“For over a decade, My Silent Bravery has carved its path with unwavering determination, eschewing the glitz of mainstream fame for a more intimate connection with their audience. With a discography spanning twelve albums and a stage adorned with over a thousand performances, Matthew Wade has woven a tapestry of inspiration, one fan at a time.”
-Rolling Stone
“My Silent Bravery plays like a major label signing, from its production savvy, eloquent lyrics, authoritative imaging, polished web site, a dedicated Northeast U.S. fan following, merchandising, and most important, a chockablock collection of winning songs. My Silent Bravery is destined to make major noise.”
-Billboard Magazine
“Fronted by Matthew Wade, My Silent Bravery stands as a testament to resilience and positivity in music. With a decade of live performances and chart-topping hits under their belt, My Silent Bravery continues to inspire with their music and cultural impact.”
-SPIN Magazine
“While he’s drawn comparisons to John Mayer and Gavin DeGraw, A-Sides thinks he can stand on his own sans any labels or similar-sounding artist references. In other words, his music, like his name, is unique and stands on its own in a bold way.”
-The Huffington Post
“From summer-ready guitar strings to the fun-flecked vocals, the artist effortlessly rides the infectious production, catching every tempo and melodic shift.”
-Wonderland Magazine
“My Silent Bravery shines a light on the pressures young women face to project a perfect life online. Their poignant video for “Girl You Think You Know,” has already earned over 197,000 views worldwide, and the track hit #3 on the Billboard Hot Singles Sales Chart.”
-M Magazine
KINGS OF A&R
Artist Spotlight: My Silent BraveryBuzz Track: To Give (featuring Matisyahu)
Matthew Wade is a singer-songwriter out of Boston that goes by the stage name My Silent Bravery. He has toured nation-wide supporting acts such as Kris Allen, Howie Day and Tyler Hilton, as well as landing placements on shows like CW’s One Tree Hill, and MTV’s Real World & True Life. Tonight he will be opening for Daughtry at the 5th annual WXLO 104.5FM acoustic xmas concert. He also recently released an original single called “To Give” featuring Matisyahu and the video is nearing 400,000 views.
Contact: matt@mysilentbravery.com
Read the full article here.
NEWS TELEGRAM.COM
Daughtry Rocks, Delta Rae Surprises at WXLO’s Acoustic XmasWORCESTER — About 1,600 people filled Mechanics Hall Tuesday night to see Daughtry headline for WXLO’s fifth annual Acoustic Xmas. But before Chris Daughtry took the stage, there was a mix of performers to get things going, and one of them, newcomers Delta Rae, stole the show.
Worcester native and singer-guitarist Matthew Wade of My Silent Bravery began the night with a five-song set. Wade, on guitar, was joined by band members on piano and drums. They set the low-key-yet-lively vibe for the night. Wade performed a stripped-down rendition of his recent single, “Amazing,” which still had the sunny tone of the recorded version, but without the electronic sound. It’s clear that Wade has found his voice.
Up next was Erika Van Pelt, a finalist in season 11 of “American Idol,” who offered a voice reminiscent of Christina Aguilera with its high notes, riffs and runs, but had the texture of a rich alto during the verses. With a wide vocal range, the 27-year-old from South Kingstown, R.I., sang songs off her first album “My Independence,” including her cover of Pink’s “Glitter in the Air,” which had a haunting sound hiding in its softer dynamics.
Delta Rae, a six-person band from Durham, N.C., got the audience on its feet and fired up.
The band took the stage without greeting the audience and began the first song very softly. A notable contrast emerged between those first delicate minutes and the climactic chorus of harmonic voices and instruments that finished the song. This strength and energy continued to get louder and more captivating with each song in the six-song set. Imagine the vocal style of The Civil Wars merged with the spirit of Mumford & Sons and the vigor of an orchestra.
It seemed that the multitalented group of musicians was playing musical chairs, switching spots on stage, changing instruments with every song, sometimes even mid-song and using props such as chains and the tops of garbage cans to enhance the dramatic and energizing effect that the music had over the audience.
Four members of the band — three of whom are siblings — sang, harmonizing with one another and playing piano, guitar or drums, while Mike McKee drummed and Grant Emerson switched between playing upright bass and guitar. The two female singers, Elizabeth Hopkins and Brittany Holljes, belted with raspy power while banging on the oversized bass drum in the center of the stage like a gong or tapping the side of it rapidly with drumsticks, depending on the song. The two male singers, Ian and Eric Holljes, played a combination of guitar, piano and ukulele.
The crowd favorite seemed to be the group’s first EP, “Bottom of the River.” It was a glorious combination of voices worthy of “Glee” topped with a marching band drum-line interlude and a loud heavy rock sound that shook the seats as the band stomped, clapped and McKee clanged the chains against his drum.
The first standing ovation of the night came after Delta Rae “took advantage of the acoustics in the Hall” and performed an a capella version of “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” without microphones.
The second standing ovation was after “Dance in the Graveyards,” which had a tribal, primitive sound to it.
The contagious energy had a majority of the music lovers in the audience standing, dancing and clapping along.
The final act slowed things down a bit.
Daughtry’s stage set-up was simple — stools, two microphones and a keyboard. Frontman Chris Daughtry was accompanied by Elvio Fernandes, who played the keyboard, sang backup vocals and openly admitted that he was a Yankees’ fan early on in the set.
Daughtry, also from North Carolina, complimented Delta Rae after he played the title song off his fourth album, “Baptized.”
“We got here in time to see Delta Rae and we were saying, ‘Dang,maybe we should have opened for them,'” said the humble former “American Idol” finalist.
Daughtry had a solid fan base at Mechanics Hall and made the crowd laugh with his witty banter with Fernandes.
Without the full band, even the older hits such as “Feels Like Tonight,” “I Got Over You” and “It’s Not Over” had a more relaxed sound. But there is a distinct difference between those songs and those off the new album, such as “Baptized,” “Waiting for Superman,” “Battleships” and “Long Live Rock & Roll.”
Although Daughtry still has his signature power belt with a rocker edge, his lyrics, tempo and strumming are more homegrown and down to earth than in previous releases.
Daughtry sang a slow cover of Imagine Dragon’s “Radioactive,” which he called his favorite song of 2013, halfway through his set with only soft chords from the keyboard in the background.
Daughtry and Fernandes also sang a rendition of “Silent Night,” while reluctantly wearing Santa hats which were thrown onto the stage by fans.
Daughtry finished the night with the very fitting pop-rock power ballad “Home” as the concert crept up on its third hour.
And after a standing ovation for Daughtry, home is where the people who were not attending WXLO’s afterparty most likely went.
Read the full article here.
THE LATEST MUSIC NEWS
City Lights Coverage: Interview with My Silent BraveryFor anyone who hasn’t listened to your music yet, how would you describe it to them?
Acoustic driven pop/rock with a positive message!
What makes you stand out from all of the other bands in your genre?
I think the message delivered in my songs makes me different from others, whether I stand out or not is out of my hands. I realized a while back, there are certain things you can control and certain things you can’t, so I just try to be myself as an artist and hope that people will enjoy my music.
How does it feel having your music play in shows all over the TV (MTV Real World, True Life, One Tree Hill)?
I love having my songs featured on TV shows. It’s a great feeling and hope the trend continues!
How has the feedback been on your new single “Amazing”?
It’s amazing the great feedback that “Amazing” has been getting! It’s the first single off the new album so it’s nice to have some new energy out there. Having the video picked up by MTV.com was really special for me as well.
Any specific influence behind the single?
To me, the song is about making the most out of what you’ve been given. You have to embrace whatever comes your way and enjoy the moment without the expectation of what you have in your mind. When things don’t go your way you have to kind of think that that maybe that’s the way they were supposed to go and make the best of the situation, make it amazing!
Are you working on any new music? If so can you tell fans what they can expect from the songs?
I am really excited to release my fourth album in the next few months and then tour behind it. The album is called, Diamond from Coal, features 12 tracks, and is produced by Anthony Resta (Collective Soul, Elton John, Guster) and Warren Huart (Aerosmith, The Fray, James Blunt). If the feedback on “Amazing” is any indication of how the rest of the album will be received, I think fans will really enjoy it!
You have played over 300 shows. If you could go back in time to tell yourself something when you first started touring what would it be?
I think I would tell myself to enjoy it a little more. I tend to be a very hard worker and usually focused on accomplishing goals and tasks. When I first started touring, I thought it was about playing as many shows as I could. Now it’s more about playing the right shows, and enjoying the moment and connecting with fans. I just played a show with Daughtry this week and it was a truly amazing night and I enjoyed every minute!
Speaking of tour, can fans expect a winter tour?
I am excited to tour behind the release of the new album. Whether that will be in the winter or spring we will have to wait and see how things pan out, but fans can expect some shows!
Anything else you would like to add?
I would like to thank you City Lights Coverage for your support and also thank all the fans that continue to support me! I am so greatly appreciative!
Thank you!
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PULSE
Up & Comer: My Silent BraveryEvery now and then, a band comes out of Massachusetts that really redefines what a band can accomplish. Singer/songwriter Matt Wade’s project, My Silent Bravery, is one of those bands. Labeling Wade as an Up and Comer is ~ quite possibly ~ the biggest understatement ever. He has already arrived, and he’s here for the long run. With three full-length albums already under his belt and a professional work ethic, My Silent Bravery has no limits and no signs of slowing down.
Wade got started writing songs when he was 18. “For a school project, we were given the opportunity to learn about anything we wanted to learn, and I chose to learn how to play the guitar and I wrote my first song, ‘Sign of the Road,’” he said. That song ended up on the TV show, One Tree Hill, earning him national attention. He continued writing songs, keeping a positive message at the forefront of his lyrics. “One of my missions is to spread a positive message to people, and I feel like music is the best way to do that.”
The songs led to albums ~ plural. Three, to be exact ~ all of them self-released and all accompanied by music videos. Just like that, My Silent Bravery was the real deal and started getting national radio attention. Soon, Wade was opening for national acts like Daughtry, Howie Day and Ryan Cabrera. The last release, Can’t Quit, came out in 2012 and was produced by Anthony Resta (Guster, Collective Soul, Elton John) and features Matisyahu on the single, “To Give.” The notoriety continued, and My Silent Bravery’s songs kept getting plays on TV shows, including American Pickers, The Real World and Bad Girls Club.
With the new year comes a new album, Diamond From Coal. This new full-length is again being self-released under Wade’s MWS Records moniker and was produced by Warren Huart (Aerosmith, Eve 6, The Fray). The latest music video, from the single “Amazing,” has already been getting attention on MTV.com.
Wade’s work ethic continues to get him attention nationally, including opening gigs, music videos and TV placements, but, of course, none of that is enough for Wade. In addition to managing his band and his label himself, he is working on a remix project, creating EDM versions of his own songs.
“You have to roll with a few things and see how they play out before you go to your next thing,” he said, adding “[EDM] will be something new for me that I’m getting into.”
As we get into 2014, keep an eye on My Silent Bravery. Wade will be doing lots of live shows, lots of TV placements, more touring and even an EDM album. Should MSB be called an up and comer? Maybe, maybe not. Maybe it should be called the next big thing to come out of Massachusetts.
Read the full article here.
HIT IT OFF MEDIA
Interview with My Silent BraveryIntroduce yourself and share with us how you would describe your music to other people.
Hello Hit it Off Media! This is Matthew Wade from My Silent Bravery. I generally describe my music as acoustic driven pop/rock with a positive message.
When did you first start singing and performing?
My musical journey began when I was 18. I had a high school senior project where I learned how to play the guitar and wrote my first song, so I guess that is when I began singing. It was a big turning point in my life, as it was one of the first times I felt like I was choosing what I wanted to learn about and explore. I didn’t start performing until years later, which I began at coffee houses and open mics. This eventually led to putting a band together and performing at bigger clubs. Coincidentally, the song I wrote my senior year called “Side of the Road” was featured on the hit TV show One Tree Hill several years later and was one of my first big achievements.
Have your family supported you in your career?
My family has been extremely supportive of my music career. I feel so blessed to have the family that I do. They are all my best friends. My older brother Mark was one of the first people to really encourage me to pursue my passion for my music. Back in the day, he got me studio time in a local recording studio as a gift and was just really excited for me to follow my dreams. My parents are also very supportive and always have one of my albums in their car cd players and also come out and catch the occasional show!
Who is your biggest musical inspiration?
My biggest inspiration is Bob Marley and the Wailers. I love how Bob was able to spread a universal message of peace and unity all over the world.
If you could have dinner with four people, who would they be and why?
Well, Bob Marley would be in that list for the reason I mention above. I love how he was able to unite so many people through his music even after his death. I also love the spiritual nature of his lyrics.
Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai is next on my list. For those that don’t know who he is, he was a great Rabbi and Kabbalist who helped reveal the Zohar about 2000 years ago. The Zohar is an ancient and mystical text that contains all the secrets of the universe. I certainly wouldn’t mind having a better understanding of how the universe works.
I think Ghandi would be fascinating to break bread with as well. He just seems like someone who also had a great understanding of the way the world works.
Lastly, maybe Scarlett Johansen, I have a small crush.
If someone was listening to you for the first time, what song should they listen to first?
Well I’m excited about the new single “Amazing”, but I think “Can’t Quit” is probably the song that embodies me best as an artist at present. So, if you want something upbeat and fun I would run with “Amazing”, and if they want something a little deeper and substantive – Can’t Quit.
What’s the story behind the name My Silent Bravery?
People are always fascinated by the band name so I guess it was a good choice. The story is that my old band performed under a name with the initials MSB. So when I revamped a few years back, I wanted to keep those initials intact along with the fan base. A friend of mine suggested My Silent Bravery and I thought the name suited my style and sound so I rolled with it. To me, the name symbolizes inner strength, persistence, and perseverance. I feel it is part of my life’s mission to help deliver a positive message to the masses. I feel that music is one of the best ways to do this. The band name also helps serve as reminder to stay focused on that mission and stay positive!
Your music video for Amazing has recently been picked up by MTV. How does working with such a massive network make you feel?
I am excited! It’s a great feeling when a network you have watched and supported for years decides to return the favor. I am interested to get my music and message out there to the masses, so a platform like MTV is a step in the right direction!
Where did you get the inspiration for the cover of Can’t Quit?
In addition to the band name, that is another FAQ. My designer of the artwork Collin Vaughn came up with the design. I gave him some ideas of what I wanted the art work to symbolize. The front cover is a Koi fish and the back is the dragon and in the interior packaging there is a cool quote that helps describe the artwork. “According to Japanese legend if a koi succeed in climbing the falls to Dragon Gate on the Yellow River it would be transformed into a dragon. Based on the legend, it became a symbol of worldly aspiration and advancement. The Japanese associate koi with perseverance in adversity and strength of purpose. Because of its strength and determination to overcome obstacles, it stands for courage and the ability to attain high goals”.
If you could have everyone in the world listen to one of your songs, which one would it be?
It would definitely be the song To Give (featuring Matisyahu) because of the message that is shared in that song. The song is about giving back to the world at large and not just taking from it. I think the world would be a much better place if we could all love our neighbor just a little bit more.
What song is currently on repeat?
I have been learning the song “Forever” by Drake which also features Kanye, Lil Wayne, and Eminem. When I learn a rap song it’s usually on repeat “forever” as there are a ton of lyrics to learn, particularly that song, which has four complicated verses. It’s a challenge though so I like it.
You’ve toured a lot within the past few years, any stories that you’d like to share from that experience?
As mentioned already, I am a big Bob Marley and the Wailers fan. This past summer I had the honor of sharing the stage and hanging with the Wailers which was a surreal experience for me. We even had their tour bus driver sneak in a few songs on drums during our set. It was a really fun and surreal night!
When you’re not making or playing music, what do you like to do?
I work a lot, but for fun, I like to exercise, support Boston sports, watch movies, study Kabbalah, support and volunteer at various local and national non-profit organizations, read, and hang with friends and family.
What’s next for you?
I am really excited to release my fourth album in the next few months and then tour behind it. The album is called, Diamond from Coal, features 12 tracks, and is produced by Anthony Resta (Collective Soul, Elton John, Guster) and Warren Huart (Aerosmith, The Fray, James Blunt). As you know, I recently released the first single and video for a song called, Amazing, and am excited that MTV.com picked it up. I will be releasing the second single soon, which is called “On My Side”.
Read the full article here.
SHAMELESS PROMOTIONS & PHOTOGRAPHY
Feature Interview with My Silent BraveryWhere does the name “My Silent Bravery” come from?
I used to tour under a prior band, and we used to go by the name “MSB”. I think it was about 2008 or so when I decided to switch over to a different name, but keep the “MSB” intact. A friend of mine suggested the name My Silent Bravery. I thought that really sort of embodied the message behind the music, and it stuck.
This is going to be your fourth album, “Diamond From Coal”. Tell me how the recording and writing processes for this record differ in comparison to anything you’ve worked on before.
This record was different because it was produced by two different producers. Half of the cuts were done by the gentleman that did my last record. His name is Anthony Resta. I’ve been working with him for several years. He’s done Collective Soul, Elton John, a lot of big names like that. He did half the tracks. The other half of the tracks were Warren Huart. Warren’s out in LA (subsequently now, Anthony has moved out to LA). I spent a fair amount of time out in LA for the recording process. Other times I was here in Massachusetts recording. Warren has recorded artists like The Fray, Augustana, James Blunt. He recently engineered the new Aerosmith record. I think that the writing, for the most part, was a similar process, but it was still different. Most of my recording was usually done locally, but I think that heading out to LA to record was, you know, taking the next step for me.
What did each producer bring to the table, musically and production-wise?
First, they’re both great at what they do. They’re both very creative, intelligent and great people. I felt very honored to work with both of them. I did my whole last record with Anthony, so there was a whole comfort level there with Anthony. He knew what I wanted to go for. When working with Warren, it was a little bit of trying something new. I’d respected a lot of the work that I had heard from him. Warren worked with lead engineer Phil Allen, and he had Aaron Johnson mixed some of the stuff as well. We were at Swing House Studios in Los Angeles, where The Fray did their record. We were in a side studio as well through Epic Records, where they recorded the piano for Adele’s “Someone Like You”. You kind of feel like you’re a part of history in the making, and you hope that one day your project will end up in the same likeness as those artists with a lot of hard work.
Where does the name “Diamond From Coal” come from?
“Diamond From Coal” comes from a lyric in one of the new songs. The song is called “Stop And Go”. The idea is that diamonds are formed when there’s enough pressure that’s put on goal. It’s like finding a diamond in the rough, you know? But it takes a lot of work to get to that diamond. For me, that’s sort of what it embodied; the hard work and the persistence that it had taken for me since day one of starting this dream out, to the place where I was at with this record. Hopefully people think it’s a diamond.
Also, in my spare time, I’m pretty involved with spirituality. It’s also sort of a spiritual concept that I had learned about and wanted to incorporate in there. It’s sort of an artist thing, too. I believe that when Michaelangelo did [sic] the David, he said what he did was he’d already seen the sculpture there within. He took his chisel and took away the outside and what was around it.
Tell me a little bit about the song “Amazing”, the first single. What is the story behind the song?
The story behind that song has changed for me, a little bit, from when I initially started, which I find pretty cool. When I went in to record “Amazing”, my initial goal with that song was a fun, happy-go-lucky type of song that people hadn’t really heard as much from me. A lot of my stuff has been a little deeper, with spiritual deeper tones and heavier subject matter. So with this song, I wanted a fun, go out and have a good time type of song. When I recorded the video to that song, the idea for that song changed a little for me. When we were filming that video, things, I don’t know if you’d want to say started to go wrong, but there was a twist of fate. The filming didn’t go quite as I planned, but it ended up being a blessing in disguise. It was a reminder that came to me to make the situation that you’re in amazing. You can look at the cup as half empty or half full, and that’s human nature. We tend to go to that place where we find what’s wrong with something rather than what’s right with something. It morphed into this idea of making the night amazing, so whatever you’re going to do, whether you’re going to see your favorite band play, your favorite sports team, hanging out with friends, you’ve got to go out and make it amazing. Make the best of a situation; you’re always looking for the silver lining and embracing that as opposed to trying to figure out what’s wrong with everything.
I watched the music video for the song as well. Would you say that everything you just told me about the meaning behind the song and making of the video plays into the actual video itself?
Yes, absolutely! When we were filming, that’s sort of how the new meaning behind it came about it. We started off with me and one of the guys in the band going around and handing out flyers. We end up giving a flyer to Cara Maria (the female lead in the video). She takes the flyer and ends up coming out to the show, this sort of private party that you need a flyer to get into. We were going to have this big party, with the band playing in this crazy club environment. The night of the shoot for the club, there was this huge snowstorm. We had a talent agent that was responsible to bring out a ton of people. We could have brought out friends and stuff too, but the storm curved out this whole idea of that happening. When we’re there and in that moment, the producer and I had to decide what we wanted to do. We decided to roll with that idea that we’d make it more about the band just playing for Cara Maria. The “what girl wouldn’t want their own private show?” type of idea. We backtracked and we had a bunch of people who we gave out flyers to earlier in the day. We had people not taking the flyers, and we added a little humor into it.
That played into the whole idea. In the past I might have been looking at it like “Oh this isn’t what I had planned” or “this is not what we discussed”. But instead of that, we went with this new idea, and I think it came out much better than if we had just filmed a party scene that you see in a million videos. It gave a unique twist; I think it made the video a lot more suitable to my audience. I wanted there to be a message behind it.
What kind of message would you like fans to walk away with after listening to your music?
I definitely want the fans to walk away with the feeling that they were moved positively, that they had a nice emotional response. The overall message is to not give up. It’s persistence, inner strength, determination, and people can apply that to whatever they’re going through. The song “Can’t Quit” very much embodies that idea. More in a general way, hopefully people walk away inspired. They feel uplifted, and that they want to accomplish things. That they want to live their life and embrace it to the fullest. That’s really the idea.
What does music mean to you?
I guess one of the things that I love about music, out of all of the things out there in the world, probably 99 out of 100 people will always love music. It’s something that unites people. It’s really a big part of my mission as an artist to spread a positive message to the world, and I think that music is out there to do that. One of my biggest inspirations is Bob Marley. He’s one of my biggest inspirations because he used to be able to unite so many people through music. He put third world countries on the map and brought all of these people together. You know, the “One Love Peace” concerts in Jamaica. I love seeing things like that. I love when music unites people. That and the emotional response that people experience when listening to music is that it makes you feel a range of emotions that help you live your life to the fullest.
As of press time, what are the future plans for My Silent Bravery?
Yeah! Next up, we’re going to be releasing this new record “Diamond From Coal” in 2014. Really excited about that! The second single from the album is called “On My Side”. It was filmed in Massachusetts, at Mechanic Hall where I just recently played with Daughtry. I hope to tour nationally behind the album. That’s next! Hopefully, more off in the future, I’ll do some remixes of some of the songs, which will be something a little different from me than most people will expect.
Read the full article here.
