Matthew West's Blog

When The World Misspells Your Name

TONIGHT: TOBY MAC, JEREMY CAMP AND MATTHEN WEST

That's how the marquee read at the historic Congress Theatre in Chicago, IL. when the bus pulled up last Friday. At first, I didn't notice anything other than the fact that MY name was on a marquee in Chicago, the city where I grew up. I made it. I have arrived. I am the man. But for some reason that morning, my eyes took a second glance at that sign and I read my name one more time. As I did, I noticed that my first name was misspelled. Instead of MATTHEW it clearly read MATTHEN. The letter "N" has never been an invited guest in the spelling of my first name. I'm quite content with my first name, and the way I have been spelling it all these years. I went from this great sense of pride, to this humble realization that they didn't even get my name right.
Fortunately, the guy with the all the letters was still within earshot so I called over to him, "Hey, you spelled my name wrong." He looked up at his work and then back at me as if to say, "Looks fine to me." So, I proceeded to explain to him that for all my life I have been spelling my first name with at "W" at the end, and that my mother would be at the show that evening, and it would really make her day if she could see her son's name up in bright lights in the big city with the correct spelling...
Well, turns out he didn't speak english. So, my whole explanation didn't really mean much. I resorted to drawing the letter "W" in the air with my finger and pointing to the right placement on the sign. Sure enough, he looked into his big box of letters and pulled out one last "W." Finally, the evil letter "N" was removed, "W" received a warm welcome home by the rest of the letters, and all was well.

Does the world ever misspell your name? Overlooked for that promotion at work? Unappreciated by your spouse? Uninvited by your friends to the party? It happens. The world can sometimes seem like it's going out of its way to make you feel insignificant, like you don't matter. But even when it does, take this thought for a little encouragement: The One who gave you your name, never misspells it. The world may overlook you, but God never does. He knows your name by heart, and He calls your name every single day. "Follow me," he says. David knew that God knew him so well. He wrote, "All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be."

So, when the world misspells your name just call on the name of the One who gave you yours. He's waiting.

"He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out." John 10:3

-mw

Billy Graham TV Special

Wanted to let you know about this really cool thing that happened, allowing me to team up with Billy Graham's ministry. They recently called me and had heard one of my songs, "Nothing Else" from the "History" album. They felt like it fit the theme of their upcoming TV special and wanted to film a video for it. I agreed, and so we filmed the video (my first) in Nashville. Well, it turned out great! I can't wait for you all to see it. It started airing across the US and Canada today 3/1. Check out this website to find out when it will be airing in your area.

www.billygraham.org/tv

Also, for those who don't know, the song "Nothing Else" can be found on my "History" album, it wasn't a radio hit or anything like that, never even a single. BUt I think it's pretty cool how this opportunity has opened up for a song like this to reach people, and hopefully change lives for Christ. You can find the song on itunes or wherever "history" is sold -mw

A Mile High

Good to be back in Denver today. A morning flight in from Nashville after a couple days off and I made it downtown to the convention center where we played. The show was packed. That seems to be the norm with this tour... so much fun to play for packed houses.

Had a good soy latte (decaf of course) at Peet's Coffee. Such a good cup of coffee. When you're on the road, it's the little things...

I'm a little tired tonight, and my mom is going to be at the show in Omaha tomorrow. So, I'll try to get to bed early tonight and be rested for quality time with mom and relatives. Oh wait, it's already late.

I'm out. good night Denver-mw

Medford and the Case of the Missing Shoe

10am: All was calm in Medford, Oregon. It was a cool morning, even though the sun was shining. An apple for breakfast and a ride to the local gym were the only things on my agenda.

10:20am: I secured a ride to the local gym. After I was dropped off, I headed to the locker room to change for my workout.

10:24am: I was looking through my gym bag and located my left shoe. I put the shoe on and securely tied my laces.

10:25am: I reached for the other shoe. No shoe. I dug through the whole bag. No shoe. How could this be? I had just been dropped off at a gym to exercise with only one shoe.

10:26am: After considering my options, I realized that working out with one show wasn’t one of them. So, humbly I called for another ride back to the bus to look for the missing shoe.

10:45am: I arrive back at the bus and begin the search for the missing shoe. At this point, theft has not been ruled out.

10:49am: I question Jeremy Camp and tobyMac, to see if for some reason they stole my shoe. They seem to be telling the truth. And their alibi checks out.

11:00am: After questioning all tour personnel I begin making plans to buy new shoes. Until, suddenly I think of one last place where my shoe could have been hiding. I check the bay under the bus where my guitars are packed and what do you know? There is my one lonely shoe waiting to be discovered and put back on the foot of its rightful owner.

11:10am: With some degree of humiliation I once again make the trip from the bus to the gym. The shoes were glad to be back together again and they carried me for 5 strong miles on that Medford treadmill.

CASE CLOSED.

My So Called Day Off

Sunday is a day of rest. For some... The tour had an "off" day in LA, but I decided to visit my friends over at Harvest Riverside Church and sing for their Sunday night service called, Day 7. So, Matt (my drummer/entourage) and I rented a sweet Chevy Malibu (white) and cruised from LA to Riverside. This church is huge, and filled with amazing people. They welcomed me after it's been while since my last visit.

After the service, we drove back to LA, had a late bite at Jerry's Deli (famous I'm told) and made it to the bus by 1 am for the drive to Sacramento. Good times.

-mw

Shark!!!

This is Matthew West reporting to you live from Universal Studios in California. I am at the scene of a near tragedy. A great white shark, predominantly known to be a water dwelling mammal has surfaced on to dry land and attempted an attack on, well, me. I was minding my own business. Getting ready for my show at the beautiful Universal Ampitheatre, when suddenly out of nowhere I was viciously lunged at by this fierce fish.

Fortunately, I was blessed with cat like reflexes, and the quickness of a cheetah. So, I was able to escape the "jaws" of death and actually pause for a picture with the shark before he took another bite at me. Turns out, he was a fan of my music :)

So, I signed his dorsal fin, said goodbye, and made my getaway just in time to hit the stage for over 5 thousand people tonight in LA. What an amazing night. The crowd was incredible. I haven't played for crowds like this, not with just my acoustic. It's a bit scary. But the crowd makes me feel welcome.

Another close call with a shark, and another good show. Tour off to a good start. -mw

The First Show in Phoenix

I'm backstage right now, listening to tobyMac finish up his set. I'm really tired right now. It's been a long day. Flew from Nashville to Phoenix at 7, which meant I woke up at 4:30. Plus, it's a different time zone out here. So, basically I'm spent right now.

The show was fun. First show of the tour is always an interesting thing. It takes a few shows for me to really settle in on most tours. But the crowd tonight made sure I settled in by the time my set was over. It never gets old hearing a crowd of that size sing the words to one of my songs.

Tonight I miss my Lulu and Emily. It sinks in that I will be away from my girls for the next 10 days. That's not a happy thought, but it's true.

But I know there is a reason for why I am on the road. I hope and pray that even one person's heart was impacted by the concert tonight. If that happens, then this tour is worth it. God has a way of making life worth it when we are in His will.

New Website

Feels good to have a new website up and running. Thanks to all of the people working behind the scenes to make it happen.

And thank you for stopping by matthewwest.com. A site that I hope will be a great place to get caught up on everything related to my music, and life.

Right now, I am enjoying a week off, sort of, before my spring tour begins on the 8th. I sang "Only Grace" at my home church in Franklin TN. on Sunday morning, and then enjoyed the afternoon getting ready for the big Super Bowl game (I took a pre-game nap...)

This week, I am finishing up a song that I am writing for this Total Axxess radio contest I am doing. Hundreds of people sent in their story, and I had to pick one to write a song about. you can read about it at www.totalaxxess.com

So, tonight I will record the song, and hopefully it will be played on the radio for the winner this week!

I did what no artist should ever do, I went to itunes and read some listeners reviews on my new record, "Something to Say." And actually, it was very encouraging. Everyone had some really kind things to say. So, either you really like the new record, or all of my relatives have suddenly gotten computer savvy enough to have itunes accounts... Either way, I'll take it.

-mw

What a Week!

I'm sitting in the Cincinnati airport tonight, only one more flight to get me home. This has been a week one of a kind. "Whirlwind" would be a fitting word to describe. The new record released on Tuesday, and I have been on the road promoting like crazy.
The week began in Minneapolis, then off to Chicago, South Bend, IN, and finally Fort Wayne, IN. Every show was amazing. The people came out in droves, (regardless of the freezing weather!!!) It was like 4 below in MN, but it didn't stop the people from coming out. I was definitely feeling the love.

Also, had the opportunity to show the new documentary a few times. That was so much fun to see the people respond to the film.

After a week or early morning radio interviews, freezing weather, concerts in every city, and not enough sleep, this last flight home is a sight for sore eyes. I think I see my plane now. It will be good to be home.

Monday I'm off again to the West Coast. More of the same. Many thanks to those who came to the shows. Many thanks to those who bought the new record this week.

Something To Say had a good week-mw

New Music Friday-"Something To Say"

Traditionally, the title cut for any record has been the hardest for me to write. So much seems to weigh on the shoulders of a title cut. I always view it as sort of a summary for the rest of the album. A Cliff’s Notes, if you will. It has to paint the message of the entire record with broad strokes, leaving room for the each individual song on the record to add more specific highlights and colors.

By now, your saying to yourself, “He’s over thinking this…” And you may be right. Well, good news is, I ditched the traditional “Battle of the Title Cut,” and had some fun with this one. I somehow wrote this song minus all the pressure of capturing the message of an entire album. And what do you know? That’s precisely what this song wound up doing!

Here’s the crazy thing. I had begun writing these words down over and over again in my journal, “Something To Say.” Something told me that should be the title of my next record. I can’t really explain it. It just felt right. And at the time, I was thinking the significance of the title would be that after two records I still had something to say as a singer and songwriter. In reality, I had no idea that “Something To Say” was about to take on a whole new meaning in my life.

EMI bought me out of my deal at Universal. It had take about six months. I had been waiting to make another record, and finally my chance had come. I had all the songs written, the title picked, producer selected, and the schedule booked. The wheels had been set into motion. Then, in April of this year my voice felt different. Not a good kind of different. I was having trouble singing.

  One visit to the Vanderbilt Voice Center brought all of my plans to a screeching halt. The doctors looked at my vocal chords and ordered a complete shutdown of all vocal activity. The prescription? Silence. No talking, no singing, no studio, no tours, no interviews, nothing to say. I was devastated. In my mind I kept thinking, “I just can’t catch a break.” After a few weeks of vocal silence, I found out that surgery was the only option if I hoped to sing or speak normally again. So, in May I had to undergo surgery on the instrument that I rely so much on to do what I do, my vocal chords.

To say I felt helpless would be an understatement. To say I wasn’t scared about the future, would be a lie. I was both. Helpless and scared. But in the middle of my silence, I saw way too much irony for mere coincidence. There was a reason why I had jotted those words “Something To Say” down in my journal. And it took having nothing to say for me to understand what this song, and this record is really about.  Before my surgery I was focused on what I had to say to the world through my words and music.

But after the surgery, I can see the pathway of a fool. Being silent, allowed me the priceless opportunity to be still, and let God do the talking. He spoke into my life and I heard him in a more real, more tangible way than I ever had before. Now I get it. It’s not about what any of us have to say. It’s about what God and His love have to say through us, and through all of our lives everyday. 

Webisode #5

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