Matt’s headed to Orlando to play at The Social with Wakey! Wakey!

Upcoming shows:
September 4, Savannah, GA, Livewire Music Hall with Wakey! Wakey!
September 5, Gainesville FL, Common Grounds with Wakey! Wakey!
September 6, Jacksonville, FL, Eddie’s Attic with Wakey! Wakey!

See Matt’s full tour schedule for all his upcoming venues.

Yes, this is the 3rd iteration of this poll. But my answers keep changing, so I figured it’s worth asking again. If you’re like me, you want to hear everything on the list if he’ll keep on playing. But you have to choose just 3 for the poll.

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Create a banner for EdgeOfAStar and you could win a signed copy of Brer’s CD Microwavable or his A to B EP.

See details here.

Check the tour schedule for all the show dates and links to where to purchase tickets. You can also go through matthiresmusic.com to purchase tix and purchase a m&g while you’re at it.

And if you want to help merch, check out Matt’s request from twitter:

We need merch volunteers for the tour! If you want to help out and get in for free, email Aaron at matthireshelpers@gmail.com

If you’re lovin’ Matt – grab some friends and take them out to see him!

Recently, I posted an article about Matt’s former band, Brer, which you can read here. If you’re interested in a free, signed copy of their CD, Microwavable, I have one that I’m looking to give away, but I’m going to make you work for it.

Here’s the deal…. I need some new banners for this website and I’m hoping for something a little better than what I made last time (see above). I’m asking for you Matt Hires fans to dig out your photoshop or your paint.net or your Gimp and design a new banner for edgeofastar.com. With a catchy banner, you could win that signed Brer CD.

Here are the contest rules and tiny print:
1. The banner must be a jpg file with dimensions: 940 width x 300 height.
2. The banner must be submitted to me at lizlemon@edgeofastar.com no later than September 8, 2010 (2 weeks, baby).
3. The banner must have the name Edge Of A Star on it, along with Matt’s name and likeness.
4. By submitting the banner to us, you do not transfer ownership of the work but you agree that we may use it on this website freely unless you a) stipulate we use it only in the event it wins or b) you later ask us to remove it.
5. We will credit ALL the banners listed on our site to their respective creators and will remove them at any time in the future if a) the creator of the banner asks us to or b) we find that the banner images are copyrighted by a third party who asks for their removal.
6. We will announce all winners by Sept 15.

Prizes:
First prize will be guaranteed addition to the banner rotation here and 1 copy of Brer’s Microwavable, signed by Matt Hires.

Second prize will be guaranteed addition to the banner rotation here and we’ll gift you a copy of Matt’s A to B EP from ITunes.

Third prize will be guaranteed addition to the banner rotation here. And bragging rights.

Consolation prizes – if we like your banner but it doesn’t win a top prize, we will add it to our banner rotation unless you stipulate otherwise. (See contest rules above.)

So put on your thinking caps and get busy! And thanks, as always, for your support of Matt’s music!

A few years ago, Matt was involved with a band called Brer, consisting of four guys: Kyle Pierce on guitar, Justin Beale on drums, Scott Moroze on bass and Matt on guitar and vocals. As a fan of Matt’s music, I’ve become fairly curious about what the band was about. Would their music sound like a pre-cursor to Matt’s current music? Or would the influence of the band members combine to create something else entirely? I’ve searched YouTube looking to uncover some rare live recording, but to no avail. Maybe one day that holy grail will surface, and it won’t just be a grail-shaped beacon.

It never occurred to me to even hope to hold a Brer CD in my hands, but as luck would have it, one day I stumbled upon an image of Microwavable, while googling something else. I asked myself “What is this beautiful thing?” But I knew it at first glance. And if I didn’t, the tracklist would soon give it away.

Behold:

Yeah – that right there is something I wanted to own as soon as humanly possible. Can you see on the right image that there’s a version of Turn the Page? Yeah – I needed to hear that. There’s also another version of Honey on there, and I do love alternate versions. But even more coveted were those 8 songs that I had never before heard. It might be old music, but it was “new to me” music that I feared was forever out of reach.

As it turns out, Matt still has a limited number of copies of this CD in his possession and I begged him to sell me some of them. I was elated that he agreed.

And that is why I am able to present to you a little glimpse into a band called Brer today. The CD was produced by Will Denton. All lyrics were written by Matt as well as most of the music. The band wrote the songs Microwavable and Behind Her Eyes and a former guitarist wrote What You Need.

Here’s a little sampling of the music.

There are 10 songs on the CD but I’ve only included snippets from the first 5. You’re just going to have to find a way to get your own copy. Sorry.

In case you’re wondering about my initial question – do the songs sound like Matt? Yes, they totally do. The CD as a whole is more diverse/eclectic in style than Take Us To The Start and the songs written by the band sound the least like Matt Hires songs you already know. But Matt’s vocals unify the whole CD – and for me, his voice is a large part of what I love about his music.

As for the songs that return on Take Us To The Start, I have mixed reviews. I much prefer the version of Honey, Let Me Sing You a Song on Matt’s own CD or on his new EP to the version on the Brer CD, where I feel like the mix works against the vocals and the bridge is conspicuously absent. At first listen, Turn the Page is a near replica of the later version, but then the cellos appear adding great depth to the song. I kind of miss those now when listening to Take Us To The Start.

Of the remaining songs, I find myself humming Open Up Your Window and Microwavable even when I haven’t heard them in days. Alight On My Limb is a gem of a song that I hope might turn up again somewhere. Maybe in a performance (say, in Vienna) or on a B-Side.

I’m extremely pleased to have this CD. It’s not exactly representative of Matt where he is today, but it’s definitely a part of where he’s been. If you’re a fan of Matt’s music, I’m sure you’re hankering for a copy. Keep your eyes peeled for a cd giveaway contest I’ll be holding in the near future. Or if you’d like to buy a copy, tweet @matthires and let him know that he should bring a copy to sell to you at the venue you’ll be going to (at the going rate of $15) . Or leave a comment here. He’ll probably be more than happy to sell one to a fan. If you’re a fan, it’s certainly something you’ll want to own before they’re all gone.

The blog This Is Modern posted their thoughts on the EP.

Matt Hires has proven that his debut album and the beauty of it was not a fluke and he can match its excellence with subsequent releases, even if they are only a few songs long.

Matt talked to Artist Direct about Honey, Let Me Sing You a Song, his favorite books and albums and his new EP.

Do the new songs on the EP show where the next full-length will go?

The EP is a little more stripped down. The next album will be more full band stuff. “A to B” and “Rock N’ Roll Heart” are the new songs on the EP. Those will be on the next record for sure, but different versions. We just took couple days in the studio for the EP and we approached the songs a little differently. We started “A to B” with an acoustic track and we didn’t put too much on it. I’m really happy with how that one turned out. It may be one of my favorite songs that I’ve ever recorded. I feel like the sound really helps the song come across well.

We know that the ITunes Pop Chart isn’t Billboard by any stretch. It’s extremely volatile and fleeting, but nevertheless, it’s fun to watch your favorite artists move up the chart. You can watch by going into ITunes, click Music and select Pop. Then find the Album chart to the right and click on See All. If you see Matt move up higher than #52, be sure to tweet about it! Also, remember to tell your friends to get the EP!

Check it out – WAS #52 on the Pop chart:

NOW #45:

Also, it’s nice that he’s listed on the New and Noteworthy section of the Pop Music page:

Credit: Drew Coffman