Friday, January 11th, 2013

Just got back to Arlington after a week of working recording final production for the record!

After four days of almost non-stop tracking, we got a whole lot more done than we thought we could. We still have a long road ahead of us- finalizing ideas, adding new instrumentation to add depth, editing, mixing, mastering, and the work- but this is all the fun part!

Thank you all for the support you have given both me and Ben just by stopping by the website. All of your time and interest will be well worth it once we begin to release singles and the record itself!

-Matthew

Thursday, January 10th, 2013

Studio day #3 was a success. We rewrote a couple of the songs and got them tracked the way we think they sound best.

Ben and I just sat down and listened to everything we have tracked for the record so far and I'm undeniably excited and very pleased with all of the music!

Today's (Studio Day #4) Agenda:

-go back and begin tweaking instrumentation
-possibly record one of the short songs
-begin recording vocals on the full production songs

Thanks for stopping by!
-Matthew

Wednesday, January 9th, 2013

I'm down in Atascocita with Ben tracking full production for the record this week! We just called it a night a few minutes ago, so studio day 3 starts bright and early in the morning!

We've tracked the full instrumentation to 5 songs so far and things are sounding great. Thanks to pre-production demos, we have a good feel for most of the songs and know how we want to shape them. Funny thing is that every song we've tracked has been VERY different from pre-production, so we're having a blast down here.

More updates will come as the week goes on!
-Matthew

Sunday, December 30th, 2012

Running Creek 2012. I seriously can't put into words how amazing of a time I had out in the wilderness. 

The Nichols brothers, the Oakley brother, Ben, and myself all had a fantastic time getting back to our roots. Garrett filmed material for the music video for the first single and we shot quite a bit of extra material that will come out as support for the record as well. 

One more week until I make the drive down south to start tracking for the record. Pre-production has been great, and I can't wait to see what Ben and I can come up with to make this release a true reflection of who we are and what we've always wanted to do.

Thank you for all of your support and I look forward to sharing all of this goodness soon,
Matthew

Tuesday, December 18th, 2012

Things have been picking up quite a bit this winter season. I'm working on setting up a live video session to film this winter, setting the dates for starting actual record production with Ben down in the Houston area, and helping Connor Oakley with his upcoming EP featuring a very special guest vocalist that I'm excited to hear. 

Purchased a new Special 20 harmonica for the record, so that's where all of my free time has been going over the past few days. Very excited to see how much I can master this ol' thing by the time the record is released.

Looking forward to all of the good new things coming up.
Matthew

Monday, December 3rd, 2012

So I think hesitantly, writing the blueprint for the entire record is finished. I have 13 songs written and completed, all there is to do now is tweak them and mold them to make all of the songs have meaning, substance, and continuity. 

I know without a doubt that I'll continue to write for the record, and substitute other songs into the record as I write, then release the ones that didn't make it as a B-sides after the album is released.

It gets pretty surreal when you see it on paper that you've got 13 songs waiting on you for a full length.

Can't wait to share the new songs with y'all!
Matthew

Sunday, November 25th, 2012

Had a great time at The Adelaide last night with the guys! Pretty certain that the song we wrote will definitely be played every time we get together. Very happy to have Garrett, Connor, and Andre as my brothers.

Working on two more songs for the record. Ben is doing well, I'm doing well, and life is good.

Thank you all for keeping up with all of this throughout the twists and turns, it'll be well worth it!
-Matthew

Monday, November 12th, 2012

Another studio update:

Yesterday Ben and I worked on a few of the songs that we had conjured up over the weekend that had evolved from the songs I brought down to Houston with me. Two of which didn't end up getting completed, but will be worked on constantly over the next month of so via back and forth file sharing.

This trip down to record really got me thinking about quite a lot. I didn't turn on the radio once on my drive back, and despite some time on the phone, all I really did was simply think. Sounds odd, but this record has really gotten me into a new place in my life. I feel like I'm maturing, and I'm making decisions and putting in effort and it's making me who I am. After working on a song I wrote for my grandmother that passed away almost two years ago, I feel like I can finally open up to show the heavier, deeper content of who I am through the record.

Thanks,
Matthew

Sunday, November 11th, 2012

Studio Update:
After the drive down here to record, Ben and I spent all of yeasterday rehearsing/writing the songs we're tracking all day today.

Things are looking and sounding really good so far. We both feel like these songs will really even out the record and provide a bunch of dynamics.

More updates soon!
Matthew

Tuesday, November 6th, 2012

I'm free!

I was admitted from the hospital the day after my last post, and I've been slowly getting back into the swing of things day by day. Everything is falling into place and I'm doing much better now.

On a more musical note, I will be making the drive to work on the record with Ben this weekend! We're looking into putting out the last handful of pre-production tracks before we begin full-scale recording at the first of the year.

Things are looking up!
Matthew

Sunday, October 28th, 2012

I have been trying to update the site all weekend, but none of my posts have gone through unfortunately.

Well, bad news ahead:
A few hours after my last post, I had to return to the ER and I was soon admitted to the hospital. I've been here 4 or 5 days and it's definitely been an experience. I ended up having to call of and reschedule my trip down to record with Ben, so that was a bit of a bummer, but it will all work out like it always does. I just wanted to take the time to let anyone/everyone who keeps up with this know what is going on. Things seem to be getting better and I'm hoping to be discharged tomorrow and be back to my ol' productive self!

Thank you for all of your prayers, love, and support.
Matthew

Wednesday, October 24th, 2012

After a long night of work, the ER, and a couple hours of sleep, I'm proud to say that it's all worth it because I'm headed down to Atascosita this weekend to work on the record some more! Three of the songs I'll be tracking this weekend will really bring that "rootsy" feel to the forefront of the album, and that's exactly what I want. Stay tuned throughout the weekend for pictures and updates and all that.

With all the love that I have to give,
Matthew

Saturday, October 13th, 2012

Spending the early afternoon writing a little bit- couldn't help but to miss my grandmother throughout the day. I've written and scrapped well over ten songs about her over the past 20 months because they just never feel "right". For some reason, what I'm writing this afternoon seems to be much different. This could definitely be one for the record.


Also, I've been looking over pre-production recordings that Ben and I have done so far and jotting down ideas to really make this whole record the best it can be. We're really honing in on what we want the general sound and style to be like, and I'm very pleased with the way things are going. We won't be using every single instrument for every single song, but definitely be on the lookout for:

-Mandolin
-Harmonica
-Fiddle
-Guitjo (6-string banjo)
-A ton of stomps and claps
-Hitting tambourines with hammers

Getting more and more excited every day!
Matthew

Thursday, October 11th, 2012

After a weekend down in Atascocita, TX with Ben, we have so much more pre-production finished. It is great to hear all of these ideas finally mapped out in a recording.  I think this record will be a very pleasant surprise and will definitely open up a lot of people's musical taste, and I really feel like THIS is the music that he and I were made to play.

A lyrical glimpse of the newest song:

"Shine your light and help them all to see
Trade who you are for what you could be
Press on, you can make it
It's yours for the taking,
This life that you lead"

Can't wait to share the record with y'all!
-Matthew

Wednesday, September 12th, 2012

So wild to see that it's been so long since my last post! Two months of non-stop everything since then, but I can happily say that things are going very well. "When You're Down", the song I mentioned in the last post, is completely through with pre-production alongside quite of few others.

My next day in the studio will be September 29-30 due to the fact that all recording will now be done in a town north of Houston, Tx, so goodbye to the cramped ways of our last studio setup (pictured), and hello to a whole new space designated strictly for the recording the record!



Thank you all for bearing with me through this drought of not posting. It's hard to say where we are in terms of completion with pre-pro due to the fact that I have no clue how many songs will end up making the cut, but with the songs I'll be bringing to the table at the end of the month, I would like to be able to say that come October, we will be well over the halfway mark if not much further.

Thanks,
Matthew

Saturday, July 7th, 2012

About a week and half into officially recording for the album! Me and Ben really are getting down to the good stuff and finding out how things should sound. We've started tracking one of the songs "When You're Down" and we're really seeing a lot of potential.

More news to come in the next few days!
Matthew

Monday, June 25th, 2012

My first day of tracking for the record is tomorrow! I'll end the week with about 12 hours of studio time logged. Very excited to see how things start off.


Speaking of studio efforts, I spent my evening at Middle Coast Studios with Connor Oakley, hanging out while he tracked for his upcoming EP release. I even had the pleasure of recording some vocals takes on one of his songs titled "Better Things."


Can't wait to see how tomorrow goes
-Matthew

Tuesday, June 12th, 2012

My life as a whole has really seemed to pick up speed here lately, especially in these past few weeks. I had the opportunity to become reacquainted with some powerful forces in the Dallas music industry, and might have landed a spot at a virtually untapped venue for the record release.

The more I write, the more my true colors are starting to show. My writings are no longer efforts to make all of my friends want to get off of their feet and rush the stage, but rather hit home with them and really write the way I've always wanted to. I don't have to try and sing at a crazily-fast pace and at a wildly demanding octave. I've been able to find my voice, as corny as it sounds.


This is what it feels like to grow up.
God bless my brothers, Mark and Matthew Nichols. Happy Birthday, boys.

-Matthew

Wednesday, May 23rd, 2012

A breath of fresh air has been brought to the record. All of this working and being pulled in ten different directions at the same time has really brought some life back into the record, as strange as that may seem. The guitar just seems to play itself all of a sudden, and the lyrics that have become dull to me are starting to have heat to them again. It's exciting to be excited again!

With love,
Matthew