News

June 17, 2010

New Review of Open-Eyed & Broken Wide by Sean Claes of INsite Magazine

“It took me about 3 weeks of listening to Open Eyed / Broken Wide to feel like I could write about it. Not for any other reason than, it’s packed full of really, really good music and some of the most heartfelt and genius lyrics I’ve heard in a long time.”

“The album is a journey. It’s about life, it’s about love, about finding your way in this world’s sea of confusion.”

“The music on Open Eyed / Broken Wide is really not genre specific enough for me to label it. It’s piano ballads, alternative rock, acoustic guitar, adult contemporary, and gospel.”

“The common denominator to these songs is the lyrics. Madden knows how to string words together to make a compelling and meaningful song no matter the musical genre.”

“If you strip away all of the interesting side stories and format issues and just concentrate on the music itself... it’s still one of the most impressive albums I’ve heard in the last few years.”

For the full review, click here

May 20, 2010

Listen to an interview about Open-Eyed & Broken Wide on the Backline Show.

March 12, 2010

Dave Madden Purevolume.com Showcase Featured by Do512.com

Hit up The PureVolume House on Monday for a brand new Local Music Is Sexy presented by the Austinist. Rocking the house will be Dave Madden, The Ovenbirds, Beautiful Supermachines, Shapes Have Fangs, and Ringo Deathstar.

March 4, 2010

Dave Madden at #PowerUpATX - Rest, Relax and Recharge at SXSW with Wyatt Brand and Launch 787

On Monday, March 15th at 1p, experience a performance from musician Dave Madden and hi-def listening station for his new album "Open-Eyed" and "Broken Wide."

As Austin is descended upon by a bevy of national lifestyle brands presented as lounges, showcases, and panels, two area companies are teaming up to present a decidedly Austin take on culture and entertainment with “#PowerUpATX: Rest, Relax, and Recharge.”

#PowerUpATX will be just that. From 11 – 4 on the 15th and 16th, they are opening a patio lounge behind the Launch787 headquarters just behind Moonshine in the shadow of the Convention Center. There, guests can plop down, plug in their phones, and take in some local culture while enjoying:

• Coffee from Elixer’s Tin Bean or a cocktail

• Performances and chats with arts notables and emerging musicians

• Chair massage by Ahhh! My Massage

• Browse a carefully edited selection of items from area boutiques

• Get a free MAP Austin Downtowner—a hot-off-the-presses map celebrating the company’s 10th anniversary

March 3, 2010
50 FOOT MARKETING & DESIGN: IN TUNE WITH DAVE MADDEN

When Austin-based musician Dave Madden decided to take an aggressive stance against the archaic compact disc and chose instead to offer his new record Open-Eyed & Broken Wide as download only from his website, the goal was to make his music more accessible – but more importantly, to offer vastly-improved sound quality.

50 Foot Marketing & Design, located in New Braunfels, struck the right cord with the Madden creative team and offered to take on the challenge of creating a user-friendly website that allows music to be offered at a 96 kHz sample rate with 24-bit sample size. This is a new level of audio quality that Madden refers to as “HD studio-quality” and it offers two times the quality of CD sound, and more than 35 times the quality of mp3 players.

“This website had to look great and be easy to use, but more importantly, it had to support Dave’s innovative idea to offer this bigger, clearer sound,” says Martha Dixon, president of 50 Foot. “The site really is the centerpiece of his promotional campaign. Wyatt Brand gave us a beautiful supplement to work from and of course we’re really excited about being able to incorporate this new idea into a website.”

Justin Dixon, website developer for 50 Foot, built the site, they incorporated more than just a method to produce better sound. They made it very user friendly as well, and it differs greatly from other music download sites. Visitors log on to buy the music, and after purchasing the album, they have continued access to their purchase. In other words, after you buy it, you can log in as many times as you like, to pull specific songs or the whole album.

“I think this is the way of the future for lots of musicians,” says Dixon. “A website like this allows Dave and others like him to sell their products directly to their consumers.” Madden will also offer special versions and samples to purchased listeners as time goes by.

Check out this eye-catching and ear-grabbing website that allows listeners to be among the first to enjoy this new “clearer” sound – just click to www.davemaddenmusic.com.

March 2, 2010
Thanks to Gibson Guitars of Austin, TX

Gibson guitars has played an integral role in Dave Madden's release of Open-Eyed and Broken Wide. In addition to hosting a private VIP event at their super-hip showroom, they've had two guitars custom wrapped in the Open-Eyed and Broken Wide album artwork. Both guitars will be raffled at future events.

March 2, 2010
Dave Madden revolts against low quality music. Read the letter here.

March 1, 2010
3 new Shows announced for 2010. Check out the news shows to see Dave Madden Live.

March 1, 2010

Wyatt Brand collaborates on album supplement, promotion, and SXSW event

Austin-based public relations, design, and branding agency—Wyatt Brand—was brought on by Dave back in the fall of 2009 to create more of an integrated approach in telling the unique story of Open-Eyed & Broken Wide. The small firm, founded in 2006 and known for it's work in the performing arts and with cultural endeavors, divided the tasks into their two primary teams: design and PR. "Dave came to us with a clear vision of this 'supplement' that would accompany the digital downloads of his double album," says Creative Director Rachel Wyatt. Lead graphic designer on the project, Pam Caperton, adds, "We felt like our job was to find the essence of the music and the meaning to convey his musical and inspirational ideas visually in a way that would draw people in and keep them referring back." Each aspect of the print supplement was explored and debated, down to the typeface, paper stock, and color palette to serve the higher purpose of the album companion-piece.

On the public relations side, Account Director Kristen Chin and her support team explored Dave's background, his influences, and how he arrived at this album to best discover the wealth of stories that could be told about the release and who might be most interested in hearing them. Chin reflects, "Often times, a PR campaign is a reflection of a very personal journey such as Dave's creation of this 24-track album and all of the arrangements, lyrics, performances, and experiences inherent in that process. We feel very strongly that good PR is about substance, not spin. Our goal is to be a conduit for the most compelling stories. In this case, Dave and his work, speaks for itself."

SXSW Hi-Def Listening Station
On March 15, Wyatt Brand is presenting an unofficial SXSW event called "Recharge" 1/3 block from the Convention Center. With so many international, cranked-to-11 showcases and corporate brands being pushed on participants, the firm wanted an easy-going place to showcase its clients like Dave Madden. Madden will be appearing (at a time to be announced) to perform some music from the album, as well as to talk to people about why he did the way he did, DRM-free and over twice the audio quality of a CD. There will also be a high-def listening station on-hand.