the matthew show: News

I'll be playing a special show in Second Life as part of the House of Flames' Festival of Fire, which kicks off at 5PM SLT (Pacific time) on Saturday, December 8th. My set will start at 6:30PM SLT, between Soul Piaggio and Electrofunkadelica.

Should be a fun night all around, but to spice things up a bit, I'm going to debut a new song (something I haven't done in a while) at the festival. Come on out and fill your ears, it'll be a hum-dinger.

http://www.sl-houseofflames.com
http://www.secondlife.com/

If you've followed the matthew show at all, you've noticed that I do a lot of performances at one of Fort Worth's treasures, the Hip Pocket Theatre. It's absolutely my favorite place to play, and hosts many of the area's best performers, giving them a summer home for live shows.

Sadly, off-the-beaten-path operations such as Hip Pocket are not generally rolling in cash, despite a loyal fan base and impeccable talent booking (modest, eh?). The reason for this is that instead of putting the proceeds in their pockets, they invest them right back into the venue. Many of you Fort Worth residents on this list are aware of the pitfalls that even popular venues can run into, as evidenced by the fall of the mighty MacHenry's this year.

Thus I urge you, don't let it happen again. Because they've been upgrading the hell out of the theatre grounds this year, Hip Pocket is a bit short on funds for lease renewal. If you care about making and maintaining performance homes for your favorite artists, I encourage you to give whatever you can to these folks so that they can continue enriching the community and the music and theatre world in general. Learn how here:

http://www.hippocket.org/
At the very least, do it for me. Or if you don't really like me that much and think I'm kind of a preachy asshole, do it for the children. Won't someone think of the damned children?

matthew

Got two Second Life shows this week, for your virtual and auditory pleasure.

The first is my regular Humpday show at Luxor Stage, this Wednesday the 28th at 6PM SLT (Pacific time). It's a fine venue with a fine host, Ms. Circe Broom, and always a good bet.

The second is a return performance at the lovely Orchard Music Park, hosted by the gracious Ursula Cinquetti. I always have fun at this place, and you will, too.

Come on and feel the noise:

http://www.secondlife.com/

A very small number of you may remember the last time I played a gig at a Dallas venue. EIGHT YEARS AGO. And it was with my old band, the Civilians. So it's been a really, really long freakin' time.

So you Big D people who haven't been able to make it out to Cowtown in the last couple of years have a fine and rare opportunity to catch the matthew show live at the very groovy White Rock Coffee on Northwest Highway on Saturday, November 24th. It's a small stage, so it'll just be me minus the trio, although my trusty bassist, the one and only Jason "Shithead" Jackson, will be opening for me with his trademark country/rock/weirdo sounds. His live shows are even more rare than mine, so you should avail yourself of the chance to see the wily bugger.

Mr. Jackson starts at 8PM, and I'll take the stage at 9PM, playing till late-thirty. Get some coffee and open up your earholes, it's a fine post-Thanksgiving treat.

Details here:

http://www.wrcoffee.com/
See you there.

Okay, so we're zeroing in on a release date for the new album, and it's looking like mid-March of 2008. Being a DIY operation, the specific date may slide around a bit, but that's a fairly accurate time frame given what we know at the moment.

As soon as the final mixes are done (probably late November), I will likely be posting some sample tracks on this site and elsewhere. Reaction from associates who've heard the album thus far has been very positive, even ecstatic, so that's good.

While my new record gets itself gussied up for the red carpet, I'll direct your ears to a brand new album entitled All Sides by the extremely talented matthew show associate Doug Kwartler:

http://www.dougmusic.com/
I freakin' LOVE this album. Seriously. So much so that I've been covering not one, but TWO songs from it at recent shows. Go have a listen and make your Christmas bright by buying this record.

Another album you should pick up or die is the superb Subduction by longtime matthew show collaborator Mocha Lab:

http://www.mochalab.com/
No physical discs for this one (passe, you know, I'm the one that's a fuddyduddy), but it's up on iTunes and other digital distributors in all its glory. Go have a listen and see if it don't blow your mind.

Gig-wise, check out the Calendar page for some special Second Life shows in the coming weeks, plus the odd First Life appearance. New material always shows up live first, so in the days before I put up the new album tracks, shows are the best preview.

More later,

matthew

Hip Pocket's 2007 season is wrapping up, and we help boot it out the door on Friday, October 26th.

For those unfamiliar, the deal is this: I and the trio (featuring the estimable Jeff Simms and Jason Jackson) take the backyard stage at 7PM and play for a bit while you munch your vittles and sample libations.

at 8:15PM, the play, Aurora Ephemerala by Johnny Simons, starts up in the lovely amphitheatre. For fans of UFOs and good-ass theatre, it's a must-see.

After the play, we get back up on the backyard stage and make noise until when the hell ever. It's always a good time, and a good way to say farewell to autumn before the grody winter grunk sets in.

More info here, see you there:

http://www.hippocket.org/

Yes, it was supposed to be over. But alas, I can't shaddap:

http://www.thematthewshowarchive.com/Letters/Letter92607.htm
Enjoy...

So if for some bizarre reason you didn't find yourself out in the desert for eight days last month dancing around a giant flaming man, well, here's the next best thing. Burning Life 07 is in full swing this week, and I'm doing a special set this Saturday, September 29th at noon SLT (Pacific time) to help the flames lick ever higher.

Come join the fun, should be a hootenanny. A very artsy hootenanny...

http://www.secondlife.com/
http://burninglife.com/

Fall is beginning to fall here in Texas, and that blessed turn of events provides a great opportunity for another outdoor show at Fort Worth's renowned Hip Pocket Theatre, this Saturday, September 22nd.

The deal is as follows: The trio and I (featuring Jeff Simms on drums and Jason Jackson on bass) take the backyard stage at 7PM, and play till 8:15PM. At that point, the play begins in the amphitheatre. This time around, it's The Doggies and the Kitty, by Hip Pocket O.G. Johnny Simons. After the play, the music cranks back up and no one has the foggiest idea when it'll end.

It's a great time, and we'll see you there. Info here:

http://www.hippocket.org/

I'll be making a live, in-studio appearance on Fort Worth's beloved KTCU 88.7 FM this Sunday, August 26th, as a guest of the long-running and widely acclaimed The Good Show with Tom Urquhart.

The show itself starts at 9PM (that's Central time), and I'll likely be on sometime between 10:30 and 11:00. Those in the greater FW area can tune in via the Marconi, and those of you scattered throughout the rest of the world can stream the show here:

http://www.ktcu.tcu.edu/
Wee dawg...

UPDATE 9-1-07:

For those who missed it, an mp3 of the show is now available, as well as an in-studio pic:

http://goodshow.net/archives/002091.html
Show them love.

Playing two shows on Saturday, August 25th. The first is in the lovely Blue Pearl region at 2PM SL (Pacific) time. The second is at the fabulous Club Sundance at 5PM SL (Pacific) time. Come to both, come to either, just come out with yer ears on.

http://www.secondlife.com/

So a couple of years ago, my wife and I got a bug in our buggables to write a book advising people how to move to NYC on a reeeally tight budget, should they choose to do so, as we did. The result was the Empty Pockets Guide to Moving to New York City, which we've been selling modestly but consistently as a PDF e-book on a homemade website:

http://www.emptypocketsnyc.com/
However, late last year we were approached by Mark Doyon, owner of Wampus Multimedia, which you may remember as the producer of Hurry Home Early: the Songs of Warren Zevon, a disc which featured my version of Mohammed's Radio, among other fine offerings. Seems Wampus has an e-publishing arm, and wanted to try Empty Pockets on their imprint. We then consulted with our NYC friends and updated all the info for 2007.

And so it is that this week, you can now buy the brand spanking new edition in Mobipocket format, on a cool new site featuring many high-level authors as well as DIY types like ourselves. It's a steal at $7.99, so those of you looking to make a move to bigger pastures and better bagels should go grab a copy:

http://mobipocket.com/en/eBooks/BookDetails.asp?BookID=58770

Trying out a new venue in SL, matthew hits the stage at the lovely Orchard Music Park at 6PM SL (Pacific) time. Come one, come all.

So I've done this radio commentary about being a stay-at-home dad, and the Dallas public radio station, KERA 90.1 FM, will likely air it on Tuesday morning, July 17th, sometime during Morning Edition. Those in the Dallas/Fort Worth area can tune in via the Marconi, and those from elsewhere can get the stream online:

http://www.kera.org/
Honky ramblings ahoy.

UPDATE 7-17-07: Here's a direct mp3 and text link:

http://tinyurl.com/32rwn3

I'll be doing a show at Kat Mall Stage at 11AM, then following that up with a 1PM show at the MMAC OpenAir Theatre, both in Second Life.

After getting rained out a few weeks ago (bugger), the good folks at Hip Pocket Theatre have invited certain honky poppers to play on Saturday, July 7th, opening and closing for their play, Trio Molemo!, by Johnny Simons.

For those unfamiliar, what happens is that myself and my esteemed colleague Jeff Simms start playing out in the music/food/beer garden at 7PM. Get your eats, drinks, and honky pop on for a couple of hours, then the play starts at 9PM. After the play's over, the music and the carousing reconvene and go till whenever the last patron passes out.

What could be better? Info here:

http://www.hippocket.org/

Hosted by Luxor's Circe Broom, Wednesday's usual show will be at lovely Calzadi Island with my usual Luxor cronies Jeff Tully and Melvin Took. Should be a hum-dinger, as the kids say.

Get your Second Life on here:

http://www.secondlife.com/

the matthew show will be making a special appearance at one of Second Life's most ambitious new venues, the Multi-Media Arts Center, on Thursday, June 21st at 7PM SL (Pacific) time.

The MMAC also has video and other visual installations, and is well worth a browse for all comers. More info here:

http://www.themmac.net/

Dang. Got all worked up and bammo, the rain vomits into our porridge. We'll be rebooked soon, however, and the fun will be had one way or 'tother.

Those who have been wondering when the matthew show would make a return appearance at the venerable Hip Pocket Theatre need wonder no more. The new season is afoot, and I'll be opening and closing for their first production of the year, A Wisepecker Christmas, by Johnny Simons.

For those unfamiliar, what happens is that myself and my esteemed colleague Jeff Simms start playing out in the music/food/beer garden at 7PM. Get your eats, drinks, and honky pop on for a couple of hours, then the play starts at 9PM. After the play's over, the music and the carousing reconvene and go till whenever the last patron passes out.

Sounds like a good time to me. Hope to see you all there on Saturday the 16th. Details here:

http://www.hippocket.org/

If you're in the Dallas/Fort Worth area and you're looking for some Memorial Day weekend entertainment, look no further than the Little Apple, a comfy bar on the very southeastern outskirts of Arlington. Good food, fine beverages, and ambience out the wazoo, plus your favorite honky and his cracker-ass buddy Jeff Simms plinking the acoustic pop right in your face. Beats elbowing in beside Jimmy the Screen-Talker at the damned Pirates of the Caribbean, anyway.

Info right here:

http://www.myspace.com/littleapplebar
Hope to see you & yours out on the town this weekend.

For the second year in a row, I'll be handling Cinco de Mayo duties at good ol' MacHenry's in Fort Worth. I'm learning a few tunes in Spanish for the occasion. Incentive or threat? You be the judge.

Info here. Come out and celebrate the MacHenry's way: With beer.

Well, this sit-down with Second Life Notes' Chill Moksung (Mark Forman in Real Life) has just about everything you could want, matthew-wise. Interview segments mixed with live recordings from my March 2nd MacHenry's/Oi simulcast, one of which is the evergreen Shithead Jackson classic The Lesbian Song. Plus there are two songs from the new record, ripe for the pirating. PLUS, there's an old tune from my Civilians days that never made it onto a recording till now.

I mean, dang. The show's got personal history, obnoxious opinions, and the occasional dropped chord, plus the impassioned beatings of Jeff Simms/Vincent Langset waay in the background. We did the interview the disembodied cyberpunk way, with me in Texas and Mark in Taiwan, so it's rather appropriate for your Friday the 13th:

http://www.secondlifenotes.com/2007/04/13/the-matthew-show-show/

With the demise of my longtime haunt, Old Salt's Pub, I have moved my regular weekly shows to the mighty fine stage at Luxor. Many thanks to Circe Broom for keeping me off the streets.

Showtime each Wednesday is 8PM SL (Pacific) time, and you can expect the same quality matthew show performances as always. Though I should probably add something Egyptian. A Steve Martin tune comes to mind...

This should be a fine evening with not one, but two of Second Life's most popular purveyors of sad bastard music. If you haven't heard of Chronic, get yourself hence:

http://www.chronicskronski.com/
Or better yet, come see the show. His version of The Lower Case n is worth many virgins in some countries.

Extasia is a great venue, and it's my first time darkening their stage with my presence. My show starts at 5PM SL (Pacific) time, with Chronic an hour later.

See you there...