biography

Matthew Sabatella is a singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and educator whose contributions to the South Florida music community are unparalleled. Since 1988 he has been steadfastly writing, performing and recording his own roots-based music that carries on the tradition of the great American song. He has released two critically acclaimed CDs on Slipstream Records and his instrumental and vocal talents can be heard on dozens of commercially-available recordings by other worthy artists. His 2001 release, A Walk in the Park, was named Album of the Year in the Florida Music Awards and he was a nominee in the category of Best Songwriter. In his lifetime he has performed or recorded a variety of musical styles such as classical, jazz, blues, folk, sacred, theater, pop, rock, and world music on instruments which include piano, guitar, violin, clarinet, tuba, bass guitar, drums, and percussion.

In 1998 Matthew founded SlipstreamPresents.com, an innovative Internet-based music company designed to help independent recording artists connect with worldwide audiences. The company promoted nearly fifty different artists on its web site, which included order fulfillment for CDs and merchandise as well as digital audio and video. During the five years he served as President of the company he produced four compilation CDs for release on Slipstream Records, including a collection of original Christmas music. All proceeds from this special collection benefited the Mentoring Resource Center, which assists children in need of positive adult role models.

In recent years, Matthew's attention has turned to the study of traditional American folk music and its relationship to historical eras and events. His determination to help preserve America's rich musical heritage and his belief in its ability to inspire people has led him to create Ballad of America. This evolving study uses traditional folk music to tell the story of the United States from pre-colonial times through the 20th century. Matthew studied music formally at the University of Miami, possessing a Bachelor of Arts in Music and a Minor in Psychology. As a music teacher at Biscayne Gardens Elementary Community School he enriches the students' educational experience by introducing them to traditional folk songs.

Matthew maintains a consistent performance schedule as a singer/songwriter at nightclubs and music festivals, frequently including a dose of traditional songs among his own compositions. He performs Ballad of America regularly in similar venues, as well as public parks, libraries, and schools ranging from elementary through college.

the early years
Matthew Sabatella was born in Manchester, Connecticut. He moved with his family to South Florida (where he lives to this day) while he was still in elementary school. His first band was with junior high schoolmates Mike Reilly, Eric Haas, and Stu Stewart. The Kinetics cut their teeth playing songs by the Beatles and the Who during the era between disco and MTV. Woefully out of touch with their peers, they often performed at parties hosted by baby boomers (Eric and Stu's parents) who either enjoyed their youthful, energetic renditions of old favorites or felt sorry for them.

the broken spectacles years
In 1987 Matthew and old schoolmate Ed Hale began writing songs together. With Don Jacobson on drums and Dave Rubinstein on guitar and vocals (and also contributing songs) they formed Broken Spectacles. Until their final show on the day Kurt Cobain died in 1994 the Spectacles performed throughout South Florida and recorded countless gems on 4-track cassette. They released a 4-song cassette titled One and recorded a full-length album yet to see the light of day in commercial form.

the solo years
As a singer/songwriter/bassist/guitarist/pianist Matthew forged ahead in various musical configurations from solo acoustic to five-piece band. In 1997 he formed Slipstream Records and released his debut CD, the critically-acclaimed Where the Hell Am I? followed by A Walk in the Park in 2001 (see press).

A constant in his life throughout these productive musical years has been a dedication to the music of other songwriters. He has contributed (and still contributes) his instrumental and vocal abilities to performances and recordings by a wide array of talented independent artists including Amanda Green, The Curious Hair, Maria Marocka, Diane Ward, Sixo, Mary Karlzen, Brian Franklin, Angela Patua, and Jolynn Daniel.

slipstreampresents.com
It was in 1998 that the perceived promise of these and other great artists combined synergistically with the notion of a music industry unswayed by quality and the increasingly apparent potential of the Internet to connect artists with audiences. The result of this brew was the concept for the company and web site known as SlipstreamPresents.com. The goal was to bypass the traditional music industry, finding fans one at a time and cross-promoting the artists to this growing base of fans.

ballad of america
Ballad of America is a journey through more than 200 years of United States history. It is a presentation of songs that were sung by the colonists, pioneers, lumberjacks, sailors, slaves, '49ers, farmers, cowboys, railroaders, coal miners, and others. Ballad of America Volume 1 was released on February 18, 2005.