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Meet local singer songwriter My Silent Bravery in this exclusive interview I just did with him. Originally going by the name Matthew Wade, he has a real knack for injecting inspirational messages throughout his music that speaks to mind about the depth of emotional character he has, and how he represents a different of breed of singer-songwriter that is hard to find these days. I spent some time getting to know him better, how he got started in music, what his writing process entails, his experiences recording his new album, and how his Boston upbringing influences him day to day. Here is the full transcript from our chat:
Give us your name and what instruments you regularly play? My name is Matthew Wade and I play guitar and sing. Take us behind your early years and how you originally got interested in music? Describe your musical influences that have shaped you into the person you are now?
Growing up I was always a huge fan of music, from Bob Marley (positive vibrations) to Dave Matthews Band (Acoustic guitar driven) to Pearl Jam (Alternative Rock), my tastes were diverse and I appreciated a well written song that inspired and could make you move or feel something emotionally. I used to be great at discovering that cool band right before they broke and got huge. And while I loved to listen to music, when it came to playing it, there just wasn’t a lot of extra time for me and believe it or not I wasn’t very good. I grew up playing sports and any free time was mostly devoted to that.
I was traveling in Australia and had a sports injury which altered the course of my life. I was working out in the gym and herniated a couple of disc in my neck. The injury was the hardest challenge I had faced in my life and there was no road map to a cure. It was at that time, when I had reached rock bottom, that I was introduced to spirituality. I began working on myself and started changing things that I didn’t like about myself and I started seeing changes in how I was feeling physically. I finally found an alternative doctor that was able to help me and my health continued to improve slowly over time. As a result of my experience, I realized that what I wanted to do with my life was to help others overcome their challenges. What was the way that I was meant to help and contribute back to the world? You guessed it. Music! Over the last 10 years I have released 5 Inspirational Acoustic Alternative Rock albums and I have another album on the way. How did I do all this? Trial by fire. I put my mind to it and nothing was going to stop me.
How did you come up with the name My Silent Bravery for your project?
The name came about because I was touring under another band name with the initials MSB for a while. Around 2010, my manager at the time suggested we change the band name for marketability and for Google ability. I chose to go with a more commercial name. I wanted to keep the MSB in place, as my fan base was familiar with it and had a connection to it. My friend Caryn suggested My Silent Bravery and I really thought that embodied what the music was about. To me, it symbolizes inner strength, perseverance, persistence and ability to overcome obstacles. As mentioned, I have been dealing with a sports injury over the years and it is a challenge in my life and I continue to work hard to overcome that obstacle. I now try and inspire others to overcome their obstacles through the messages in my music.
What's a typical writing/recording session like and where does it progress from there?
For the last couple of years I have been co-writing all my songs with my good friend Jim McGorman (Gwen Stefani, Avril Lavigne, Poison) who is also producing my music at present. Jim and I will typically co-write a handful of songs together in a long weekend. The process is interesting in that we generally write the songs in MA and then record them in LA. Jim will work on production in LA while we will communicate over the wire sending mixes back and forth until the songs arrangements are finished. I will then travel to LA to record my parts. We will then send along to mixing and subsequently mastering. What is the basis behind the video for "Got It Going On" and how did you come up with the ridiculous and genius concept for it? The concept for the video was masterminded by my manager Evan Stein and the director Kurt Zendzian. Evan came up with the concept and then flew out to Florida to assist Kurt with the video production. Kurt’s dog Mocha is the star and I think they come up with a very entertaining video that has hit 1.5 million views in its first week and a half. Kurt has worked with many big names in the industry including Chuck Norris,AWOLNATION, The Tenors, David Duchovny, Johnny Gill and Marc Broussard but Kurt insists that this by far was his favorite project of 2017. “Working with Matt was a breath of fresh air. It started with a great song and the music video vision followed quickly. After a few meetings, the team agreed that the video needed to be very quirky and upbeat to match the song. I like to think of the music video of a cross between Macklemore and LMFAO had a baby.” Does Boston provide inspiration to your music and how does it influence you day-to-day?
Boston absolutely inspires my music and there are quite a few references to that in much of my unreleased new music. I love Boston and have lived in MA the majority of my life. It is definitely home and I am a die hard Boston sports fan! Besides music, what do you like to do for fun and leisure in your spare time?
I don’t have a lot of free time these days lol. But when I do I like to hang with family and friends, frequent restaurants and bars, watch movies/ TV, read, exercise, and get outdoors as much as possible.
What's coming up next for you, any upcoming local shows you'd like to promote?
JUL30 My Silent Bravery w/O-Town, Ryan Cabrera Sun 6 PM · One Centre Square · Easton, PA
AUG19 Marc Broussard LIVE with special guest My Silent Bravery Sat 6 PM · The Inn at Willow Grove · Orange, VA
SEP10 My Silent Bravery - Pet Rock Festival Sun 12 PM · Wyman Gordon · North Grafton, MA Lastly, what would you like people to know about you?
First I would like people to know that I appreciate them taking the time to read about me and my project. I would encourage them to check out my new single, “Got it Going On. It debuted at number 3 on the Billboard Hot Singles Sales Chart. It is the first single from my new album “Willing to Try” and was recently featured on XM Sirius Satellite radio station XM The Pulse on Train Tracks with Pat Monahan. The video for the song premiered via the Huffington Post and surpassed 1 million views in its first week out, trending overseas in South America. The album features twelve tracks and will be released in 3 separate EP's over the next year. Sonically, the new songs blend modern synths and keyboards along with acoustic guitars and atmospheric electrics. To learn more please visit:
www.mysilentbravery.com www.twitter.com/mysilentbravery www.facebook.com/mysilentbravery www.instagram.com/mysilentbravery www.youtube.com/mysilentbravery
Thanks once again to Matt for being so awesome in doing this interview! It's great to really dig deep with these up and coming singer-songwriters to get a better perspective on how they perfect their craft, and where they draw their primary inspiration from. For more on A Silent Bravery, please check him out at the links located directly above.