Matthew Lister, Classical Guitar

Boy has it been a long time since I’ve updated this blog. Wow, I really dropped the ball on this one. What can I say? I’ve been busy! So, for the people that follow this blog, you may know that I have been putting out a Christmas video once every year on my YouTube channel. After about six years of doing this I thought to myself, “Huh, I have about half of a Christmas album’s worth of material here, why not arrange six more Christmas tunes and put out a Christmas album?” Well, I am pleased to announce that I have done just that! Behold, The Suite Christmas, my follow-up…

It’s no secret that I’m a fan of the 80’s Nintendo Entertainment System. I grew up as a Sega kid, owning the Sega Master System and the Genesis, but man did I love going over friend’s houses and playing the NES back in the day. One game in particular really captured my attention. Castlevania II is largely considered by most hardcore NES gamers as the disappointing sequel to Castlevania. Unless you bought issues of Nintendo Power or called the Nintendo hotline you didn’t beat this game back in the 80’s. The puzzles were impossible to figure out and none of the “hints” that the game gave your were helpful. But…

Every year around the holidays I like to make a Christmas video. You might say it’s a tradition by now. Usually I arrange a Christmas carol for solo classical guitar but this year I thought I’d change it up a bit: I arranged the Christmas classic “Silent Night” for solo ukulele! Check it out!!! And check out these ghosts of Christmas past! That’s right, I put all of my Christmas arrangements into one big playlist!!! I’ve made so many of these arrangements by now. I wonder if I should come out with a Christmas album? I wonder. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm….. Anywho, I must be losing my mind because I am giving away…

Hey everybody, I’m back with another YouTube video. This time I got a fan request via twitter from @afterthefire1. He got in touch with me after I posted my Skyrim arrangement to let me know that he liked it. After the Skyrim video I didn’t do much video game music. I did a Zelda vid and that’s it. I know. I got a retweet from Bethesda software, the makers of Skyrim, which boosted the views of my Skyrim video into the tens of thousands. I got a ton of new subscribers and a bunch of new fans, and then I promptly alienated everyone who subscribed to my channel by not…

I am a lazy blogger. As I write this I can’t help but think I could be writing an arrangement, composing, or practicing my guitar right now. I don’t hate blogging, far from it. I actually like to take a moment to reflect and see where I’m heading as an artist and where I’ve been. That being said, look how infrequently I update this site. Yikes! Someone dropped the ball. So here I am, making up for lost time. I have a lot to talk about, so settle in folks. This is going to be a long one. First off, I finished up another original piece for guitar/violin/8mm film. Once…

My album The Suite Acoustic began with a composition I wrote soon after graduating from college. I was inspired to write it after watching the 8mm films of my Grandfather. My Nonno used to film the vacations that his family went on. One day my Mom had the footage converted to VHS and scored it to various songs. The effect was powerful to say the least—there was laughter, tears, the full gamut of emotion and the realization that my family has been through a lot and has shared some really memorable moments. My Nonno passed away in 2003 and I shelved the project. I didn’t want to revisit this idea…

It’s March so I’ve had enough time to sit back and reflect on 2013 and it occurred to me… Why did I only put out 3 YouTube videos in 2013? What was I so occupied with that I only managed to get that much work done? Well, there was my first album, The Suite Acoustic, that I wrote and recorded. That was a 16 track behemoth that tested my resolve and my sanity but I managed to get it out regardless. I sold enough CD copies to put that puppy into its second printing so you know, that was nice. What was the other thing I was doing? Oh yeah,…

This is a list of 10 albums most responsible for the guitarist I am today.  They are in no particular order, so this isn’t a “Top Ten”: 1.) John Renbourn—The Black Balloon2.) Alexander-Sergei Ramirez—Sor: Compositions for Guitar3.) John Williams—Spanish Guitar Music4.) Pepe Romero—Rodrigo: Concierto de Aranjuez5.) Sharon Isbin—Bach: Complete Lute Suites6.) Yo Yo Ma—Bach: Complete Cello Suites7.) James Levine conducts Mascagni: Cavalleria Rusticana8.) Sabicas—El Rey Del Flamenco9.) Miles Davis—Kind of Blue10.) Pepe Romero—Giuliani: Complete Guitar Concertos John Renbourn’s “Black Balloon” comes first to mind.  My parents played it occasionally but I became fixated with it when I was 15 or so.  I had been playing guitar for about 3 years…

So, I recorded an album. That’s right, a full length album. This is the dream of a lifetime come true. Ever since I received a guitar as a gift for my 12th birthday I’ve wanted this day to happen. Now it’s here and, in the digital age, it’s never been easier to get worldwide distribution for pennies on the dollar. Here is a plethora of links to online stores that now carry my album: The Suite Acoustic on iTunes The Suite Acoustic on Amazon mp3 The Suite Acoustic on Google Play And for you cheap freeloading streamers out there you can also stream my album for free on: Spotify: Click…

Well, it’s that time of year again. Time for my holiday Christmas Concert! That’s right: If you’ve seen it before you’ll want to see it again! This show’s got it all—Costumes, music (of course), special guests, holiday shenanigans, the works! So bust out the egg nog, cozy up by the computer, and enjoy some Christmas cheer! Just click on this embedded player on Saturday, 12/22/12 at 8 PM and enjoy the show! https://web.archive.org/web/20150127073605if_/http://www.ustream.tv/embed/2283561?v=3&wmode=direct Video streaming by Ustream