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Hey y’all…I wanted to offer up a few free tracks to mark a couple momentous occasions. Often people ask writers where the inspiration for certain songs came from. And sometimes it’s funny, after the song is written, to track where the inspiration led. These two tunes – one to combat the callous words of a political figure after Hurricane Katrina, the other written to address the issue of a border-wall between the U.S. and Mexico –  both started from very specific points of inspiration, yet ended up addressing their topics in different ways. I wanted to make them free right now as the 10th anniversary of that Hurricane is upon us and while we stand by watching another, unreal storm bear down on our society during our current presidential campaign season. So, please listen and share. These are my attempts to say something about our culture without heavy-handed political overtones, hoping that the underlying message comes through. Follow the links below to download the songs…to read their backstories, check out my recent newsletter right here: rvrb.fm/1LBXXw4

Old Allen Road: www.reverbnation.com/mattharlan/song/24196649-old-allen-road

Over the Bridge: www.reverbnation.com/mattharlan/song/10600329-over-the-bridge

Well y’all, I had a short reprieve from the fierce summer heat, but I’m back in Houston to crank the A/C, break out the cold ones and dig in for the hottest days. I couldn’t let y’all bear the heated burden alone. So, in August I’ve got some cool local shows coming up: a swap with some killer songwriters from Austin at the Mucky Duck on 8/8 and a slot in a great Houston lineup to benefit a new venue called the Americana on 8/15. Think cool thoughts…roll up the windows…see ya soon!

Well y’all, the folks at the long-running Falcon Ridge Folk Festival put me in the mix for their Grassy Hill Emerging Artist Showcase at this year’s fest! I’m super excited to finally get up there and see what our Northeastern friends have been hollerin’ about all this time. If you’re headed to the festivities, come say hello! You can find out more about Falcon Ridge and see the folks that are playing here: falconridgefolk.com/performers/

Well y’all, it’s almost time to pack up our things and head out across the ocean to see some friends in the Netherlands and Germany this May! Hopefully we’ll even make some new ones in the U.K. You can find out about the first leg of the journey here: www.ldmbookings.nl. Then check back for more details on the U.K. run soon!

It looks like my song, “Old Spanish Moss” snuck into the semi-finals of the International Songwriting Competition! They call this thing the “#1 Song Contest for Songwriters”…so I guess I’m sufficiently floored. Let’s hope those Americana judges like their redemption songs with a little dirt on ’em. Fingers crossed! Check out the full list of semi-finalists here: www.songwritingcompetition.com/news