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:

1. Go to http://ellen.warnerbros.com/show/respond/?PlugID=257
2. Fill out the feedback form there.
3. Put Matthew Ebel as the Artist Name
4. Put your favorite Matthew Ebel song as the Song Title (my favorite is Everybody Needs A Robot).

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!

If you haven’t been following the news over at Sellaband, they recently died on the table and came back like someone suffering heart failure in a hospital. They’re under new ownership now, good for them, but the “am I going to ever see the money I invested” scare was bad enough for me that I’m recommending my fans pull out of Sellaband immediately and simply reinvest their money directly into the artists they support (whether it’s me or someone else). Here’s the reasoning:

• Sellaband was set up to help artists record albums.
• I own my own studio and I’m already releasing new songs every single month.

So instead of trying to raise $15,000 or more for a single album, I would rather spend that kind of money on things that will create better recordings month after month:

• Better speakers so I can mix more accurately (about $800)
• Sound treatment for my studio walls (about $350)
• A newer computer that can handle more plugins (about $1,000)
• A budget for real guitarists, drummers, etc. instead of the software instruments I use now
• A budget for a real mixing engineer who knows what she’s doing

Any one of these things would help me improve the quality of sound that I’m already creating and releasing to my fans. If you’re supporting me via Sellaband, here’s what I’d like to see you do…
(more…)

I just posted my first song written for a Matthew Ebel dot net Entourage Member, a little tune about dealing with adversity. Hopefully it’s as inspiring as my fans are to me. Believe me, nothing helps me cope with the uncertain life of a working musician like your support!

Here’s a short sample for the non-members out there, but you can get the full track by signing up over at Matthew Ebel dot net:
Get Over It (Sample)

Hi there! Rather than send out an audio update this week, I just gotta ask one question:

 Loading …

If you’re not actually listening, I’ll just keep updating via RSS and email. Lord knows I could use the extra time to write music, plan a tour, etc. If you ARE, then by all means I’ll keep talking at you every Monday morning. Just let me know!

ENN February 8, 2010 (Download MP3)

Get ENN as a podcast!

Photo by Sebastian Mary

• Tonight’s show at the Lizard Lounge in Cambridge, MA at 10pm will be awesome! I promise! Come check it out, more details at www.matthewebel.com/tour
• February 17 I’ll be performing in Trenton, NJ at Purple Stripe Productions, again the details are at www.matthewebel.com/tour

I mention these shows because of C.C. Chapman’s latest episode of Managing the Gray. He reminded me about my dreams and my goals. Yes, I would be happy just paying my bills and feeding myself, but that’s not what I dream about. Nobody dreams about simply surviving, we all have grander visions of our futures. No one dreams of mediocrity. People in my line of work share the same goal: Playing shows in big arenas to a crowd so massive you can see it from space.

The two shows coming up this month are the first steps towards that kind of dream for me. I want to become a famous rock star like Ben Folds. There’s a reason games like Rock Band and Guitar Hero sell so well: many of us dream of doing that sort of thing. To make it reality, however, requires a combination of luck, connections, and hard work. I need to know if I am good enough.

We all want to know that we can jump over that bar when we come to it. We all want to clear the bar with two feet to spare and then set the next bar even higher. This is why we dream, this is why we set goals. My goal this year is to play more shows for more people who came to hear my music. And none of us can reach our goals without help.

I may not be an über-connected CEO, but I can help you reach your goals. Just contact me and let me know how I can help. If you can help me play new shows for new crowds of people, contact me. Even if you live a long distance away from Boston, you might be able to see a live Matthew Ebel concert anyway. Fans in Atlanta made it happen, fans in Ohio are making it happen, you can make it happen.

What are you doing to reach your goals and realize your dreams? What can guys like me do to help?