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News
October 15, 2008
Edgewise added to medium rotation at CHSR 97.9 in Fredericton.
October 08, 2008
Chloe Albert nominated for Canadian Folk Music Award. Chloe contributed backing vocals for 'Edgewise', and Matt can be heard playing drums on a song from Chloe's album Dedicated State. The track is called 'Sunny Day Song'.
www.chloe-albert.com
September 20 2008
Edgewise reaches #7 on 92.5 CFBX Kamloops TOP 30.
August 1 2008
Debut album 'Edgewise' released to radio.
CD's availabe at www.cdbaby.com
Biography
Anticipation and restlessmess fills the audience. Mere minutes before showtime, and the crowd keeps gathering. "There's a %$#@load of people out there" echoes from behind the stage. The members of MRW are in show mode. In just a few minutes, the band will begin it's 2 and a half hour rollercoaster. They would just as soon rather play one marathon set tonight- the energy was there. For almost three straight hours, the band would not pause for breath. Nice one.
Lately, the band has enjoyed a steady rise in attendance at its past shows. The hard work is starting to pay off. Edgewise has been enjoying increased radio play, and the college radio circuit seems to embrace the music. "We are thrilled to see stations like CBC, CKUA in Alberta, and CFBX in Kamloops playing cuts from the album. It has come to my attention that every song off the album has been played somewhere- I'm happy to hear that," Matt offers "I'm glad that people are liking the album, not just songs. Edgewise is an album."
Edgewise is the brainchild of Edmonton based singer/songwriter Matthew Ryan Woods. Between recording and touring with countless bands, Matt found the time to write and record the album at his home studio. "I rented all the gear I could get my hands on, and just dedicated myself to this whole-heartedly. I had to put out this album. I needed to hear it all back."
Matt can be heard on lead vocals, and he played all the guitar parts and drums/percussion as well. "I started by laying down drum/ percussion tracks, and then recorded my guitar and vocal parts afterwords. I had all these arrangements to sort out.
With some phone calls, I got Wes Autin (Funkafeelya) to play bass, Chloe Albert to sing harmonies, and Ben Kaplan (Chevelle, Sara McLachlan, Hedley) to contribute organ, clavinet and keyboard parts. "Adding such talented players really strengthened the record. It all turned out better than I could have hoped for."
When the time came to mix the record, Matt decided to hire veteran Vancouver engineer Scott Ternan to take over. "Scott has worked on a lot of albums you've heard of," he adds "albums by Sam Roberts, Matthew Good and 54-40 to name a few. With his experience, and great ears, the songs began to unravel nicely. Scott has a really creative mind. Often times he knows what's best for the songs and his style has a certain edge to it. He's a rare breed in my books." The album was mixed over 8 days at Farm Studios in downtown Vancouver (owned by well-known producer Garth Richardson).
When asked about 'life on the road', one paricular memory stands out in his mind: while playing drums in Rake, the band landed some huge shows with Live and Nickelback. "The first thing I remember from those shows was meeting the stage manager. The very first thing he said to us was 'It's a real double-edged sword. On one hand you get to open for Nickelback. On the other hand there aint nobody here to see you.' I laughed my tail off. Pulling up in a van next to all the tour buses says it all," he laughs. "It was a blast."
Cd's available @ CDbaby.com and Matthewryanwoods.com
Tour Dates
Coming Soon
Media
Coming Soon
Lyrics
Lyrics
Retainer
Don’t keep me waiting ‘cause I won’t for long,
or don’t be surprised, doll, if when you get here I’m gone
I won’t take numbers just to stand in some line, and
There will be no bidding but a farewell of mine
cuz there’s no price for piece of mind
I wouldn’t bother trying to flatten your plans, you see,
you won’t be gettin’ very far, anyways
‘cause so many out there have tried it before
You’re not the first player to keep score
Don’t get upset with me if I don’t take your call
I just might be tied up, or not home at all
And I won’t be taking numbers unless I’m out on the town
and there will be no notice when I start movin’ ground,
so I’d suggest stop messin’ around
I wouldn’t bother trying to flatten your plans, you see,
you won’t be gettin’ very far anyways
‘cause somewhere out there the hidden truth lies...
You’re not the first playing for the prize
I’ve been waiting so long, baby
just to sing this song to you and
I’ll be no part of this
sick love-retainer plan
Don’t Be Alarmed
Don’t be alarmed if I don’t respond well
To the treatments you’ve given me all along.
I think it’s fair to say it’s been like a holiday
Slowly drawn to a close.
Back and forth, day and night
It’s been so long and I don’t know why, why, why?
Well don’t get involved if you don’t belong here
We’d be better off moving on.
I think it’s fair to say all that we are now
Is all that we’ve done
The feeling is right from time to time
The walk back home takes me all night
I don’t know what to do cuz
What you say is nothing new
I’ve heard it all so many times
Before I’d heard of you
I have never felt so wrong,
Yet I have never felt so right
Running On Empty
I’ve thought about what you said to me
Don’t know what to believe
you make it up as you go yet you don’t know the story
Caught between the lines and can’t be freed
Stuck right where you wrote me
Lies, lies feed the mind
Hungry for more all the time
You know I can’t get enough to fill the need
Running on empty
Looking back on the life I’ve left behind
It’s no longer mine
I’m tired of running from myself
Nowhere to hide
Lies, lies feed my mind
Hungry for more and I don’t know why
you know I can’t get enough to fill the need
Running on empty
Lies, lies feed my mind
Hungry for more and I don’t know why
why oh why must I keep
Running on empty...
keep running...running on empty
Falling Down (Full Circle)
What kinda thoughts are you thinking up
And do they show up uninvited?
When you look around and see what’s come about you
Do you even want to think at all?
A time ago you showed me who I was,
Who I am now, who I’ll become.
pushing forward and never looking back
to me, growing up means you’re not falling down
Full circle, empty hands
Stones set firmly in the ground
The whole journey, half the time
To make it through survive
Like raindrops falling down
Have not yet hit the ground
You never seem to get to say goodbye
Instead you feel it deep inside
You never know exactly how to say
You never want to see it end this way
You know just as well as I do
that we don’t have much time
you know just as well as anyone else does
that we don’t have the time- no we don’t
The Arrival
It’s five o’clock, mid September
I can’t wait to find out
This precious life, more than ever
gets another precious start
It won’t be long now
The time will arrive
yeah, It may be far away in miles
But it’s right there in your heart.
Waiting on a phone call
Watching the clock
Waiting to hear
Word of the Arrival
Now the sun’s setting slowly
The chill of fall coming out
But the flame of a single candle
Heats my whole world up
It won’t be much longer
Soon I will know
what it’s like to get to hold you
You treasured little soul
Waiting on a phone call
Watching the clock
Waiting to hear
Word on the Arrival
For the Night
When you close your eyes, tell me what do you see?
If I am there then tell me where do I stand?
When I know I can give I do
When I need help I ask you
All that I need is in you
Will you accept my life?
And you notice when it feels just right
The whole world stops and you know it’s right
It feels so great and you wonder how
This came to be, but you know it’s right
And you don’t ask why, cuz it feels so nice
Your whole world pauses
But for the night
When you dream at night, tell me what’s on your mind?
If am there, then it’s real and this must not be a dream
When I know I can give I do
When I need help I ask you
All that I need is in you
Will you be there?
All the self doubt and
All the temptations
All the questions I have are answered
In the forecast I see sunshine
And when I look up you’re always there
When you’re unsure of all the outcomes
When you can’t see the end of it
And when you’re uncertain of a dilemma
You can be sure that I’ll be there
Sunlit
If it was my last breath of life I’d want it to be my advice
for you could hold onto that forever for me
If it was my one chance to fly I would want to be your kite
so you could soar me way up high under the warm sunlight
If it was my last dance tonight you’d be my only choice
Because everytime you speak to me
There’s a melody in your voice
I keep a picture of you in a frame in my mind
I take it with me everywhere I go
and I look at it all the time
I wish I could explain what you meant to me
just not in 10,000 lines
If I was to go out walking I’d have no place to go
Unless you were there by my side
then anything goes
If I had a little more money, and a house, and a two-seater car
we could go out travelling
and never be that far apart.
I have a lot to be thankful for, this I know is true
One thing stands in my mind-
The day that I met you.
Could you throw me a line
or should I swim to the shore?
would you pull me out in time
and should I keep treading more?
I keep a picture of you in a frame inside
because I’m not sure how long you’ll stay in mind
I keep a picture of you in a frame inside ‘cause I’m not sure just how long you’ll stay in mind.
Day By Day
I’ve been thinking about where I’m headed
And I’m not sure, whether it’s gonna be east or west
It really doesn’t matter where we go
Just as long as we both know...
There’s something that I’d like to see
It involves you and a little of me
But if I keep waiting day by day
You’ll always be a day away
I’ve been waiting for that moment to come my way
and I’ve been thinking of you the whole time.
Rivers wind and highways roam
but The train tracks never far from home
Runways they all look the same
But the Oceans tides don’t drift away, away from you
Somehow Someday
Been taking notes for a long time, now I know
this may not happen for a long time, if at all
Yet I still hold on to a meaning of life
That I’ve drafted up and somehow justified
What have you done?
You’ve got me where you want me, (I must admit)
Miles from possibility (and you know it)
And you’ve got me hoping maybe (that it’d be worth it)
We could drive there somehow, someday
When you’re searching, there’s so much you can’t see
And somehow vision takes a back seat to belief
But I can see a future dreamland deep inside
Please show me that it’s not just in my mind
I need something more
I’ve drilled to the core and yet still none
You must first meet everyone
I’ve been waiting on hold far too long
Behind almost everyone
I’ve walked the miles, I’ve logged the time
how you make me stand in line
I’ve been paying dues far too long
Behind almost everyone
I thought I’d sunk to the depths and now this,
I see a future reminisce
Of a past long forgotten by
Almost everyone
Frightening
want to slow it down and take control
Both hands hold through blowing snow
It’s my turn now, as I go
but I’m not wavering
Tell me what I need now
In hopes that you will stick around
Help me through this would you?
Hold on to me tightly
You help so much already
But Sometimes it’s frightening
cuz sometimes it’s frightening
I’m hoping soon I can look past
Bright lights ahead approaching fast
Vision strains as it moves near
but I’m not wavering
On My Way
I owe you nothing by the way
I have said all I needed to say
Time has told its tell-all phrase
And the memories have been replaced
With a much sweeter taste
Don’t take my dreams away from me
I won’t let go too easily
You do the talkin and I’ll do the walkin
And I’ll be on my way
Years go by and the faces change
I sometimes wonder which ones will remain
But I know for sure that I won’t let go
Of the one I now hold so close
they say love is like a rose
Discography
Edgewise, 2008I intended for this album to span a lot of different territory musically. It takes listening to, because there are a lot of sounds and styles woven together. People tell me it sounds different to them each and every time they listen to it- it unravels and reveals a little more of itself with every listen. That's how I think it should be, or it wouldn't be interesting to listen to the second and third time.
I am enamored with the blues these days. As this album was wrapping up recording, I was heavily into the great blues players like Albert and Freddie [King], and was really into the Clapton back-catalogue. I Really got into Clapton again because of his voice. He has always been kown as a great guitar player, but he is also a great vocalist.
Led Zeppelin was always my favorite. I grew up on that. I really got into music while Nirvana was changing the face of Rock and roll. Every kid that picked up a guitar, at that time, was playing Teen Spirit. I was more interested in learning the 'Moby Dick' drum solo from Zeppelin 'Song Remains the Same' video. I can't get enough of Bonzo.
The old Motown stuff is just as important forty something years later. Marvin Gaye and Stevie, Ray Charles...James Jamerson. Great songs and awesome players.
The Blues hit me like a freight-train. It made sense all of a sudden.