A New Discovery, A New Treasure.

Anybody who knows me will tell you “Twitter is not a good place for Tim.” A character limit of 140 characters is torturous, and impossibly limiting. It takes more than 140 characters to order coffee. But, Twitter is great in some ways, finding new music has been a blessing. Musicians seem to be able to use the medium to promote and market themselves remarkably well. Recently, I heard some amazing music from a rising star, Matt Steady.

Many people know I am a big Grateful Dead fan. My friend John said they only had one song, and it went on for years. Possibly, but the thing about the Dead was their music, the lyrics, rhythm, and melody blended into a glorious cacophony, very much like life. It was a ride on a musical roller coaster, highs, lows, and all stops in between. A whole infinitely greater than the sum of its parts. Matt Steady is that kind of musician.

Complex stringed music and powerful moving lyrics combine into songs of life. Brief, beautiful, celebrations of mankind lift the listener to strange, familiar places. His songs are the kind it is easy to get lost in, and when they are over leave one wanting more.

He is a story teller on the scale of Neil Young, and a musician in the mold of Richard Thompson. It is impossible to gauge his age, his huge, shaggy beard hides most of his face, but his lyrics carry the power and intensity of an old troubadour,. And his music is nothing short of 1960s fantastic. When his music comes on you can't help but be transported to another time, a time when music had a universal message. A time when music was the best (to me, anyway) that it could ever be.

I am not sure why Twitter is such a marketing tool for musicians. Most days my feed is overwhelmed with things I don't even read. Maybe it is just easier to find new fans than Facebook. But, of all the music that has come across my devices this is by far my favorite.

Since I can not pick which song I enjoyed the most, I am choosing the song I listened to most recently. But, don't stop with this song, listen to all you can, you can thank me later.

An amazingly talented artist, going a long way, and I will be following him to the top. So should you.