Music

Me with guitar

I love listening to music. I also love playing it. To the left is a picture my friend Kathleen took of me during a practice with my first band, Letters to the Editor.

I've played violin, french horn, bass guitar, and guitar. I took piano lessons one summer, but didn't progress past that. My focus now is on guitar and being in a rock band. I've been in a few, and I'm always looking to jam.

My passion for music has driven me to be a music critic (some of my work is discussed on my Articles page), and consequently, I own a lot of albums. Last time I took inventory, I had about 300 (excluding digital album files), and that was about two years ago. Right now, I check out CDs from my local library and browse MP3 blogs for tips. I also still get the occasional album in advance for review purposes.

I'm still organizing my new site here, so I might put up some home demos I've done in the past. You can contact me if you're interested in hearing more of my stuff (some things are linked below).

If you're looking for new music, check out musicOMH, Meta Critic, The Hype Machine, or Pandora. There are an endless amount of options for obtaining new music, but please continue to support your favorite musicians, especially local musicians.

Bands

I've been in all of two bands in my 6 years of playing guitar and bass. Playing in a band is a very interesting experience, and though there have been times of turmoil, I wouldn't trade it in for the world. It involves teamwork, individual and group practices and efforts, organization skills, personability (booking and promoting shows)... so much. Everyone should start a band.

* * * * *


Letters to the Editor: Spring 2003 - Spring 2007 (R.I.P.)


LTTE rocking Club Downunder, Spring 2007.

Members:

  • Justin de la Cruz - Vocals, Guitar
  • Drew Becker - Bass guitar
  • Matt Littlefield - Drums

    • This was my first band, started with friends from my high school. We played a few house parties in Melbourne, FL in the early days, but mostly we played in Tallahassee, FL at places like Big Daddy's, Club Downunder, and The Beta Bar. We only ever "released" one recording -- a demo of three home recordings.

    Collage Demo:

  • 01. Misconceptions
  • 02. Lay Down Your Weapons
  • 03. Nothing's Changed

    • Our very best gigs were our shows at The Warehouse for Hempfest 2007 and at Club Downunder for Unfair 2007. Also of interest is one of our grading sheets from our Battle of the Bands competition in Bainbridge, Georgia.


    Bombardiers: March to June 2008 (R.I.P.)


    Bombardiers at The Shop, April 2008.

    Members:

  • Matt Campbell - Vocals, Guitar
  • Justin de la Cruz - Guitar, background vocals
  • Andrew Burgess - Guitar, background vocals
  • Andrew Littlefield - Keyboards, tambourine
  • Justin Berke - Bass
  • Matt Littlefield - Drums

    • This started out with a group of Tallahassee band veterans who wanted to play again. Matt L. and I had stopped Letters to the Editor because Drew had moved away, and others in the band were in a similar position. Matt C. had been in Aristea, Justin B. had been in Jaded State, Andrew L. had been in Go Play In Traffic, and Andrew B. had been in various groups. We were all needing to do something, so Matt C. booked a show at his friend's place and we started the band.

    Strangely enough, we managed to gain a lot of momentum and add shows at The Beta Bar (w/ Deer Tick), Hempfest 2008 at the FSU Reservation, and the 2008 Wine Festival (w/ The Soft Targets) while preparing for a show at The Shop in Monticello. After a handful of shows in summer 2008, Matt Campbell and his wife Stephanie moved to New York. The remaining members are currently trying to work together in a new project of unknown and mysterious origins.



    Bombardiers at Hempfest at the FSU Reservation, 30 March 2008.

    For more videos, search "Bombardiers" on YouTube, or just check out Matt C's YouTube user page or his blog.

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