Greetings from Chris.

But it isn’t just that. When a song of his comes up on my MP3 player’s playlist, I immediately smile. They’re so diverse in their genre, and yet each one is immediately identifiable as one of his songs.

now I fancy myself a writer, and as a writer I appreciate a well written song, and I love a good story.

Matthew combines well written stories, kick butt song writing, a quirky wit, and an adorable sense of humor.

I am rather happy to give my money to someone as entertaining as Matthew Ebel.

Dad

As an independent artist, he doesn’t have a massive corporate machine to market and promote him. He doesn’t get radio airplay (at least not in major markets). He has no record deal or army of people to handle that type of stuff – he just has himself and his fans. His online concerts are a novel and unique way to promote himself and his music; think of it as being like radio airplay, but better, because he can directly and immediately interact with his fans. And his fans then go out and spread the word about this great new musician they ran across online.

I can’t think of any other musicians that are doing this right now. Not only is his music extremely high quality (much better than what is “popular” right now on radio, but I guess that’s a personal opinion), but Matthew fosters the feeling of having a personal relationship with him, and one of the big ways he does that is through the online concerts. Despite me living in Alabama, over a thousand miles away, I can still enjoy his music and the feeling of an intimate performance.

It’s not one or the other; Matthew performed live for hundreds of people, many hearing his music for the first time, in Atlanta earlier this year. He has also performed live in Memphis, Jacksonville, Orlando, Boston, and in New Hampshire. He releases (very good!) CDs. The online concerts are simply a way of connecting with fans and promoting himself rather than having someone do that for him, and doing that in a way that nobody but the artist themselves could do.

The music industry, from a business perspective has gotten so stale. It’s refreshing to see an artist breaking the mold and taking command of their own destiny. It would really benefit many independent musicians to look at what Matthew is doing.

In a time where it’s trendy for every celebrity to have a staffer post in their name to a Twitter or blog account, there are a few performers who understand what it really means to their fans to have an honest, tangible presence online – being willing to connect, share, and receive almost instant feedback (whether positive or negative). I would consider that much more along the lines of true, direct human contact than sitting in a “live” concert and viewing Nickelback/ U2/ Aerosmith/pick your national artist from the third level, back of the stadium. I’ve never had a chance to meet any celebrity musical idols for so much as a handshake (let alone any real discussion) – however, I’ve had a chance to interact with Matthew on a regular basis – both live AND online. If that’s the way the “popular kids” value human contact, give me a geek every time!

As Carissa also noted, Matthew’s music has a bit of something for everyone to relate to, and for me, is able to lift my mood, no matter what situation I’m in. His devotion to his fans allows them to have a personal stake in his success. I hope that he’ll be a model for future musicians, because as the world gets a little smaller every day, it’s good to feel that you’re able to make a difference in the life of a performer you care about.

The music Matthew creates often highlights the fun things about life, or brings forth things that everyone struggles with, but might not know others can relate to. His songs range from tributes to the human experience, to whimsical fancy, and that’s what I really enjoy. He’s not afraid to delve into different genres of music, instead of sticking to one “style.” In this, he has an uncanny ability to relate to just about anyone.

Dave Wildman’s comment regarding the lack of human contact is actually quite inaccurate. Many of the regular viewers of his weekly concerts are people who were hooked, as I was, at a live concert and continue to show support for Matthew on a weekly basis. I don’t know of any street performers that can hold an audience so large each week, for the entire duration of their performance. The thing is, Matthew has a radiant energy when performing, and he encourages his UStream viewers to participate, taking song requests and interacting with them through the chat – these same people he has interacted with, at some point or another, in person.

Keep it up, Matthew!

Mike

Pax,
Matthew