Matt Wade

"I'm from Point Pleasant, NJ, and have been playing piano since age three or four. I took piano lessons when I was very young, but never really learned how to read music. I picked up drums at age 10, and began playing out as a drummer all through high school. I taught myself guitar, bass and organ, and also began writing and playing out these instruments shortly after graduating high school, when I went on to study at The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music in NYC for two years."

Read Full Article:
http://www.mattwademusic.com/pdf/press/2014/Asbury-Park-Zest-Summer-2014.pdf - Asbury Park Zest Magazine - Summer 2014

January-April 2014 Artists To Watch (A2W) Q&A

Matt Wade
https://www.sonicbids.com/band/mattwade/

Skope: How long have you been making music and what do you love about having music in your life?
Matt Wade: “Since I was 4 or 5 years old, starting on keys and then went to drums guitar and bass once I hit middle school/highschool.

Music gives me the opportunity to express myself and create, as well as reach people and make them happy through the songs and the performing. I really like having fun and creating with friends and other players and songwriters too, and am surrounded by lots of them constantly.”

Skope: When are you most inspired to create music?
Matt Wade: “Usually, like with anything else…my work ethic and songwriting improve when I need a distraction. Whether it be from something wrong in a relationship, or a break up, or maybe something else I might be going through at the time, even sometimes what friends and people close to me are going through… That’s when I doit the most, and when I find it’s at its best…”

Skope: What are you currently promoting the most via an album, tour, single etc?
Matt Wade: “I’m working on my third record at the moment, and have about 20 songs or so ready to record, then we’ll narrow it down and put the record out…

I’ve also been doing a lot of producing and songwriting for other people, and running my studio and small label, which I started about two years ago.”

Skope: Where do you turn to hear and discover music, social media, Pandora, FM radio, etc?
Matt Wade: “I haven’t listened to the radio or surfed the internet for new music in a while, which is a shame. It’s mainly because I don’t identify with many things that are coming out these days, especially since I grew up on Motown, old school R&B, Soul music and Jazz and Blues. Not that there aren’t elements of that in some of todays music, but I’ve found that a vast majority I just don’t “get it” and when I don’t feel connected to an artist or a song, I can’t stomach it. I’d rather listen to Frank Sinatra over Bieber or Miley any day.”

Skope: Do you have any new Youtube videos or Soundcloud singles posted online we should hear?
Matt Wade: “Most of the stuff you’ll find online or on iTunes now is still older junk… but I will be releasing some newer tracks and demos soon, and I believe there may be some already up on SoundCloud now… There are some pretty cool videos that fans have put up on youtube, which I actually welcome rather than discourage.”

Skope: What is coming up for you & where you at online?
Matt Wade: “Aside from creating and releasing the album over the next few months, we will be doing a lot of traveling this year and playing around, and I will continue trying to grow this small label and studio on my own as well. You can find me on my website www.mattwademusic.com and on all them fancy mp3 downloadin’ sites. Maybe even the illegal ones.” - Skopemag.com

"Hard To Get By", Hurricane Sandy/The Story of Recovery
Video by Deanna Aliano/Music by Matt Wade

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jrAEuWkJBb4 - Youtube.com

11/30/2012. Matt Wade, singer and song-writer from Pt. Pleasant, performs during this week's episode of "The 66 Sessions" at the Asbury Park Press. Matt stopped by our studio to play a couple of songs and talk a bit about his new studio. Video link at:

http://www.app.com/viewart/20121130/NJENT0101/121130003/The-66-Sessions-Matt-Wade-Brick?odyssey=tab%7Ctopnews%7Ctext%7CFrontpage
- Asbury Park Press

Matt Wade is one of those artists that has somehow escaped my clutches up until now. Researching Wade was an interesting process and told me a lot about why his new record, D-Sides And Demo Tapes, stands so far apart from a lot of local artists.

This record wasn’t just tossed together with the same handful of Asbury musicians that are apparently becoming the Jersey shore version of Muscle Shoals. Wade handpicked his musicians based not only on their performance capabilities but also their understanding of his musical direction and insistence on getting it to sound original and right. The release date of this disc had been pushed back a number of times simply because Wade didn’t feel it was quite finished. That takes courage when the pressure of cutting corners is on you. Release shows, press, fans and any number of things have made great artists throw caution to the wind, releasing something before they were sure, only to regret jumping the gun down the road.

Sometimes you get lucky and that turns out okay, but most times you’ll end up cringing every time someone plays your CD, and who needs to deal with that after laying out your entire 401k to record it? D-Sides And Demo Tapes clicks like clockwork, taking the listener on a wild ride through Wade’s carousel mind.

Matt Wade started at a very early age and he has a quirky tale of how he came to be who he is. Sitting at his grandmother’s player piano when he was three, Wade would memorize the punch-hole positions of the player rolls, notes and sounds till eventually, like some crazy little savant, he started playing them all on his own. That beginning led to countless garage bands and school performances as Wade became a songwriter, penning hundreds of tunes and tucking them away for future perusal.

Shy by nature, Wade is the proverbial wallflower that has come to life in a time all his own. While D-Sides And Demo Tapes is not his first outing (he released a self-titled disc in 2009), it is his first focused disc that covers a lot of stylish ground without sounding jagged and confused.

Wade’s piano style could be best described as the barrelhouse barrage of Billy Joel, the rolling grace of Ben Folds and the savage sustain of John Lennon. “Waste Of Time” breaks straight out of 1973 as Wade spirals down through a gritty guitar, organ and drum roll intro that lands in a vamped-out verse and a really eerie Stevie Wonder vocal tone. Piano and B3 runs splash down over tight, thunderous drums and bass as Wade conducts the whole thing like some bizarre Dr. Parnassus. Guest player Charlie McDonald shows the correct way to throw a trumpet into a verse tag without sounding like Madness or Chicago.

Matt switches gears with the drum machine tick of “Love Isn’t Everything.” The techno rhythm mix of bass drum and handclaps actually makes sense and didn’t make me cringe for the first time in ages. Sparse and dynamic, Wade stacks smooth organs on top of synths, piano and vocals without losing the melody or the theme. The piano bridge flows back into the verses as Wade pushes this R&B flavored track with chameleon-like appeal. Synths, background vocal effects and that ‘80s Tears For Fears-vibe makes this song a radio-friendly choice immediately.

The bouncy and breezy sound of “This Bird Don’t Fly” betrays the lethal lyrical content that addresses the age-old problem of relationships. I love the line, “Do you need a friend?/ Is there someone else around that you can call? Cause the last thing I need, is to talk to you/ Cause all you do is bust my balls.” Ah, isn’t that the truth? For a shy guy, Wade has no problem telling his lyrical subject, “I’ll tell you where you can shove that thorny crown.” Staccato piano hits roll into radio friendly choruses lined with pristine backing vocals, tasty drums and bass before exploding into a free-form jazz jam at 2:53 on the song. This song is impressive, ballsy, cynical and seamless. It showcases Wade’s Billy Joel-meets-Stevie Wonder blend like a diamond in a custom-fit setting.

Other standouts were “I’ve Been Drinking,” a soft and solace parade of piano and vocal that rises into a laid back golden chorus before bringing the band into verse two. Special guest guitarist Matt O’Ree is immediately recognizable with his Dickie Betts/Charlie Sexton groove. O’Ree hangs back until the bridge, where he breaks out and makes this song roar like a beast. Wade’s vocal rides the pipeline of this mid-tempo drinking gem with easy and original style.

“Cross My Heart” features the horn section of Paul Vinci, Charlie McDonald and Emily McDonald. Their combined sound is dark, reverent and sparkling. It supports the chorus quite well. Blending with Wade’s vocal trail offs, they steer this song straight into Wade’s church-styled organs and synth attacks. Once again, the drumming of Lew Rosengrant mixes easily with Colin Thompson’s dynamic bass attack.

The pop-infused “I Wanna Be On The Radio” bounces with the smart tempo of guest - The Aquarian/John Pfeiffer/Shoreworld: 9/01/2011

Getting off to a rousing start with the incredibly catchy and jaunty “Love Isn’t Everything,” this pop-rock album bops and bounces along with a certain tuneful gaiety that’s both exciting and engaging in equal measure. Matt Wade’s exuberant vocals soar straight for the heavens and back with positively infectious go-for-broke aplomb. The classy and snappy arrangements likewise hit the stirring spot, with big ringing guitar riffs, smooth basslines, dynamic piano, and sturdy kickin’ drums keeping things lively and harmonic throughout. Bonus props are in order for the smart and reflective songwriting that deftly mines a touching line in bittersweet regret. A very nice and satisfying album. - Jerseybeat.com/Joe Wawrzyniak-12/2011

"He’s one of those people who I found by clicking through “related videos” on YouTube. Never heard of Matt before and got hooked the second his piano sound came up…“Back On My Own” is kind of the young Stevie Wonder meets the young Elton John..." - Klaus Bottger 4/2011

"Putting forth incredible energy on stage, backed by a talented band and horn section, Matt Wade stole the night." - Metromix New Jersey 1/2011

Baby-faced with a flannel-and-torn-jeans-rocker-style, Matt, a regular performer around Asbury Park, wowed the crowd with his effortless command of the piano, mature voice and original playlist of songs written, he says, as an outlet for the struggles during a difficult breakup with a girlfriend.

I spoke with Matt, who studied at the New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music, about being a musical prodigy and, of course, what it is like for a shore guy to have groupies at 21.

TBP: How does it happen that you start playing the piano at three years old?

Matt: We had a player piano in our house. I would watch the keys as it played and memorize what the keys were doing. At first, I was just banging on the piano but then I started to figure out how to play the songs by listening to them over and over again. I am mostly self-taught by ear.

Once I knew what the notes were called I started playing all Billy Joel songs, like the “Ballad of Billy the Kid” at 10 years old.

I play the guitar, base and drums, too, but I see the piano as the thing I am most comfortable playing. I see the piano as this endless instrument. There are no boundaries. Things you shouldn’t do to a piano you can do and it still sounds good.

TBP: You make it sound so simple. You had the audience – most who were at least double your age – hypnotized. What does that feel like?

Matt: It’s the greatest feeling in the world. The fact that people want to come watch me play and that I can have some effect on people, good or bad, is rewarding and fun.

I used to be really shy and not talk to anybody but because of my songs I feel people are hearing the real me and I started opening up and singing too.

TBP: And now you have groupies.

Matt: I don’t have any girls waiting in my dressing room but I have girls that say they are groupies.

TBP: And a girl inspired you to write the music on your first album.

Matt: I had been dating this girl for years and I found out when I saw something in her phone that she was seeing someone else behind my back and I freaked out. I was really upset but like “all right see you later” and made an album from that.

I look at the record as a heartbreak record and like the song “Back on My Own” the best. My new album, out in May, is much happier.

TBP: I am fascinated by your uber-talent and creativity. Two albums at 21 years old – what is success for a lifelong musician who grew up in the age of American Idol?

Matt: Success to me means making a living playing music. I do not want to exploit an art form to get laid or be famous. I am not trying to be a John Mayer huge multi-national star. I just want my music to be heard and be comfortable.

A big house and a car wouldn’t hurt either. - Richard Virgilio 1/2011

21-year old keyboardist/singer Matt Wade and his combo provided a tour-de-force excursion into Asbury soul and blues, as Wade matched his Ray Charles-styled chordings and wailing vocals with Paul Vinci’s soaring tenor sax. Wade is a true virtuoso, pounding all 88 keys of his keyboard as his “American Idol”-caliber voice effortlessly glides from one bluesy ballad to another. The band finished with a rousing rock ’n’ roll number that had Wade bashing out some ferocious honky-tonk piano that left the audience wanting more. - The Star Ledger/Jim Testa 10/2010