That’s right, I’ll be in the Chicago area in a couple of weeks. This is my FIRST GIG in ILLINOIS, so let’s make it a good one! Details for registration and tickets are at www.furfest.org.

• Start with an engaged crowd. Even if it’s just the first row or two, a well-timed “Hallelujah!” now and again will get the cold crowd to warm up a little.
• Appeal to all five senses. Studies have shown that we remember events better if all of our senses are engaged. The Church, in its various forms throughout the millennia, has evolved to adopt this level of impact.
  1. Sight: Robes, banners, crosses, flowers, statues, you name it. Stained-glass windows and flying buttresses were designed specifically to catch your eye.
  2. Sound: Obviously, a church service involves talking and music. If your shows don’t have either, you’re reading the wrong article.
  3. Touch: At some point in most services there’s a moment to shake the hands of people around you. Perhaps there’s a laying on of hands while a blessing is read. In a world where we’re naturally suspicious of everyone else, a gentle touch from someone with a good message can leave a lasting impression.
  4. Smell: Roman Catholics nailed this one by swinging balls of incense. Mine would hang evergreen boughs in the sanctuary during Christmastime. Maybe your church bakes fresh bread for communion. Maybe it’s just the smell of coffee before and after the service… One way or another, your nose is being spoken to.
  5. Taste: In my religion, this one dates back to the guy that started it. The tradition of a little wine and bread was coupled with a very specific statement: “Do this for the remembrance of me.” Not bad advice.
• Audience Participation! This one deserves its own exclamation point. The reformation introduced many concepts into the Christian church, one of which was the involvement of laypeople in the worship service. People are more likely to pay attention if they’re a part of the experience.
• Speak their language. Again, another gift from the Reformation. If the people speak German, why are the services in Latin? Sure, you can prepare your talking points before a show, but pay attention to your audience and converse with them on a level that they will understand.
• Give them a mission. If you’ve reached someone, they won’t want the experience to end. Give them something they can do after the concert is over- even if it’s as simple as “give this download card to a friend who’s never heard of us”.

I’m not suggesting for one second that you train your fans to worship you… but you can certainly harness the power of thousands of years of effective organization to spread the word about your band.

Regardless, if you missed the fun and excitement at FWA 2010, you can now own a small piece of that through the magic of television. I initially planned on trying out the filming thing as an experiment, but by popular demand it’s now been turned into a concert you can own and cherish and use to keep your cold drinks from staining your wooden tabletop.

The video was pieced together by volunteer editor Aaron Zschau entirely from donated footage. That’s right, all those people with hand-held cameras in the audience? They’re now official cinematographers (and awesome). Since this was an all-volunteer effort, I’m putting this DVD in the store for just $9.99!

I’ve been doing the UStream thing since 2007, long before anyone knew you could actually do live streaming from your home computer. Back then it was a shiny new toy- a lot like podcasting in 2005. The fact that I was doing a show at all was newsworthy enough, regardless of how much fun we’ve had over the past three years. Now, with increasingly annoying popup ads and a lot more “shows” vying for attention (even if it’s just someone putting a webcam on their parakeet cage, I kid you not this thing gets 1,000 viewers), my shows need to be more than a weekly live rehearsal session.

Honestly, I feel like I’m not bringing anything new to the table on a weekly basis. Every show is… a lot like the last show. That’s not good enough, at least not by my standards. I want to make every show an event, not part of the weekly grind. You deserve better.

So from now on if you want to know when new shows are coming, join my mailing list or follow me on Twitter. I’ll announce the next show date during tomorrow’s broadcast, so tune in at 6pm Eastern at www.matthewebel.com/ustream

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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?

And then there’s a little something I put together from Megaplex 2009. The venue had a camera on me the whole time, so I threw this up on YouTube to share with the world. Feel free to spread it around!

Awk!

Enter the Premium Theater, where we saw Pixar’s film last night. The concept isn’t new; this theater’s been in operation since 1994, I believe. The difference, however, is one of experience. It’s the same film reel, the same screen, and the same sound system as any other movie theater. For $20, though, there are perks…

• Unlimited popcorn and soft drinks (including tea… yes, Earl Grey tea). This alone makes it the same price as a typical movie experience.
• Ages 21 and over only. Even for a Disney/Pixar release, Act III realizes that grown-ups want to see this thing without interruption from kids and teenagers.
• COMFY seats with tray tables. These things were high-backed leather-esque easy chairs… all they lacked was a recliner.
• Real food, real drinks. I can’t speak for other theaters, but the Framingham location served some well-mixed cocktails and great food- yes, great food. Rolling a 20: Seven of us ate and drank for under $100, too.
• Reserved seats. Need I say more?
• The single drawback: The staff was obviously the same crop of 17-year-olds that work at the normal theater, not a wait staff that’s trained in customer service. They even cut off the ending credits before we were finished watching them.

As I said, the movie would’ve been just as funny, just as heart-twisting on DVD or an iPhone. I felt this movie was blog-worthy because of the live experience. In my line of work, it’s often difficult to convince people to come out to concerts when they already own great albums and great sound systems at home. It takes a lot of effort, I guess, to pry oneself from the computer chair, preen, and drive/ride into the city for a show. Especially if you’re going to pay $6 for a cover charge and eat out as well.

The difference, however, is quite measurable. A good live event makes you part of the experience. When you listen to an album or watch a movie, you are a spectator viewing through a glass window. The entertainment may be just as good on a pre-recorded disc, but the tangible trappings of a real night out can impress the event into your memory forever.

And these days we all need more good memories impressed upon us.

• 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!

This is a [tag]performance art[/tag], after all, not just a series of tracks found on [tag]torrent[/tag] sites. Behind all this music, there are humans who put on some killer public displays.

Just a reminder, I’m still hoping to showcase some live performances myself. Check this post to find out how you can help.

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