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Matteom
Music has been a major part of my life ever since I first heard the Italian records to which my mum and dad would sing and dance. My parents sent me to piano, violin, and theory of music lessons as a young child. However, the lesson that thrilled me the most was listening to the radio and dissecting the melodies that seemed to reach out and beg me to be replicated on the piano. Melody has always been what sways me the most as a singer/songwriter. To write a piece of music that others can't get out of their heads has always been my greatest motivation.
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As part of my commitment to give these songs all the promotion they deserved I knew that a music video was going to be a priority. Karl Stellar was a name given to me by my producer Robyn Payne. From the very beginning
Social media has always been a bit of a nightmare for me, especially when promoting music. What I did know was that this group of songs were the best I had ever put together so they deserved more than my lame attempts at promotion. I knew I would need a social media manager.
I found Mitch Cooper on the Fiverr marketplace. Hailing from Indianapolis in the USA, he seemed to know what he was talking about and was very reassuring in our communication. Mitch took on the duties of servicing my Facebook and YouTube accounts and setting up TikTok, LinkedIn and Instagram accounts.
I've always been a fan of lyric videos. Back in the day, lyrics always came with LP releases and I would devour every word. The digital age has ushered in a new way of doing things and the lyric video is now a popular way of hunting down lyrics. I found Rasitha.D. on the Fiverr marketplace when looking for someone who could add simple but tasteful graphics while following the "Change of Heart" storyline. Rasitha showed great patience and for every image I imagined, Rasitha was able to translate my words into simple but effective imagery. You will see much more of Rasitha's work as the MatteoM project gathers momentum.
Fourteen months after demos were sent, Andrew delivered the masters for a 12-track album titled "What Is It All About?". After listening sessions spanning across Xmas and New Year, Robyn, Nick and I gave the final tick of approval.
As a song writer, I can't describe the exhilaration of completing a work for which one holds such pride. At the same time, I know that without the tremendous work of my team these songs would still be languishing in my "ideas" folder. To Robyn Payne, Nick Hayes and Andrew Dannaoui, I will forever be indebted to your never-ending encouragement and belief in my dreams.
Songi d'oro per sempre.
Sometimes as a songwriter, songs can form in a flash. Often times, it will be at a time of great inspiration and emotional upheaval."Starlight" was written during October 2020 after the passing of a dear friend. Phil had touched so many lives with his warmth, his smile and good-heartedness so when I decided to try and write something, the music and lyrics flowed very quickly - I should not have been surprised.
The song itself is joyfully upbeat; Phil would not have wanted it any other way. Having his partner Dean in the studio as I laid down the vocals to "Starlight" was one of the highlights of this entire project.
R.I.P. Phil Thomason.
Forever dancing in the starlight.
The idea of leaving "All of My Love Tonight" [AMLT] off the first album altogether and leave it as an introduction into a more positive and upbeat second album was a risky proposition. AMLT is an instantly recognisable pure pop hit that could well have been the first song dropped from the first album. The only way this was going to work was if I found a song that could replace AMLT; no easy feat.
However, lurking at the back of my mind, was a tune that I had recently written and had been sending me into raptures every time I played it in the studio. I charged into the studio and started cobbling together more form into this idea with an addictive melody that just never wanted to stop and before I knew it, "Change of Heart" was born.
The song however, was going to represent a producer's nightmare; eight verses and an outro is not exactly the sort of arrangement that has a producer whetting his lips. The fact is that I see melody as the strongest part of my songwriting. So much so, that for this song I would put myself to the ultimate test. Eight verses laced with a killer melody and a giant guitar hook - who wouldn't want to hear this combination this many times??? If it's good enough they will listen.
Of course, production was going to be the key. I split the eight verse into four parts and told Robyn we have to give each of these parts a life all of their own. Otherwise, we would be risking ending up with a plodding fiasco that would bore listeners to death rather than a song they would have on repeat.
Again, the mighty Mrs. Paine rose to the occasion. The song ended up replicating all the potential I could hear in my head. It ended up being the song I probably enjoyed singing the most. Upon its completion, I knew that not only had I replaced a very good track with one just as good, but that album #2 was already off to a great start!!!!
The first album's theme was always going to delve into the anguish and pain of different lovescapes. However, I had envisaged the album finishing on a more positive note with a song called "All of My Love Tonight" [AMLT]. Then out of nowhere, a song presented itself with the lyric idea "What Is It All About?" [WIAA]" The song itself started off as a solid idea that quickly transformed into a definitively strong album track. When imagining the track on this first album, the thought occurred to me that it could be the track that ends the album hanging onto a question, rather than ending the album on a positive note.
I wrote the song in Neil Diamond-esque mode and Nick really immersed himself in the warm arrangements that so characterised many of Diamond's best works. In its final form, the song proved it had garnered its own place on the album and furthermore, the song so encapsulated the mood of the entire album that I had no hesitation in making it the title track!
"I Asked Too Much" is an incredibly personal and poignant song that I've long wondered whether it should ever see the light of day. As a piece of music, it stands up with some of the best tunes I've ever written. There's not much more I can say about this song which the song doesn't already say.
I distinctly remember the first time I heard the sound of bagpipes. I was swept away when watching the music video of AC/DC's "It's A Long Way to the Top If You Want to Rock"n"Roll". The song featured a mighty melodic hook played by duelling instruments; lead guitar played by Angus Young and bagpipes played by Bon Scott. It left me with chills up my spine and I made a vow to myself that one day a song I will have written will feature the world of music's most beautiful sound - that of the bagpipes.
As the album quickly took shape, I wanted desperately to find a song able to showcase a Celtic sound. Trawling through my collection, "Dreamers" jumped up at me as just that song. When I first wrote the song, its melodic hook was played by a piano & bell sound. Having the bagpipes replace the piano/bells sound made perfect sense.
Once I presented the song to Robyn, she quickly picked up on my Celtic imaginings. She had a set of Irish flutes and they easily found a place within the arrangement. Sampling bagpipes was never going to be an option. I craved live bagpipes. I searched the internet. I found Callum Watson - bagpiper extraordinaire. After some messaging, I sent Callum the track. He replied that he loved the song and would be more than happy to join us in the studio.
On the day of recording, I woke up beyond excited. I got to the studio to find Callum waiting with bagpipe in hand. I'll never forget the moment when he blew the first few notes as a warm up; the majesty and power of the instrument literally raised me off my feet!
With recording about to begin, I excused myself from the control room, preferring to sit in the recording room; up close and personal to Callum and his pipes. What an experience!
"Dreamers" is a song of which I'm incredibly proud. It not only features the instrument that moves me the most, but lyrically it pays homage to one of my literary heroes, Don Quixote. It's a song that I feel does justice to a musical style presided over by legends. I hope they don't mind.
"Fool" was a conundrum right from the start. From the minute the melodic hook and lyric "hey, hey hey' escaped my lips I knew the track would work. The only problem was that the hook had wedded itself to what was more a dance rhythm. The album was firmly heading in a pop-rock to prog-rock direction so how was this song with a dance sensibility going to find its place?
All would depend on lyrics, vocal delivery and a muted production style. The melody had to walk the treacherous fine line between pop and commercial dance fodder. In the end, "Fool" became a track in which vocals didn't bleed and rhythms grooved in the background. Is it dance music - you be the judge.
"Freedom" was always destined for anthem status. It was one of the songs that had me worried about how am I going to get its largess out of my head and into production. I told Nick of my concern right from the start and he gleefully took up the challenge. Layered vocals, melodic chants, cracking drums and deep electro rhythms all combine to raise the levels on this track while asking the question why can't we simply be free to love.
Upon meeting friends at an outdoor bush rave, I stumbled across a female singer trying her hand at beatbox, jazz and blues - and doing it well. I duly introduced myself as a singer songwriter; her name was Amutha and conversation flowed easily. Her world centred around her music the same way my music consumed me. Whilst talking, I remembered that I had written a song that I had always imagined would require female vocals. I told Amutha about the song and she gave left me details of her online profiles for me to research. Once I got home, I searched up Amutha's various profiles and sure enough found a warm and soulful voice. The music I was hearing was a million miles away from the pop track I had in mind so I worried that she perhaps would not be able to invest of herself. I told her about my concerns and she asked that I send her the song anyways. Ten minutes later she emailed back that she had heard the song and did not want it to end - when could we start working on the track she asked. We arranged a try out session a few days later and within the first 10 minutes we knew that this little project was going to work out just fine. "Baby Hold Me" is truly melancholic and moody. However, its melody, irresistible female vocal and yet another blazing guitar solo make this a stand-out track.
"Love Is Not Enough" is a piece written around 2018. I liked the song enough to record a live video of just me singing and playing piano. I remember this song being another one of those that took shape very quickly. The title came from a question that had long plagued me; why is it that sometimes love just isn't enough? It was like all the torment, exasperation and lingering doubt came out of me and found its home in one perfect song.
At the start of production I told Nick that I was torn in two about whether to produce the song as purely acoustic; me and my piano or with full orchestra and choir. In the end, we opted for a middle ground though the outro added in the final days of production may have overstepped that middle ground.
The song's lyrics are not for the fainthearted. If you've bled about love this song will be sure to reopen old wounds. Take care.
After the successful production of the first two tracks everyone was pretty excited. Andrew Dannaoui had been been brought into the team as the mastering technician. He was charged with the mission to build the bridge between two producers with their own individual styles. I implored Robyn, Nick and Andrew to believe in each other and to not be worried about ego. I somehow had found three honest and sincere individuals who all believed in my songs - working together should pose no problems. It would be a huge relief to not have to involve myself throughout the mastering process so I was eager to have these three geniuses learn to work together. "Talk to You" was produced by Robyn; i always had it destined to be a huge prog-rock track. This suited Robyn's prog-rock background and she was able to rise to the occasion interpreting my guitar solo and adding her own second guitar solo. I'm proud to say this song features an achingly sweet melody with two of the mightiest guitar solos you will ever wish to hear. Nick took the reigns on "She Cries". This was another rockpop track that Nick duly embellished with symphonic overtones. Lyrically, the song tells the tale of a mother earth in crisis. Songs 3 & 4 were finished in the early stages of 2023. The year ahead could not possibly have looked brighter.
Robyn chose the rockpop song "All of My Love Tonight" while Nick chose the ballad "Try and Love Again". Production moved at an exhilarating pace as we all felt more than a hint of something special. My first sessions as a lead vocalist went very well I have to say. I was incredibly nervous but with the calming influence of two wonderful producers I passed the test with flying colours. More importantly, the songs themselves sounded big and bold and cast away any doubt surrounding future production. The wheel was now well and truly turning!
Feedback from the demos was overwhelmingly positive. I knew the songs were good but it was lovely to have experienced and talented producers so excited about my songs.
In the end, I couldn't split between a seasoned pro and a young maverick and decided to make a somewhat controversial decision to use both.
I sent 5 different songs to Robyn Payne [MELB] and Nick Gray [TAS] and asked that they choose 1 each. Let's see if I can call myself a songwriter with any legitimacy!
After 3 years of lockdown and writing music prolifically to pass the time, I ended up with 80 tracks that I didn't really know what to do with. My band had always been my creative outlet but with the band being so time poor, it was never going to allow all these songs to see the light of day.
So in search of feedback, demos were sent to 7 producers based in Australia. The time had come to test the waters as a songwriter in my own right.
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