I know, I hate this as much as you do, but I don’t have any good way of doing a UStream show without my studio just yet. Heck, I’m still unpacking from FWA (which kicked ass like Chuck Norris).
We took on another couple inches of water last night, so the studio woes are still rolling. I’ll hopefully find a way to broadcast next Wednesday, until then stay dry!
If you’ve been to one of my live shows you know that I’m a tall, gangly stork of a man. I can’t dance, I’m only marginally graceful. I’ve always been somewhat off-balance, awkward, and goofy since the air is a bit thinner up here where my head is.
There is one place, however, where I feel a harmony of mind and body. I “zone out” and get into the kind of headspace one reads about for ice skaters and athletes, maybe even zen meditation. While I may be tall enough to do the March Madness thing, my meditation is not basketball. I meditate in front of hundreds of people with a keyboard and some pedals.
When I’m playing a song onstage, it reminds me of my brief stint in martial arts; there is a defined, practiced form with a beginning and end. Assuming I’ve rehearsed (which, for some songs, is a big assumption), there is a clear path through this form, like a stone walkway through an arboretum. Every step is familiar, yet every session reveals a unique experience.
It is in this space that I feel like a warrior on a mountaintop or a bird circling overhead. This is where I am no longer an awkward geek that bumps his head into doorways. Practicing my kata on the black and whites transforms me, if only for the length of one song. (This may be why I tend to write 13-minute numbers like A Cautionary Tail.)
I don’t know what it takes to make you feel the same way, but chances are good you do. You’ve experienced that headspace before at some point in your life. Maybe you can’t make a career out of it like I have, but if I can offer one piece of advice in an email, find that stone path and walk it.
Daily, if possible.
A public service announcement from musician Dan Bull and Don’t Disconnect Us:
Sorry folks, but the studio is currently closed, so no UStream shows until further notice. Actually, it’s been turned into a cold swimming pool. With any luck I’ll be able to make music again next week from the as-yet-unfinished Matthew Ebel Ark.
Update: The Great Flood video is posted here.
Update: Birthday week is over, so is the sale. Thanks to all of you who totally cleaned me out of CD’s, I hope you enjoy them!
Since it’s my birthday week, from now until the end of Friday, March 12 you can get my CD’s for just $5 each when you buy 3 or more. It’s part of CD Baby’s $5 disc sale, details are at www.cdbaby.com/sale
Remember: This only counts for the round plastic, not downloads. You can find all of my discs at www.cdbaby.com/artist/matthewebel
Update: Holy crap, people, you cleaned me out! Don’t worry, though, Franklin at CD Baby assures me that any back-ordered items will be charged at the sale price once the new shipment comes in.
Yes indeed, the second archive CD from Matthew Ebel dot net will be coming soon. This month, in fact! I’m in the studio re-mixing most (okay, all) of the songs and getting them ready for release.
This album will only be available to Matthew Ebel dot net All-Access and VIP members for a while, so if you want your copy the second it’s out of the oven you’ll just have to grab a membership at www.matthewebel.net.
A while back I scoffed at the advice that I should “get booked on the Oprah Winfrey Show” to gain more exposure. Well, I’d like your help in trying something close to that. Another female powerhouse, Ellen Degeneres, actually WANTS MUSIC SUGGESTIONS for her show.
If you’ve got just a couple of minutes, I’d love to get your assistance in reaching out to her. It’s a long-shot, I know, but I’ve always wanted to try something like this! Here’s all you need to do:
That’s it! It’ll take you, like, 30 seconds to do all this. Who knows? I may be playing a show live on ABC someday thanks to your help!
As musicians, most of us just want to write our brooding love ballads or electric tuba concept albums and have people line up around the block to buy it. While we’re waiting for that to happen, though, there are plenty of marketing agencies making ads, promos, and campaigns that absolutely need original music.
On that note, Creative Directors and agencies are facing budget cutbacks that would make a public librarian shudder. In fact, most of the people I worked with back in 2007 had to jump ship to other companies as their budgets sank with the stock market. Musicians like me that run small, professional-grade studios are a Godsend for these folks. In the past, small budget meant weak sound, but there is enough power in an iMac with Garageband to create truly compelling albums. Imagine what a guy like me can do with his own independent studio.
That’s right, I make more music than you can find here or at Matthew Ebel dot net. I’ve done behind-the-scenes work for Coca-Cola, Porter Novelli, Bigelow Tea, and more. If you think I only write about robots and ninjas, believe me there’s a lot more going on here. Check out some of the stuff I’ve done for business clients in the past:
The Down & Up Theme for the Depression is Real Coalition
Life is Ikea for an internal pitch by Porter Novelli (This was my first attempt at something like this. Ah, those were the days.)
There is plenty more where that came from at matthewebel.com/worksforhire – If you’re intrigued at all, I’ve got a Demo Reel here:
Producer Highlights
Why pay a big studio tens of thousands of dollars for a 30-second clip that could be done just as well by an independent artist at half the cost? It’s a match made in heaven, the only real difficulty is making that match in the first place.
I’ve been able to establish myself with these companies as a guy who can get the work done in record time, but I’d love to hear how other musicians and producers pair up with agencies. Whether you’re the Creative Director or the musician, what’s worked for you?
Photo by Psyberartist
Some conventions are for the über-social. Some for the geeks that rarely see daylight. Some are invite-only ski trips for those of us that are simply better than you.
If anyone asks me why I moved from Nashville, the Music City, up to the frigid northeast, this is my answer. This is what I live for when it drops below camping temperature. I’m just so glad that I have friends like these that enjoy highway speeds on thin planks of wood and fiberglass.
Photography by myself and RoninOtter, edited by RoninOtter.
