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MATTHEW EBEL<br />
<strong>2010</strong> MEDIA KIT<br />
BIO................. PAGE 1<br />
DISCOGRAPHY...... PAGE 3<br />
©2009 Reggie Barton www.bartoncreative.com<br />
REVIEWS<br />
& QUOTES.......... PAGE 4<br />
VENUES PLAYED....PAGE 5<br />
COVER TUNES.......PAGE 5<br />
GLOSSY PHOTO.....PAGE 6
MATTHEW EBEL <strong>2010</strong> MEDIA KIT<br />
BIOGRAPHY<br />
For <strong>Matthew</strong> <strong>Ebel</strong>, music is the key to the<br />
journey of life, not just the destination. The<br />
Massachusetts based singer/songwriter/<br />
keyboardist has experienced several musical<br />
lifetimes, each one providing him with the skills<br />
to accomplish that rare songwriting feat –to have<br />
his listeners emotionally inhabit the shoes of the<br />
characters he creates.<br />
Whether itʼs outer space adventures or a single<br />
father struggling to make a Christmas for his<br />
daughter, <strong>Matthew</strong>'s songs and stories resonate<br />
in the minds and hearts of an ever-increasing fan<br />
base. <strong>Ebel</strong> is also paving the way in the new<br />
music economy,<br />
showing that it is<br />
p o s s i b l e f o r<br />
independent<br />
artists to support<br />
t h e m s e l v e s<br />
t h r o u g h t h e i r<br />
music; growing his<br />
a u d i e n c e b y<br />
utilizing new tools<br />
available to artists,<br />
a n d<br />
communicating to<br />
all what works and<br />
what doesnʼt.<br />
Growing up in<br />
Washington State,<br />
<strong>Matthew</strong> began<br />
playing piano at the age of five, and started<br />
performing at recitals at the age of six. With<br />
twenty years of lessons and a BA in music<br />
(emphasis in composition) from Whitworth<br />
College, <strong>Matthew</strong> gained the skills to hold his<br />
own in any musical environment, and to know<br />
how to communicate musically with anyone.<br />
“Iʼve been able to notice from playing with<br />
session players who has really studied music,”<br />
he says. “Thereʼs something about the way<br />
people play when theyʼve studied, and are<br />
technically skilled in improvisation.”<br />
Getting his start as a touring artist in the<br />
contemporary Christian music scene in the late<br />
90ʼs, <strong>Matthew</strong> packed up a U-Haul and moved to<br />
Nashville with the intention of becoming big in<br />
that genre. “Thatʼs why I moved to Nashville, but<br />
I quickly realized it wasnʼt for me,” <strong>Matthew</strong> says.<br />
He follows with a smile, “For the rest of my life Iʼd<br />
have to write about the same subject, and<br />
thereʼs no way I could have done that, no matter<br />
how much I love God.”<br />
Out of Christian<br />
music, but still in<br />
the Music City,<br />
<strong>Matthew</strong> enjoyed<br />
some special<br />
moments there.<br />
“It was a small<br />
enough city that<br />
I could make a<br />
name for myself.<br />
I backed up Billy<br />
Currington at the<br />
Grand Ole Opry;<br />
it was the first<br />
time I could<br />
r e m e m b e r<br />
shaking before<br />
going on stage.<br />
But then the practice kicked in, and it<br />
went beautifully. And the scene backstage, with<br />
all of those luminaries, was an awesome<br />
experience.”<br />
<strong>Matthew</strong>ʼs five years in Nashville strongly<br />
influenced his arrangement and writing style. “I<br />
developed a taste for more organic sounding<br />
instrumentation,” he says, “but the emphasis on<br />
storytelling through the lyrics is what left the<br />
most lasting impression.” His albums, Filling The<br />
Pages (2001), The Wee Hours EP (2003), Beer<br />
PAGE 1 of 6<br />
<strong>Matthew</strong> <strong>Ebel</strong> Entertainment • www.matthewebel.com • matthewebel@matthewebel.com • booking@matthewebel.com • 503-40-MUSIC
PAGE 2 of 6<br />
<strong>Matthew</strong> <strong>Ebel</strong> Entertainment • www.matthewebel.com • matthewebel@matthewebel.com • booking@matthewebel.com • 503-40-MUSIC<br />
MATTHEW EBEL <strong>2010</strong> MEDIA KIT<br />
BIOGRAPHY continued<br />
& Coffee (2005) and Goodbye Planet Earth<br />
(2007) saw <strong>Matthew</strong> evolve from a more<br />
traditional piano-based singer/songwriter in the<br />
realm of Billy Joel or Elton John into something<br />
more uniquely his own. And slightly twisted, in<br />
the best possible sense. Jettisoning some of his<br />
more organic sounds on Goodbye Planet Earth<br />
and incorporating loops, synthesizers, beats and<br />
more, <strong>Matthew</strong> found that the new sounds<br />
matched his tales of outer space adventure and<br />
odyssey.<br />
Reaction to Goodbye<br />
Planet Earth has been<br />
impressive, with <strong>Matthew</strong><br />
earning radio play on<br />
over a dozen radio<br />
stations, and gathering<br />
glowing reviews on<br />
iTunes from satisfied<br />
customers. But it has<br />
been in the podcasting<br />
and blogging world where<br />
<strong>Matthew</strong> has shone the<br />
b r i g h t e s t , a n d h i s<br />
e x p o s u r e t h e r e h a s<br />
allowed him to take his<br />
career to the next level. He explains,<br />
“Podcasting is what exploded me out of obscurity<br />
and social <strong>media</strong> is the reason I donʼt need a day<br />
job. I have a paid podcast at <strong>Matthew</strong><strong>Ebel</strong>.net<br />
and between blogging and meeting people<br />
through other blogs, itʼs created a community<br />
around my music.”<br />
He elaborates, “I want people to take my music<br />
and then go off and create something on their<br />
own. The greatest thrill for me is when people<br />
write blog posts based on my music or are<br />
inspired to do a version of one of my songs in<br />
their college choir – itʼs the act of creating<br />
something new from my work. Itʼs amazing.”<br />
Fully immersed in the new digital music world,<br />
<strong>Matthew</strong> is committed to being a trailblazer for<br />
other artists. “I want to leave a legacy for other<br />
musicians and show them that itʼs possible to be<br />
a one man operation or a small band and do it<br />
on your own. Iʼm always looking for new ways to<br />
do that for myself and Iʼll be letting people know<br />
where Iʼve succeeded and let them know what to<br />
avoid from my failures,” he says.<br />
In <strong>2010</strong>, <strong>Matthew</strong> plans to develop himself<br />
as a touring artist. “My goal is to be touring with<br />
a band,” he declares, following with a laugh,<br />
“across the country, globe or universe.” Heʼll<br />
also be beginning the follow up to Goodbye<br />
Planet Earth, of which he says, “Iʼm going to get<br />
back to a more organic feel. I think I want to call<br />
it Songs for Geeks,” he says with an impish grin.<br />
It will continue to be a fascinating journey for<br />
<strong>Matthew</strong> and his music, as well as a rich and<br />
rewarding ride for those who choose to follow.
MATTHEW EBEL <strong>2010</strong> MEDIA KIT<br />
DISCOGRAPHY AND PROJECTS<br />
MATTHEW EBEL dot net<br />
2008-Present<br />
Beginning October 2008, <strong>Matthew</strong> launched a new subscription-based service<br />
at www.matthewebel.net where fans are given live recordings, new music, and<br />
exclusive access every single month. With new <strong>media</strong> tools driving the service,<br />
<strong>Matthew</strong> is blazing a new trail for musicians looking to stay independent.<br />
GOODBYE PLANET EARTH<br />
2007<br />
<strong>Matthew</strong>’s latest album takes the concept of an unexpected outer space voyage<br />
and pulls the listener along for the ride. This album has made to both the<br />
College Radio scene and the popular Pandora Radio. Fans have taken songs<br />
like Everybody Needs A Ninja and made their own music videos online.<br />
BEER & COFFEE<br />
2005<br />
Recorded entirely in Garage Band and praised by new <strong>media</strong> and independent<br />
music enthusiasts. PodShow founder Adam Curry hailed it as “top-down,<br />
drivin’ around music…feeling alive, awake, and full of fun.” Along with Goodbye<br />
Planet Earth, this album has been played regularly on Pandora Radio.<br />
THE WEE HOURS EP<br />
2002<br />
His first release after moving to Nashville, this EP contained 5 tracks (and one<br />
hidden track) of live concert recordings to introduce him to the Music City.<br />
Many of the tracks were later included on Beer & Coffee either as re-recorded<br />
studio versions or hidden features.<br />
FILLING THE PAGES<br />
2001<br />
The last of <strong>Matthew</strong>’s CCM releases, Filling The Pages was critically acclaimed<br />
as “a most original and engaging project and well worth making the effort to get<br />
a hold of.”<br />
LIFE’S BEEN GOOD<br />
1999<br />
His debut CCM album, completely self-produced in glorious low-fi at the age of<br />
19. The album recouped production costs in a week of touring churches in the<br />
Pacific Northwest. Lifeʼs Been Good is now out of print and is circulating as a<br />
collectorʼs item.<br />
PAGE 3 of 6<br />
<strong>Matthew</strong> <strong>Ebel</strong> Entertainment • www.matthewebel.com • matthewebel@matthewebel.com • booking@matthewebel.com • 503-40-MUSIC
PAGE 4 of 6<br />
<strong>Matthew</strong> <strong>Ebel</strong> Entertainment • www.matthewebel.com • matthewebel@matthewebel.com • booking@matthewebel.com • 503-40-MUSIC<br />
MATTHEW EBEL <strong>2010</strong> MEDIA KIT<br />
QUOTES AND REVIEWS<br />
<strong>Matthew</strong> is the type of artist I refer to in my book as a “Builder” meaning<br />
<strong>Matthew</strong> is constantly pushing his career forward using not only<br />
musical innovation but also technology.<br />
— Ariel Hyatt, MusicThinkTank.com<br />
Getting out on the road to build an audience is a constant struggle for<br />
the average indie artist… But what if you could take your show around<br />
the world without moving a single guitar amp or eating another drivethru<br />
meal? Now you can! Indie artists like <strong>Matthew</strong> <strong>Ebel</strong> have<br />
harnessed the power of online services like UStream to accomplish just<br />
that.<br />
— Kevin Breuner, CD Baby DIY Podcast<br />
Calling a musician an entertainer seems redundant, but donʼt be fooled:<br />
<strong>Ebel</strong> is a performerʼs performer, a showman onstage and off. I<br />
purchased no fewer than four copies of his latest album, and got<br />
friends to buy the rest of what he had on him…<strong>Matthew</strong> has a future,<br />
and I hope he remembers me when heʼs selling out arenas.<br />
— Chris Brogan, LinkedIn Recommendation<br />
His catchy hooks, comical lyrics and deep soulful piano playing will<br />
have his songs stuck in your head from the first listening...this album is<br />
a must have.<br />
— CC Chapman, iTunes Customer Review<br />
The growth of social networking— from podcasting networks to<br />
MySpace, Facebook and Second Lifeʼs virtual-reality socializing —is, in<br />
the eyes of techie indie musicians like <strong>Ebel</strong>, shifting the music-business<br />
model “for the benefit of the independent performer.” It works best, <strong>Ebel</strong><br />
says, “if you stay on top of it.”<br />
— Nicole Keiper, The Tennessean<br />
…we looked at <strong>Matthew</strong> <strong>Ebel</strong>, whose experiments with giving fans a<br />
subscription service that provides new music and additional<br />
opportunities for access are working quite well. In that case, he's<br />
obviously using access, authenticity and exclusivity along with<br />
belonging and patronage.<br />
— Mike Masnick, TechDirt.com
MATTHEW EBEL <strong>2010</strong> MEDIA KIT<br />
VENUES<br />
COVERS<br />
These are some of the places <strong>Matthew</strong> has<br />
played over the past few years. This is not an<br />
all-inclusive list, just an example of the diverse<br />
crowds heʼs entertained.<br />
The Grand Ole Opry<br />
Backing up Billy<br />
Currington on piano and<br />
vocals<br />
Nashville, TN<br />
The Roxy<br />
Boston, MA<br />
bebo.com<br />
Featured video stream<br />
Bluebird Café<br />
Nashville, TN<br />
Unums<br />
Nashua, NH<br />
Ontario Convention<br />
Center<br />
Part of the Podcast & New<br />
Media Expo 2007<br />
Ontario, CA<br />
The Big Bang<br />
Nashville, TN<br />
Furry Weekend<br />
Atlanta<br />
Musical Guest 2008, <strong>2010</strong>;<br />
Guest of Honor 2009<br />
Atlanta, GA<br />
The Metropolitan<br />
Performing Arts<br />
Center<br />
Part of the Lilac Festival<br />
Variety Show<br />
Spokane, WA<br />
Bard College<br />
Annandale-on-Hudson, NY<br />
Ballardʼs Inn<br />
As The Nashville Duo<br />
Block Island, RI<br />
North Country<br />
Community College<br />
Saranac Lake, NY<br />
AS220<br />
Providence, RI<br />
Bar Natasha<br />
Kansas City, MO<br />
Sambuca<br />
Nashville, TN<br />
There Video Lounge<br />
Pittsburgh, PA<br />
Gregoryʼs Piano Bar<br />
Dayton, OH<br />
OutLoud<br />
Nashville, TN<br />
Playboy<br />
Second Life grand opening<br />
party<br />
Edgehill Café<br />
Nashville, TN<br />
Opryland Resort<br />
With The Peter Moon<br />
Band<br />
Nashville, TN<br />
Ustream.tv<br />
Featured video stream<br />
The Lizard Lounge<br />
Boston, MA<br />
Aside from his own music, <strong>Matthew</strong> Can play<br />
over four hours of popular tunes. Hereʼs a<br />
selection of some of his most-requested<br />
covers:<br />
All Along the<br />
Stairway<br />
Bob Dylan, Led Zepplin,<br />
<strong>Matthew</strong> <strong>Ebel</strong> arr.<br />
Bright Lights<br />
Matchbox Twenty<br />
Brown-Eyed Girl<br />
Van Morrison<br />
Crash Into Me<br />
Dave <strong>Matthew</strong>s Band<br />
Donʼt Let The Sun Go<br />
Down On Me<br />
Elton John, George<br />
Michaels<br />
Drift Away<br />
Dobie Gray<br />
Drops of Jupiter<br />
Train<br />
Hallelujah<br />
Leonard Cohen<br />
Jack & Diane<br />
John Mellencamp<br />
Joker<br />
Steve Miller Band<br />
Landed<br />
Ben Folds<br />
Life is a Highway<br />
Rascal Flatts arr.<br />
A Long December<br />
Counting Crows<br />
Margaritaville<br />
Jimmy Buffett<br />
Meet Virginia<br />
Train<br />
New York State of<br />
Mind<br />
Billy Joel<br />
Oh What A Night<br />
Frankie Valli and the Four<br />
Seasons<br />
Piano Man<br />
Billy Joel<br />
Proud Mary<br />
Creedence Clearwater<br />
Revival<br />
Santeria<br />
Sublime<br />
Still Alive<br />
Jonathan Coulton<br />
Sweet Caroline<br />
Neil Diamond<br />
Sweet Home<br />
Alabama<br />
Lynrd Skynrd<br />
Take Your Mama Out<br />
Scissor Sisters<br />
Walking in Memphis<br />
Mark Cohn<br />
Your Body Is A<br />
Wonderland<br />
John Mayer<br />
PAGE 5 of 6<br />
<strong>Matthew</strong> <strong>Ebel</strong> Entertainment • www.matthewebel.com • matthewebel@matthewebel.com • booking@matthewebel.com • 503-40-MUSIC
<strong>Matthew</strong><br />
www.matthewebel.com<br />
matthewebel@matthewebel.com<br />
booking@matthewebel.com<br />
<strong>Ebel</strong><br />
503-40-MUSIC<br />
PO Box 812778<br />
Wellesley MA 02482-0024
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