the matthew show

Whew. It's been over two years since I started working on the Rewired radio play, and with its conclusion last week, I am beginning work on my first full album of new matthew show music in over a decade. Even when I made Memphis, the wind was blowing towards singles rather than collections of songs, but there's an itch in me to present this newest batch of tunes in a unified format. And when was I ever known to go with the prevailing tides?

All that's been done so far is some drum tracking and a few basic beds. This week starts the process in earnest, and to be honest, I'm super excited about going back to my roots. Most of my musical output the last few years has been done in larger studios, which is very unlike how I got started in the early years of the matthew show. I've missed tinkering at my house, taking the time it takes, not being on anyone's clock but my own. I feel like that approach engenders the greatest amount of uniqueness and creativity in the final result. Production perfection is one thing, but wabi sabi is another.

That said, from watching the pros at places like Ardent, Sun, Cloudland, and others, I've learned quite a bit about how to optimize my own recordings. My gear is better than it's ever been, as is my knowledge about production. I will make the bold prediction that this album will sound as good as any I've ever released. Maybe even better. 

I'm going with a loose timeline of a year to get it all done. While this may sound ambitious, consider that for the past two years, I've been producing the equivalent of 26 EPs or short albums. Knocking out a 45-minute album should be cake. However, it is a different beast, and I want to get it right. If we go over a year, it's not the worst thing. But heck, we may beat that clock entirely and have something by the end of 2024. Who's to say? 

One thing that will help immensely is your support. If you haven't already joined my Patreon, please consider doing so. For as little as $1 per month, you can get advance access and become part of a great community. Investing in independent artists pays big dividends in an increasingly corporatized and robotic creative landscape. There's already a members-only video up about future plans for other audio dramas and other wild projects. I would love to have you on board. 

More soon, don't touch that dial…

Now that the Rewired radio play is complete, and you've been able to hear everyone's amazing contributions, we're going to present some awards at our wrap party on April 8th at the Cicada in Fort Worth. These will be based on audience feedback, so please make your selections at the links below and reward these fine performers for their time and effort.

Best Principal Actor

Best Supporting Actor

Many thanks again for listening and supporting. It means a lot, not just to me, but for everyone involved. 

Please consider joining my Patreon page to help facilitate future projects. You can join for as little as a dollar a month. 

Holy wow, we're nearing the end of the Rewired radio play. The last episode will be released to the general public on April 3rd. Patreon members will of course receive it the previous week. I have had such a fantastic time making this, and have gotten such incredible feedback from listeners that I wanted to give everyone another opportunity to meet the cast and talk about the series once it's finally all out there.

Once again we will invade the Cicada in Fort Worth for an evening of awards, giveaways, and conversation. The week before, I'll be posting a poll for everyone to vote for their favorite primary and supporting actors, so stay tuned for that. 

Huge thanks to all who have supported this endeavor, and feel free to share it with friends who might dig it. I hope to see as many of you as possible at the Cicada on April 8th. 

Had an excellent discussion with the inimitable Jeffrey Lord about the radio play, creativity in general, and cats. Do give it a listen. 

IT'S HERE

Episode 1 of the radio play is now available on most major platforms. Slight delay getting it onto Apple and Google, but it's available most other places. 

NOTE: Proceeds from Bandcamp downloads of the play will go to the principal cast. 

I'm extremely proud of this project, and very glad to finally be sharing it with you. 

New episodes every Wednesday. Stay tuned…

Check it out…

Huge thanks to Patrick Higgins and the Fort Worth Weekly for the kind words. Always nice to have the community come together for creative endeavors. 

More soon...

Holy wow, this one's been a long time coming, but the new single, Mystery Man, is now available at all major online retailers. This one came to me in a very strange dream wherein I was William H. Macy in his guise as The Shoveler, and this is the tune that was playing behind it all. Weird, but I dig it. Managed to draft some fine talent for the recording at Cloudland in Fort Worth, including Matt Tedder, Chris Bellomy, Tom Urquhart, and our old pals Paul Shapera and Jeffry Simms. Joe Tacke engineered and mixed, Arthur Winer mastered, and the inimitable Trista Morris did the fancy artwork. 

Thanks so much for your continued support, it means a lot. More soon…

Holy wow, it's here. The  best way for you to be a part of the extended matthewverse. Listen to my lil' friend here:

If that sounds dang good to you, and I hope it does, I encourage you to join up at whatever level is comfortable for you right here. You will have my gratitude, and much more besides. Thanks for being a part of this.