the more likely I’ll actually see a royalty payment (and, therefore, eat). Since the stations are built around a recommendation engine, my tunes will be played any time someone searches for someone famous like Ben Folds or Keane. They don’t even have to specifically search for my obscure name.

Second, since a lot of people will hear my music because I’m similar to the artists they’re searching for, there’s a good chance some of them might become fans of mine. I know more than a few people who have discovered new artists they like because of Pandora. As much as the RIAA likes to ignore it, people do in fact buy albums via iTunes and Amazon from Pandora recommendations.

So thank you, all of you, who helped raise the awareness! Hopefully some more of my albums will appear in their system soon, but for now you’ve really helped me break into a new playing field!


New Music – I Can Fly

Just a quick update to let you know I released the first of my two January songs for the subscribers over at Matthew Ebel dot net. Yeah, I know it’s frickin’ late in the month, but I’ll get the second one out before February if it kills me! In the mean time, here’s a sample of the new tune:

I Can Fly (Sample)

All you have to do to get the song is sign up for a VIP or All-Access pass over at www.matthewebel.net


That's Right, I'm Easy

In an unusual stroke of luck I managed to take part in a major campaign as a voiceover artist. I don’t know if this means I’ll be the new “voice of the Easy Button” in Staples commercials, but right now you can hear me at Staples.com in their latest promotion.

Check out the demo right here:
http://media.staples.com/easybutton/demo.html

And yes, I realize that it’s not available for Mac people yet. Even though the promo itself was designed on a Mac and the vocals were produced on a Mac. They’re working on it, though!


Last-Minute Gig: Lizard Lounge Tonight!

Given the manic way the past week has unfolded (and thanks for all your thoughts and prayers, folks), I totally forgot to mention that I’m playing the Lizard Lounge in Boston tonight! If you can make it out to see me, please do! Here are the details:

  • Where:
    The Lizard Lounge
    1667 Massachusetts Ave
    Cambridge, MA 02138
  • When:
    Tonight at 10pm
    Part of their Monday night open mic
  • Cost:
    $5 Cover
    (Totally worth it.)

I hope to see you there!


A Long Flight Ahead

RunwayI got word over the weekend that my paternal grandmother has very little time remaining within the confines of a 91-year-old body. Not exactly my choice of reasons to go home to see my family, but also not an opportunity I’m going to postpone. I’ll be boarding a plane this afternoon and won’t be back in the studio for a few days, though I will be home in time for Saturday’s concert in Nashua.

This isn’t exactly a trip I’m looking forward to, but at the same time it’s not something I would miss. Too often we lose people without the chance to say goodbye first. My father and his sisters have been taking good care of their parents since they moved into town and there is a solid base of support for all of them.

Still, what worries me the most is how all of this will affect my dad. I can deal emotionally with a 91-year-old family member writing the epilogue of her life, but I can’t imagine seeing my mom in such condition. I definitely am thankful for the ability to visit my grandmother once more before she departs, I just hope I have the ability to strengthen my father during such a difficult time.

Photo by Chris Fleming


Coming Soon… I Can Fly

A video preview of what’s coming next for the All-Access and VIP subscribers over at Matthew Ebel dot net.


"A Cautionary Tail" now on Accident Hash

Yeah, the album’s been out for over a year now, but I keep getting requests to make A Cautionary Tail shorter. Well, that finally happened. I cut it down from 13 minutes to a more manageable length and you can now hear it on the latest episode of Accident Hash with C.C. Chapman. Check it out!

Also, if you’d like to play it on your podcast, it’s now available at matthewebel.com/podsafe