Monday, December 16, 2013

Matthew's a Star! (Honeywell Security Telecommunicators' "You're in My Heart" Music Video)

Good morning!

Hope you had a great weekend! Things were wild and crazy, w-w-wild and crazy, at the homestead Friday-- fellow librarian Jen Q and I hosted a party at my house involving large quantities of wine and dramatic readings from a pile of library-owned romance paperbacks (so scandalous). There was a great turnout, and I don't know if I've laughed that hard at something in real life in probably a year's time, so all and all, a success. Saturday morning, I woke up with the devil's own hangover and an update in my Facebook feed from a friend of mine about a Honeywell Security video. Sounds like advertising spam, right? NO, NO IT WAS NOT. It was Matthew's big music video debut! Folks, check out my tiny guy's little 15 minutes of fame (link here, stills from the video below):


Professionally, Matthew has traded his KORG keyboard for a desktop keyboard in recent years, transitioning into the tech field from the unstable world of "giggin' for a livin'". In spite of the swap, he is still a MONSTER of a piano player and an even better composer. I stand by the idea that if it was 1986, we would have to use a platinum rake to manage the obscene amounts of money he would command as a frontman of a pop band (I would probably be replaced by Tawny Kitaen in this scenario, but let's just dream it's me for a moment); however, in 2013, the music business just isn't what it once was. Which is why hearing a new Telecommunicators song is like Christmas came early for us Matthew's-music-supporters! In August, Matthew went on set to record a music video for Honeywell Security, who had commissioned a song about "being connected even when you're away from home". My extremely talented husband came up with the song "You're in My Heart" (which you can download for free, here). 


Selected lyrics:

Think of me, through the static
I hear you like a voice inside my head
With you and me, it's automatic
We're ready for whatever lies ahead

When you're far from home
You're never really alone
Doesn't matter if we're apart
You're in my heart

Do you love it? Correct answer: yes. Matthew had previously penned a song called "Opportunity Knocks" for a Honeywell promotional video, but this new spot features not only the song, but Matthew and his band in a starring role in the production!

Whole band shot, with Bobby (guitar, also produced the song), Noah (drums), and Ernest (bass)
Thoughts on the song: one, the "ha-HA-ha-heart" line will tug at the most unsentimental of heartstrings, and is catchy as all get out; two, I am completely biased, but this is GREAT. When we first met in 2008, I invited Matthew over to my house for our second date to watch the Donald Sutherland version of Invasion of the Body Snatchers (like you do..I still stand by forced-movie-screenings as a sterling example of how you vet boyfriends in the early stages of a relationship). He was working on some tracks for an album that summer, early drafts of which had been posted to Myspace (yes, Myspace was still a thing at that point-- isn't that bizarre to think about?), and I remember the split second of "oh, no, I'm going to have to listen to his album and act like I like it" portion of the date like it was yesterday. At that point in my life, the mating call of "Here, listen to my album!" cues me going "Here, let me grab another beer first". I have listened to so, so many acoustic covers of Beatles songs, weird, tripped out electronica, and annoyingly saccharine-ified-on-ukuele country standards in my college and post college dating life that I had become conditioned to look poorly upon the prospect of a musician significant other. As much as I support creative arts, I am not listening to your ska/jam band version of Talking Heads' "Road to Nowhere", and that is just the way it is. Matthew turned on his first track and I was surprised to hear something that was a tonal cousin to the music of New Order/Bauhaus/Depeche Mode with the sentimental heart of Cat Stevens. Neo-new-wave-vulnerability! And look at me now... I married the guy! 

Check out his tiny 1,000,000 watt smile here:


The video was shot at an east Nashville home I would like to live in, and centers around the idea of Matthew being a musician on the road who is still able to connect with his family via a host of Honeywell Security products. My Facebook blew up when I posted this on Saturday with "What! Matthew's living a secret life as a bigamist!" to which I countered "I am ok with a secret family if I can not so secretly live in their house". Seriously, someone let me have a house like this. As we're actually going through the conversations about starting a family and buying a house in the next year, it's really sweet to see him interacting with a wife, a daughter, and a chocolate Labrador puppy after my own heart in a dream house as a visual placeholder for what I hope 2014 has in store for us! Baby + house + dog = living the good life. 


The video, shot by photographer/filmmaker/friend of us Chad McClarnon, is just gorgeous to look at.  I'm the kind of person who would cry at a Hallmark commercial, so subjects like "family" and "homesickness", etc, etc, are particularly émouvant to me. I congratulate this commerical and its makers for being so sweet! You can see behind-the-scenes shots from the filming under the hashtag #honeywellheart on Chad's instagram (see 'em all, from other members of the cast and crew, here). Isn't living in the future amazing?


Anyway, I'm so proud I'm busting my vest about Bab's video stardom. Here's to more Telecommunicators commercial success in the future! :)

So! What do you think about the video and the song? If you like what you hear, there's a whole album worth of goodies in the sidebar of the blog to the right (link here) and again, you can download the song with one fell click here. Do you have any family members or significant others with musical talent? What's the worst ex-boyfriend/ex-girlfriend musical project you've had to support in the name of love? Let's talk!

Back to the vintage grind tomorrow, thanks for listening to my proud-wife ramblings today! I'll see you back here Tuesday. Til then!

              

29 comments:

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    1. Thanks!! I was so excited Saturday when the video posted (and am still excited about it today, haha)!

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  2. 1. That party sounded fabulous. 2. This song is AWESOME. Go Matthew! 3. I didn't know that commercial products did videos but I like it. 3. I KNEW there was going to be a lab puppy in that box. 4. Have you ever noticed that in music videos of any kind, when a guy band is singing or recording, there are always hot chicks sitting around watching? 5. Go Matthew!!

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    1. 1. Girl, you know! (we still need to craft together!) 2. Thanks!! 3. Me neither, but I was like, "Wait, you get to be in a video, AND they're paying you? On TOP of paying for the song? My name is Lisa H and I support this message." 3.1 The puppy almost didn't come out of the box because there was a piece of cheese in there meant to make him stay in until his cue. Trouble being, puppy's like "Why I would leave the box? There's cheese in here!" 4. You are so right! Weird. 5. Thanks again for your support, Eartha!! :D

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  3. That's awesome!!! So much talent! Congrats y'all! :)

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    1. Thanks, Michelle! I'm so proud of that little guy!!

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  4. uiihh! sooo sweet!
    congrats to matthew!!!!!!!

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    1. Thanks, lady! I seriously have puppy envy after watching the video for the 1,000,000 time.

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  5. So cool! Congrats to Matthew--great song, I enjoyed it!

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    1. He was so pleased to hear all the positive feedback on Facebook and here on the blog, thanks for listening!!

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  6. I saw this on Chad and Trey's wall and have been meaning to watch it! NOW I AM SO PISSED I DIDN'T! I really love the song and the video is of course beautfiul!

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    1. Is it not killer? Everyone involved is uber talented, it's neat to have a "product" come out of so many artistic efforts!!

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  7. Hi Lisa

    The song is fab and so catchy. Hope it makes the big time and is played in the UK.

    You are referred to as the mad typewriter lady in our house since the first blog post I caught was your video of the really weird old typewriter you and your Dad picked up. Been enjoying your posts ever since, particularly the retro interior design stuff.

    Anyway, have meant to write a hundred times but usually screw up the 'comment as' bit, forgetting my blogger login! Duh. Hope this goes through today.

    Best of everything to you both.

    Bev

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    1. Hi Bev, thanks for commenting and thanks for your kind words! I hope Telecommunicators make it all the way to the UK, too! Also, I love my reputation as "the mad typewriter lady", I think that sums it up in a nutshell, haha. I appreciate you guys reading. Feel free to leave a comment any time blogger allows you, I know what a headache it is when you write a whole thing and then it won't let you post! I'm pleased as punch this comment came through, though! :)

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  8. Gaaaahhhhhh!!! How brill is that??!!!! Well done, Matthew!...and well done you for having such good taste in men!

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    1. Hahaha, thanks, girl! It's goofy how prideful I am of him even five years down the line, he's a real catch.

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  9. That song is FANTASTIC!!!! Wow, that's so great that he's in a commercial, so awesome!! Move over Fountains of Wayne, here comes Matthew!!!

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    1. That's what I'm saying! Let's get this guy on the radio!! :)

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  10. HOW COOL IS THIS???!! And I love the song!!!

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    1. Thanks, gal! I am so happy everyone likes it! I was worried it would be like *crickets, crickets* after I posted this, but all you nice people have been so kind about Bab's brush with celebrity! I appreciate your encouraging words! :)

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  11. You guys are SUCH a cool couple! This video, that song is AMAZING - plus, doesn't he have the acting chops! BIG congratulations - enjoy the spotlight!

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    1. Aw, thank you, Tamra! I just hope he gets to do another song soon, he has a bunch kind of on the back burner that he's been working on.

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  12. woah! i LOVE it! probably the best song I have ever beard on a commercial too! and i was LOVING seeing him interact with his fake family. travis and i were cracking up, there was something hilarious about knowing that he is acting with his "other wife." he really did a great job! and yeah, i'm with eartha, i KNEW there was a puppy in that box the second I saw it! except i expected a golden retriever!

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    1. Haha, I know, it's like "WHO. IS. THAT." I love that he felt slightly weird about it and I'm like "Do they pay you? DO THAT THEN, HUG THE BABY, WHATEVER." I thought he did a good job, too, that's his first "acting" role (he was in that De Novo Dahl video for "Shout" but he pretty much just had to play "Matthew as a member of De Novo Dahl", which was easy because he was at the time). I wish I had that puppy with me as I write, could he have been cuter?

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  13. So cool that Matthew got this opportunity, and it turned out really well :) A-mazing party on Friday, I laughed soooo much!

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    1. Thanks, Ruthie! I had a dang ball! I was going to mention you and the other two kids we went out painting the town with after, and then I was like...maybe they treasure their anonymity in this case, haha. Either way, GREAT Friday night. :D

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  14. That is really cool! He's not just a great musician but a darned good actor too!

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    1. Thanks, Mr. Tiny!! And he's cute to boot. The total package!! :)

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