Here is one of three piano movements I've written this year.  "Persistence Above All" is inspired by a quote that tends to keep me grounded and always striving to reach new heights.  

"Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent." - Calvin Coolidge

Persistence Above All (Piano Movement)

If you didn't gather from the title, this was a demo done a few nights ago at around 2am in my Logan Square apartment, windows open, August air quietly streaming through, one microphone, one take.  I may start a series of these types of demos as they have a particular vibe to them that is seemingly a product of the time and space.  

This is only a shortened demo of a new song called White Gloves, a tune about our human relationship with the natural world around us.  It's missing the bridge and last verse and chorus.  Lyrics to this versions below.

"White Gloves"

Flora / your sister sleeps upon us, / sleeps upon us.
Fauna / your dreams run deep within us / deep within us.
People / both heavenly and evil / and evil.

Lover / have we lost our way again? / again...
Lover / have we lost our reasons to pretend / that it's never gonna end.

Soiled / with blood upon our white gloves / upon our white gloves.
Living / more consciously with our misgivings / with our misgivings.

Lover / have we lost our way again? / again...
Lover / have we lost our reasons to pretend / that it's never gonna end.

Flora... / fauna...

White Gloves: Acoustic 2am version

Here is another acoustic demo from the 2am Series.  Recorded with one mic, in one take, this demo is particularly raw with lyric slip ups and everything.  You can hear some street noise as a car goes by and as the wind blows through the open window.  Below are the original lyrics (sans performance flubs).  Hope you enjoy. 

Castle in the sky,
far above these weary eyes.
Like a promise land,
at the end of a pipe line.

Pay an entrance fee.
Toss a coin to wishing well.
Make an offering,
to the golden deity.  

I / can see through you.
Try / to undo you.
Why / do I need you?
I / can see through you.

Greed is in control.
Watchful eyes up in the clouds.
How we toil and break,
over capital mistakes.  

I / can see through you.
Try / to undo you.
Why / do I need you?
I / can see through you.

BRIDGE

If the game is rigged,
And there's no way for us to win it,
why we feeding in?
Freedom's far from how they spin it.

End of the Pipeline (Have a Nice Day!) Acoustic 2am version

Here is a live recording of a rehearsal that offers a look into an early stage of the development of a new esthetic and/or potential song.  Looped a beatbox'd rhythmic pattern, and improvised on top of that with heavily affected vocals.  It's a little long, free flowing and open-ended while experimenting with ideas as they came.  

The only post-recording treatment was a little E.Q., and compression.  

"Time Takes Ahold" Conception

Totally caffeinated, scatting like a fool, here is a live recording of a practice session yesterday.  

Beat Scat Box

I've recently begun rehearsing some of my new tunes with a new trio in preparation for the new record!  With Jon Deitemyer on the drums, and Emma Dayhuff on the upright/electric bass, here is a glimpse into the early stages of the recording process where the songs really start coming together.  

Recorded live with a TASCAM DR-07 MK II, these are highlights from our second rehearsal.

I usually like to keep things under lock and key at this stage, but there are plenty of surprises still reserved for the record itself and I thought some may be interested to witness the evolution of each song from start to finish.  

In this recording you will hear brief segments from:

"White Gloves", "Field and Flower", "Under the Microscope", and "Seven Years".  

Hope you enjoy, and stay tuned for more demos!!

M

Trio Rehearsal Highlights 10 21 13

This is a piece originally written for a documentary film called "LA Woman Rising" which follows various women in LA as they wake up each morning to meet a new day while trying to achieve their dreams.  With poems written and read by Rosario Dawson thru-out the film coupled with beautiful photography, this song was inspired by what I've seen of the footage so far.  Hope you enjoy.

"Ojos" (LA Woman Rising)

"Anna" (Recorded 2007)
John Martyn and Matthew Santos
Mixed and produced by Jim Tullio.

The late John Martyn, an incredible musician and performer who was once a dear friend and co-conspirer of the late Nick Drake, once wrote a haunting, heart-breaking song called "Anna".  Unfortunately it was never recorded or released in its original form, but was instead revamped and expanded into a lighter version called "Small Hours" from the album Solid Air, in 1973. 

In the summer of 2007 (just before "Superstar" hit airwaves) I worked with a producer in Chicago named Jim Tullio who happened to have known and worked with John Martyn on a record or two before, and he had the idea of doing a sort of "Ode to the unborn song Anna" with me singing John's super personal, heart-wrenching lyrics while he played the guitar parts.  I decided to give it a shot, and this was my introduction to the amazing musical genius of John Martyn--and upon retrospect, a cornerstone in my own musical development.  

John had actually already tried to re-record the tune a few years prior with Tullio, but soon discovered that he no longer had the voice for it.  It also just so happened that his friend Phil Collins was involved to some capacity and contributed a massive field drum track.  

Yet upon second thought, Tullio was concerned that perhaps I didn't have the experiential pains of a broken heart necessary to really emulate the song's message with sincerity--being that I was only 24 at the time.  Coincidentally, the day before we recorded the vocals I had just ended a 6 month relationship (or rather just been broken up with) with a delightful woman twice my age, after we had somehow carelessly fallen in love.  Another story for another time, but needles to say, my heart was in fiery turmoil, and just ripe for laying down that raw emotion we desperately needed to make the song work.

So with the perfect storm culminating, and at the helm of it all a blessing from John Martyn himself, we tried to recreate the unborn song "Anna".  I approached the tune with his vocal spirit in mind (which was leaned heavily upon) coupled with a freshly opened heart, and just tried to step into John's musical perspective and pour out through it.  It was a transformative experience to say the least. 

I'd like to note that this song has inspired and influenced my own music more deeply than I have previously recognized, and I am sincerely happy to be one of seemingly few who carry his stylistic influence and legacy into the next generation.  

John Martyn passed away in January 2009 after a 40 year career making music.  It's safe to say that our unreleased collaboration titled "Anna" was one of, if not the very last recorded musical collaboration of his life.  In either case, I am honored and grateful to have been a part of it and hope you will enjoy it.

"Anna" By John Martyn (featuring Matthew Santos)

My Dear--work in progress

Stay with Me-Sam Smith Cover

Here is a live recording of a performance in NYC of an old revamped tune called "Who Am I to You".  Recording by Rockwood Music Hall, mixed by Angela Hodgson. 

You came in on a thursday,
with a flower in your hair.
From underneath that same northern sky,
where our love was once declared.

Like jasmine and honey,
in an old thrift store mug,
cautiously testing the waters,
too hot for your tongue.

Tell me who am I to you?
Tell me who am I to you?

Spend years there in limbo,
and I've been waiting for the day.
We've talked it over and over,
seems there's nothing left to say.

But there are things left unspoken,
'cause we know them in our hearts.
I still wanna' hear it,
wanna hear you say it, 
before we're too far apart.

CHORUS

Like an old dream fading,
a story with no end.
Or three dots waiting 
the stroke of ink-less pen.
There's a space reserved 
in this heart for you my friend.
When this is all behind us...

CHORUS

You left on a Thursday
with a tangle in your hair,
and a promise in your eyes
like a compromise,
or a truth or dare.

Who Am I to You  Live @ Rockwood Music Hall

I'm mainly using this Sound Cloud page to offer up some of the unheard steps of the songwriting process, as sort of a sketch book of new ideas and revisitation of older songs that perhaps never saw the light of day. 

matthewsantos7

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