Chris Davidson of Montevallo’s MyFoxAL reviewed my first full-length album, Lovelorn, and you can read it here:

http://montevallo.myfoxal.com/news/arts-culture/local-music-spotlight-matt-sanderlin/88994

Feel free to “Like,” share, or comment on the review!

More updates coming soon! Lots of shows on the way and perhaps a good bit of new music, too!

Thanks for the support, as always!
Matt

Shows have been going well. In fact, this year’s Starbuck’s is likely the best performance of my young career, and I really mean that. I actually felt like I sounded as on-pitch as I do in rehearsal, and the overall audience response was extremely encouraging. There will be plenty of other shows on the schedule this summer, so keep an eye out for updates on that front.

I’ve been hard at work on new material, as the attendees of this summer’s first Starbuck’s event were likely to have noticed. I’m attempting to write every single day of this summer, and to eventually produce 9-12 really high-caliber compositions. I’ve got a handful of keepers already- “Your Beauty Conjures,” “Flight and Falling,” “Squares of Pavement,” and perhaps a few others.

I want this next record to be a bit more accessible, enjoyable, and more focused on melody. Nine songs total, probably. Looking at a tentative title of something like Songbook, Volume I; Sounds; or just plain Two. Nothing too fancy, as you can tell.

Depending on the schedule of some other folks, I might have some exciting news to reveal to you all shortly. But, until then, my lips are sealed. Let’s just say that it relates to getting new music to your ears (hopefully very) soon.

In the meantime, please consider taking the poll below. Which album title seems to fit, in accordance with the recently released demos and new material?

As always, thank you guys so much for the support! I appreciate it more than ever these days..

Sincerely,
Matt

So spring is nearly here, and the Lovelorn band and I have two shows coming up to help officially kick off the season.

The first show will be on April 22 at Montevallo’s Falcon Fest 2011. I don’t have too many details on that one yet, so just stay tuned for updates.

The second show is an invitation only special event at the UCF House on April 23, 2011. The Lovelorn band and I will be playing the Lovelorn album in its entirety, in order and everything. This will be a show that you will not want to miss, I can already promise you that.

Speaking of Lovelorn; If you haven’t heard the record yet, it is available on iTunes, Amazon MP3, Napster, Zune, and Nokia.

Besides that, writing is going well and rehearsals have been energetic and encouraging. We might try out some new songs at some point, and there could be a little mini-tour in early May. We’ll keep you up to date on those developments, additionally.

Thanks for all of the support!
Matt

Not that you aren’t beautiful everyday
But you were absolutely beautiful on that day
When any stitch of light touched your face
Your skin glowed fluorescent, and your eyes became the day

There is no goddess could have bested you then
Though, no such being is like you now
And I hear bells of holy ceremonies ringing in your fitting crown

Will I die alone without your love?
No one knows, of course
But I feel a sly, smokey blackness
Quietly setting claim to my shores

I’m so foolish to request your eyes
Those miraculous wonders of sense
But my heart is a bold soldier
Clamouring for a mere passing glance

Of all the hurts I’ve known
Of all the deeds I’ve dressed
My ridiculous love for you
Is the most cursed,
and I plead to be possessed.

Any film is haunting when you are “Protagonist A,”
And your dream of a girl is a vision you see in an actress’s face

Roll film, don’t stop
I’m masking, I’m holding
But there are no breaks for those who love forever.

Chorus:
If I fall in love,
Then everything will just get better…

The worst feeling is in the morning
You wake up and don’t know where you went wrong
You just have to keep the “pages turning”
That backwashed feeling is where you live

When I’m feeling blue
You know what I should do
Or.. Do you?

Chorus

It’s a lovely feeling when it comes for you
On those summer nights,
In the dark, in the dark, in the dark
It’s a suicide mission*
To ever let yourself get that far

Spoken word interlude:
Isn’t love such a wonderful feeling?
It is.
It’s like that feeling when you crawl out of the uh, the um, sewer drain
And you find a candy bar in your pocket
And you unwrap the candy and it
Ah, it takes a second to unwrap it
The candy bar
Well, it takes several seconds
But you finally unwrap it and you realize that you’ve been duped
You’ve been lied to
By yourself, I guess
Because there’s no candy bar inside
It’s completely empty
Just like most of the other things that you remember about life
So grow up
Put on your pair of “big boy pants”
And don’t let it get to your head, ok?
Because if you can do that
Love makes a whole lot more sense

Chorus

* – Definitely subject to change. A bit cliche, in my opinion…

Happy New Year, all! I hope each and every one of you is filled with the joys and aspirations that come with the completion of a 365 day period.

I have a couple of aspirations myself that I’d like to quickly mention to you guys as fans…

• Record and release the Seasonalist EP
• Continue work on albums 2 and 3
• Perfect/improve upon older compositions/recordings
• Play live shows in support of Lovelorn
• Print CD’s of Lovelorn, possibly vinyl copies, additionally
• Write every single day of the year 2011. And beyond.

Thanks for all of your support this past year (and some of you have been with me for much, much longer) in association with the new album and the live performances. I could not have gone the year without it, I know that much. The reception of the album has been overwhelmingly positive, and my gratitude for such is understated. This year has seen the long-awaited completion of my “baby,” and this has been both a fulfilling and stressful venture; but with the support of my fans, it has all been worth it.

On the other side of things…

The one thing that I have come to fully understand this past year is that, if you want something done correctly, then do it yourself. Unfortunately, few people can be relied on to share the weight of passion or responsibility, and I have seen both sides of this lopsided spectrum this year.

All of these things aside, I look forward to a new year.

In closing, here is a link to a free download of a new song called “For You” from my project-in-progress, tentatively entitled III. There are less than 60 free downloads remaining, so I recommend getting it free while you can- http://soundcloud.com/mattsanderlinmusic/03-for-you/download

Be on the lookout for the official website (MattSanderlin.com) here in the near future. Exciting, right?!

Thanks again for everything, and Happy New Year’s!

Matt

Lovelorn digital album cover.

How has it already been two months since my last post?? What kind of black hole have I slipped into…?

Anyways, after three long years of my life (slaving over my first full-length album), Lovelorn is finally here! The iTunes link is here, and the Napster link is here. It will also soon be available on Amazon MP3, Rhapsody, Zune, Nokia, and (in CD and vinyl form) on Insound.com.

None of this would have been possible without the help of my loyal musical allies: Nick Jones, Dylan Hughes, Ben Wright, Nat Yonce, Patrick Ovalle, Julie Miller, and Claire Warlick. These are the people who helped make this project awesome.

So far, reviews have been great, and support has been consistent. If you have purchased the album, promoted the single, reviewed the digital release, or just been a backseat fan of this project, I thank you for your support with utmost sincerity. THANK YOU.

Please continue to pass the word along. The vinyl release of Lovelorn will take place early next year, so spread the word about that, too.

I only hope that you enjoy this album in equivalence to how much I enjoyed making it (and how much time I spent working on it).

Thanks,
Matt

Planned artwork for "The Echoing of Ends" single.

Hey all,

So, tomorrow and Saturday will be the two last official recording sessions for the Lovelorn record. You know what that means? That means that this little opus of mine will finally be released to the public in the (hopefully very) near future! I know I’m excited!

Additionally, Ready EP, my unofficial debut has officially been removed from digital music stores, per my request. It’s time to update these great outlets with the best and the newest material that I have.

The first time you’ll see my name reappear on digital shops like iTunes and Amazon MP3 will be with a re-release of an acoustic / live in studio rendition of “Everyone’s Fool.” The track was first included on the Live/Acoustic EP (sold only at shows). This will be available within the next couple of weeks.

The second appearance will be the first official single from the Lovelorn record, the opening tune “The Echoing of Ends.” This will be available by the end of the month.

And the immediate follow-up to the official single will be the full Lovelorn album. I don’t want to make any promises that I can’t keep, so I’ll keep the final release date under wraps for just a bit longer.

In the meantime, I haven’t shaved my face in nearly a month. I will continue to abstain from doing so until the record is one-hundred-percent complete. Why? For fun, I suppose. Or perhaps there is no more meaningful act of dedication and perseverance..

"Everyone's Fool" single artwork.

Until the new music arrives, I will be doing MONSTROUS amounts of promotion. Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, SoundCloud, iTunes.. And surely a healthy dose of non-internet related promotion, additionally. So look out for that, and feel free to do any amounts of promoting yourselves (if it’s to your liking, of course).

By the way— Everything sounds incredible at this point in the production of Lovelorn, and I am so thankful for that fact. I have the most reliable and loyal musical allies a struggling musician could ask for. I’d like to especially thank Nat Yonce for his countless compositional contributions, as well Patrick Ovalle for his willingness to join our crew on the brass side of things. This project would be a tedious bore and an incomplete insufficiency without these fine folks, as well as the many others who have taken their time and energy and applied it to the palette of this musical creation.

So keep on the look-out— Big things are coming your way very, very soon.

Thanks (as always) for reading,
Matt

We only have two more to start, but they are fairly straight-forward pieces— An acoustic + strings ballad called “You, Most,” and a peculiar semi-political narrative called “The Valleys.”

And then we’ve got a lot of overdubbing to do. Acoustic guitar, trumpet, accessory percussion, piano, and of course, vocals. Lots and lots of vocals…

So, tomorrow will put us over the “half-way” mark. Encouraging, isn’t it?

In the meantime, I’ve begun tracking for the Seasonalist EP, and great progress is being made there, additionally. “The Dead Bell” will likely be the first track from the new EP to be finished, and it is sounding haunting and riveting in all kinds of great ways. Timpani, strings, acoustic guitar… What a spooky ride.

The hardest decision will be to decide how to approach recording (or re-recording) “Snowgrave Serenade.” I love how raw and pure the demo sounds, but I want it to match the quality of the rest of the Seasonalist tunes.

So, we’ll see how that goes. And, as it stands, you’ll likely hear Seasonalist tracks before you’ll hear any Lovelorn material. Although, a single for Lovelorn will likely be chosen in the near future, and that will be released ASAP. The current choice is “The Echoing of Ends (The Words Ring True)” because it so aptly encompasses the fragile themes addressed in Lovelorn.

To close this entry, I’d like to share a special thanks to the amazing and knowledgable Nick Jones, the extremely talented Nat Yonce, the fiercely dedicated Dylan Hughes, and the always dependable Ben Wright. These guys are the only reason that Lovelorn is coming to life so perfectly, and they deserve far more credit than I.

Thanks for reading. Your patience will be rewarded shortly, I can promise you that.
Matt

#1.) For those who didn’t get their latest Vault update- There is a new demo on the Vault site under Matt Sanderlin Music -> Demo Content -> Scattered Demo’s. And the song is currently titled “I Laugh;” although, it is subject to change.

#2.) We’re (finally) headed back to the studio on Friday and Saturday to continue work on the Lovelorn record. My hope is that we’ll finish the drum tracking then, and maybe even most of the guitar tracking, additionally. As I have likely said before, I really think we can finish this record by the end of the year— Hopefully, sooner.

#3.) Thanks, as always, for the support— I appreciate it more than you know.

Sincerely,
Matt