Hard Work Pays Off for My Silent Bravery Frontman

It seems like just yesterday that Matthew Wade was playing small singer-guitarist sets at Jose Murphy’s. But in just a few short years, the Worcester native has found himself on a remarkable career trajectory, the next point of which is a slot performing with his band, My Silent Bravery, for the fifth annual WXLO Acoustic Xmas at Mechanics Hall, alongside headliner Daughtry, folk-rock band Delta Rae and “American Idol” finalist Erika Van Pelt. “It’s going to be my first time sharing a stage with all those acts,” says Wade, whose real name is Matt Shwachman. “I’m very excited to play my hometown for the show, with those acts, at Mechanics Hall.” Wade, who has been a member of Mechanics Hall’s board of directors for a year and a half, is performing with a trio-arrangement of My Silent Bravery, alongside former OSB members Kevin Hennessey on keyboards and Aaron Tringuk percussion, promising “an acoustic sounding set.” It’s not Wade’s first foray with big names. In recent years, he’s opened for a number of big acts, including Howie Day, Candlebox and Rusted Root. Moreover, his songs have appeared on TV shows such as “One Tree Hill,” “Last Call with Carson Daly” and MTV’s “Real World.” My Silent Bravery’s recent video, “Amazing,” is being played on MTV.com. “I think that it has to do with a lot of hard work and persistence,” says Wade, when asked how he’s managed to get so far in the music business in just a few years. He attributes a lot of his drive to a sports injury he incurred in 2001, while traveling in Australia, where he hurt his neck and back. According to Wade, that time spent recovering helped him to get more in touch with his spiritual side and, from there, commit himself to his passion for music.

“I just threw myself in,” he said. Within a few years, he went from playing local acoustic gigs to playing with a band — at one point called The Matt Shwachman Band, or MSB, which is where My Silent Bravery derives its name. “We played about 330 shows in four years — half covers, half originals.”

Eventually, Wade’s interest in writing original music outweighed his desire to play covers, and perhaps not inconsequently, that’s when his career began to accelerate.

Early next year, My Silent Bravery will release its new album, “Diamonds for Coal,” along with a video for the album’s second single (after “Amazing”), “On My Side.” And in another bit of synchronicity, the video was also filmed at Mechanics Hall.

“It feels like a lot of things coming full circle,” he says.

“It’s exciting for me,” he says of his musical journey. “For me, it shows the hard work and progress … I’m starting to get to some of those goals that I set for myself. It’s possible, y’know? If you put your mind to it and work hard, you can make your dreams come true.”