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Matt Maher
Track List
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Over two thousand years, men and women have responded to God’s invitation to grace, all as part of the Body of Christ; the church. To accept the revelation that Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior of mankind; that He paid the price for all of... |

Over two thousand years, men and women have responded to God’s invitation to grace, all as part of the Body of Christ; the church. To accept the revelation that Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior of mankind; that He paid the price for all of humanity’s transgressions, and that this gift of reconciliation with God is made for all to receive freely through the cross. As part of the body, each person’s response is lived in a way as unique as the individual. Yet, despite the distance of time, culture, and ethnic origins, each call is connected in common struggles and themes, chief of which is, as Jesus says in the gospel of Luke, to “pick up his cross and follow me”.... to empty oneself and be filled with that beautiful grace. To be ‘empty and beautiful.’
For singer/songwriter/worship leader Matt Maher, there is nothing more special about his call than anyone else’s, and like those before him, he is trying to live that same call, as his 11-track Essential Records debut album’s title says, to be made Empty & Beautiful. Maher breaks open these two simple words on the project, in songs that are both corporate and reflective; driving and soft; each one telling the story from a different perspective. Empty & Beautiful was co-produced by Maher and Jeff Thomas.
Born and raised in Newfoundland, Canada, Matt grew up in a strong culture comprised of two elements: music and tradition. “Music is part of the fabric of the culture there, similar to places like Louisiana or the Appalachian
mountains; and over the years, not just Celtic music, but music of every kind. “I grew up listening to American Top 40 with Casey Kasem every Saturday, rain or shine. My dad would cook while listening to Willie Nelson or Frank Sinatra. My cousins, who lived next door, listened to everything from Broadway to British Rock, like the Beatles and The Who.” Early in life, Matt’s parents realized his talent for music and started him in piano lessons. He quickly absorbed as many musical styles as possible, playing in concert and jazz ensembles, singing in choir, and even playing in a high school garage rock band.
Matt’s collegiate years began while he was still in Newfoundland. At this time, life lessons abounded, and most of them were difficult ones. In 1995, Matt’s parents divorced. His mother, an American citizen, decided to move back to the United States to be closer to her family. After careful consideration, Matt decided to move with his mom. “I remember realizing in my heart that I was going nowhere, and quickly. I had made some poor decisions during
college. I was a very sensitive soul. During those years, it’s easy for people and life to break your heart. I knew I needed a new start, so I moved to Arizona with dreams of becoming a film-scorer.” Matt assumed a brief stay in Arizona would help him adjust to American life, but God had different plans.
“I had been raised believing in God, but music was my religion in a way. Once high school came, I stopped going to church. I would pray at night before I went to bed. I had a Bible in my room and would read Genesis and
Revelation, because I was fascinated with how we got here, and how we’re going out, but that was all. My
relationship with God was not very strong. I knew He was real, I just didn’t know how much He loved me.”
Matt started attending church with his cousin and her friends, looking for deeper answers and friendship. This is where he witnessed a church youth group for the first time. What Matt found was something more than friends - he found Jesus Christ.
While attending his new church in Arizona, Matt was approached by the youth pastor and the music director to help out. “They both saw something in me that I didn’t see, and I know it was God leading me closer to Him. Within two months, I was led to accept what Christ did for me on the cross, and to respond in serving Him in my new church community.” During this time, Matt restarted work on his music degree and received a scholarship from the Jazz Department at Arizona State University, where he studied Jazz Piano.
After a few years, Matt was led to another community, St. Timothy Catholic Community in Mesa, Arizona, where he has been since. While being mentored by Dove Award-nominated songwriter and artist Tom Booth (“I Will Choose Christ,” “Nothing Is Beyond You”), Matt met and worked with several artists along the way, including
Israel Houghton, Kathy Troccoli, and Rich Mullins, whom Maher credits with helping him land his job at St. Tim’s.
Matt shares, “Rich and Tom were friends, and Rich wanted to do a performance of his musical “Canticle of The Plains” at St Tim’s. Rich asked Tom to cast it. Tom called me and asked me if was interested. I said, ‘Uhh, sure,’ at that point having no idea who Rich was. This was a major turning point for me. I couldn’t get over this guy; he was so real, yet he loved God so much, but without all the superficial piety.” Matt’s character, Ivory, was a piano player who made his living playing at a hotel saloon, a job Maher knew well. He paid for his first three years of college by playing piano in a hotel in his hometown. This series of events, like many others to follow, helped deepen Matt’s commitment to Christ. A few years later, another movement became more present - modern worship music.
“I was in my last year of college, unsure of what to do next, when I heard the songs of Delirious? and songwriters like Paul Baloche and Darrell Evans, as well as the Passion movement. This stuff blew me away. It was in those simple expressions that I realized my desire to do the same thing.” Maher took a full time position at St Tim’s, and started writing songs for his church.
Ten years and many songs later, Maher is now travelling full time as a “musical missionary,” and is still an integral part of the community at St. Tim’s, where he serves as part of the worship team. “You have to stay rooted in
community if you want to lead and write for the Church. That is where your songs come from – from your
relationship with Christ, with your immediate family, and the family of believers.”
Besides serving with organizations like WorshipTogether.com, SpiritandSong.com, Passion, Youth Specialties, and Adore Ministries, Matt is a contributing artist for Life Teen, a high school youth movement that helped lead him to Jesus; his songs are being sung by the church around the world. A number of Matt Maher-written songs have been recorded by other artists, including: “Your Grace is Enough,” a song for the church originally recorded by Maher’s good friend, Chris Tomlin; “Unwavering,” a reflection on the Beatitudes (recorded prior by Bethany Dillon); “For Your Glory,” a new testament response to the book of Ecclesiastes (recorded by Phillips, Craig and Dean). Other songs include “As It Is In Heaven,” a song based on the Lord’s Prayer, originally written by Matt, now re-worked with acclaimed producer Ed Cash; and “Great Things,” a look at the song of Mary, the Magnificat. “I’m always looking in for biblical songs for the church, and here you have this amazing prayer song by the first human being to accept Jesus Christ into her being; a 14-year old girl who literally carried God in her womb. Amazing.”
Matt continues, sharing his inspiration behind the song “Empty & Beautiful.” “‘Hold fast to the confessions you have received,’ Paul says to Timothy. When you read all of Paul’s letters, you see the transformation of a man into a follower of Christ: ‘I’ve kept the faith. I’ve fought the fight. I’ve finished the race.’ You see the truth of God,
despite the reality of Paul’s humanness. It’s the miracle of grace being revealed,” as the chorus to the title
track illustrates:
You fought the fight in me / You chased me down and finished the race / I was blind but now I see / Jesus, You kept the faith in me
“In life, we end up having to empty ourselves to achieve that which is beautiful,” Matt says “If you don’t, you never really get made beautiful. It’s a weird dichotomy, especially in the world we live in because there’s so much focus on beauty. The whole idea of having to empty one’s self to achieve beauty is completely counter cultural, but that’s what happens—marriage, service of the poor, sharing the beauty of the gospel. That’s what Christ calls us to do, and I hope these songs will help inspire people to follow Jesus in that way.”
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9/15/2009 - Matt Maher's Alive Again Quickly Jumps Into Top 20
(Nashville, Tenn.) September 15, 2009 -- Worship artist and renowned songwriter Matt Maher vaults into the Top 20 of Billboard’s National Audience Chart this week with “Alive Again,” the title track of his highly anticipated sophomore album. In addition, Matt’s song is up six spots to No. 22 on the Christian AC Monitored chart, with two new adds in Jacksonville and Roanoke.
Early adds came from many of the largest Christian AC stations in the nation, including K-LOVE Network, KSBJ/Houston, KTIS/Minneapolis, KCMS/Seattle, FISH-Los Angeles and KSOS/Las Vegas, and positive audience testing has already pushed “Alive Again” into heavy rotation in Houston and Seattle at a quicker-than-normal pace.
“Matt is one of our favorite emerging artists! I love his heart for the music and I am anxious to
see ‘Alive Again’ begin to impact our audience,” says Chuck Tyler, Program Director of
FISH-Los Angeles.
As the Sept. 22 album release approaches, Maher is confirmed for performances at fan appreciation events in markets including Houston (KSBJ), San Antonio (KLOVE), and Las Vegas (KSOS).
Alive Again solidly captures the penetrating spirit and charisma Maher has become known for in
a live setting. Produced by Christopher Stevens (Delirious, tobyMac) and Paul Moak (Mat
Kearney, Shane & Shane), the 12-song studio project—with all compositions co-written by Maher—spotlights his addictive organic-pop sound melded with vulnerable and engaging lyrics, making Alive Again a soundtrack for believers in both personal times of worship and corporate moments on Sunday mornings.
“Alive Again is my favorite CD of the year so far—it’s moving, beautiful and original. God has uniquely gifted Matt Maher to be the next global worship leader,” says Darren Garrett of CBNNewsChannel.com. “I cannot recommend it highly enough for someone interested in great music and in drawing closer to God.”
Maher will be touring the U.S. this fall as part of GRAMMY® winning and multi-Platinum
Michael W. Smith’s “New Hallelujah World Tour.” Traveling to 17 major markets in October and
November, the tour sees Maher serving as musical host of the concert’s first half, which also
features his Provident Label mate Phil Stacey (www.philstacey.com) and new artist/worship leader Meredith Andrews.
For more information on “A New Hallelujah World Tour,” including itinerary and tickets, please visit www.mattmahermusic.com or www.michaelwsmith.com. For the latest in Matt Maher news and updates, follow him on twitter: http://www.twitter.com/mattmahermusic.
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6/15/2009 - Matt Maher Releases Sophomore Album Alive Again Sept 22
(Nashville, Tenn.) June 15, 2009 – Worship artist and renowned songwriter Matt Maher, whose breakout composition, “Your Grace is Enough” appeared on his 2008 debut Empty & Beautiful, recently completed recording his widely-anticipated follow-up Alive Again set to release September 22.
Alive Again, Maher’s second studio recording with Essential records, solidly captures the penetrating spirit and charisma he has become known for in a live setting. Produced by Christopher Stevens (Delirious, tobyMac) and Paul Moak (Mat Kearney, CompassionArt), the 12-song album is both immediate and soulful. Matt’s addictive organic-pop sound melded with vulnerable and engaging lyrics make Alive Again a soundtrack for believers in both personal times of worship and corporate moments on Sunday mornings.
“On a musical level, I feel more confident; like I have more freedom to make mistakes and to be more authentic than ever before,” explains Maher. “There’s a certain ‘rawness’ on this album that’s true to who I am and how I communicate.”
Maher has long seen his music born out of community. This time around, in fact, every song on Alive Again was co-written. Featured co-writers include SESAC’s 2008 Christian songwriter of the year Jason Ingram, Chris Tomlin, Matt Redman, up-and-coming writer/vocalist Audrey Assad, Mark Byrd and Mia Fieldes (Hillsong).
“The process of making the record was a communal experience,” affirms Maher. “The writing process was like prayer between two people as opposed to a typical writing session. ... These songs were not written ‘about’ my faith, but ‘from’ my faith. They’re much more vulnerable and personal.”
The first single “Alive Again” goes for adds on July 3. Matt shares, “‘Alive Again’ is my attempt to use language and music in the form of a pop song to re-create the moment when God reached in and grabbed my heart for the very first time. There’s nothing more compelling than waking up in a dark world and knowing that God is fervently pursuing me and shouting my name -- even if, at first, I don’t recognize His voice.”
As a poet-musician, “troubadour” is a term readily used to describe the artful theologian. Thematically, Maher explains that his music is about recognizing the preeminence of Christ in the world around you.
“You see the light before you see the sunrise,” he says. “God is ahead of us.” Maher also takes a broader view than conventional thinking when it comes to the influence of worship in a person’s life. “I hope Alive Again prompts listeners to stop and ask some tough questions about who they are and where they are letting God maneuver in their hearts,” he says.
Thanks to the international reach of songs he’s written and his recording agreement with Essential Records, the last two years have taken Maher from full time ministry at his local church in Mesa, Arizona, to a high-profile platform, leading worship around the world. His instant classic, “Your Grace Is Enough” saw especially strong gains in church exposure during the spring and summer of 2008.
According to Christian Copyright Licensing International (CCLI), which tracks the popularity of music in churches across the U.S., “Your Grace Is Enough” was the 13th most popular song sung in churches in the United States for the April-September 2008 tracking period. At the time, the song was sung in nearly 150,000 CCLI licensed churches in the U.S., which translates to more than 5 million people singing this song.
This summer finds Maher leading worship and performing new songs from Alive Again at the upcoming Worship Leader conference in July, leading worship at the International Christian Retail Show’s Sunday Worship service alongside Anne Graham Lotz and touring Australia before returning home for fall tour dates.
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6/8/2009 - Matt Maher's Empty & Beautiful Launches into Space with NASA Astronaut Mike Good on Mission to Hubble Space Telescope
Singer/Songwriter/Worship Leader Matt Maher received an out-of-this-world honor when his album Empty & Beautiful (4/8/08) was a carry-on item for astronaut Mike Good on NASA Mission STS-125. Astronaut Good took Matt’s music for inspiration on his journey to the Hubble Space Telescope. Space shuttle Atlantis launched on Servicing Mission 4, the final astronaut visit to the Hubble Space Telescope May 11th and returned May 24th, using the 13-day mission to install new instruments, upgrade technology and prepare the telescope for many more years of cosmic exploration.
“I wanted you to know that I was praying for you and your band while orbiting above God’s beautiful creation,” wrote NASA astronaut Mike Good in an e-mail to Matt Maher after returning to Earth. “I flew the CD you gave me (Empty & Beautiful) back at Johnson Space Center and enjoyed listening to you guys on orbit on my iPod. It was awesome looking out into space and back at Earth while listening to your beautiful music -- really inspiring.”
This mission marked the second time that Maher’s music visited the cosmos. In June 2008 astronaut Ron Garan orbited the earth on NASA Mission STS-124 with Empty & Beautiful.
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3/3/2009 - Matt Maher's "Your Grace Is Enough" Climbs to CCLI's No. 13
(Nashville, Tenn.) March 3, 2009 – “Your Grace Is Enough,” the modern worship classic, written by Essential Records recording artist MATT MAHER, saw strong gains in church exposure during the spring and summer of 2008, according to Christian Copyright Licensing International (CCLI), which tracks the popularity of music in churches across the U.S.
According to CCLI’s tracking system, “Your Grace Is Enough” was the 13th most popular song sung in churches in the United States for the April-September 2008 tracking period. That represents an 18-point jump for the song over the previous tracking period. Over the past 6 month period, “Your Grace Is Enough” has been sung in nearly 150,000 CCLI licensed churches in the U.S., which translates to more than 5 million people singing this song. “Your Grace Is Enough” is ranked alongside “How Great Is Our God,” “Blessed Be Your Name” and “Here I Am To Worship.”
Rick Muchow, Pastor of Worship at Saddleback Church, shares, “Matt’s song, ‘Your Grace Is Enough’, is connecting with churches of many shapes and sizes because it biblically addresses a universally relevant theme and it’s melody is congregationally singable while adaptable to many worship styles. It is both a song that can be prayed and a prayer that can be sung!”
“I love this song,” shares Joel Hudson, Venue Worship Pastor, Thompson Station Church in Thompson Station, TN. “I'm reminded of Paul’s words in Philippians...whatever was gain, whether position, religious accomplishment, or zeal amounts to nothing in comparison to knowing Christ---and that's all from grace--His grace is enough. In fact it's everything!”
“It is very unusual for a song to make this big of a jump to such a high position on the CCLI chart”, says Jimi Williams, Director of Worship Resources for EMI CMG Publishing. “I think it speaks to the wide embrace that the song has received within the church and to the influence of Christian radio.”
“Your Grace Is Enough” appears as the leadoff track of Maher’s Essential Records debut Empty & Beautiful (4/8/08), as well as on Tomlin’s 2004 release, Arriving. Maher’s relentless touring and radio exposure during 2008 helped fuel the song’s rise within CCLI.
“Your Grace Is Enough” was one of the most spun songs at Christian AC radio in 2008 and “Empty & Beautiful,” Matt’s current radio single, is already receiving glowing reviews from highly-influential stations including WPOZ in Orlando and KCMS in Seattle.
Impressively, Maher’s writing was once again accessed by Tomlin for his latest single, “I Will Rise” which is also seeing success at radio since its launch just a few months ago.
Matt, known for his unique ability to connect in a live setting, will be a featured part of the “Worshiptogether.com Live Tour,” launching March 14 and running through March 24. The tour reflects the heart of worshiptogether.com by offering a day of worship training that ends with a concert with top worship leaders including Matt Maher, Tim Hughes, The Michael Gungor Band, Kelly Minter and Al Gordon. For more information, including dates and cities, please visit: www.worshiptogether.com/live.
Following the “Worshiptogether.com Live Tour” Maher will continue to tour on the strength of Empty & Beautiful, as he simultaneously prepares to go back into the studio to record his sophomore Essential Records project slated for release later this year.
About Matt Maher:
Matt Maher, worship leader, songwriter, singer and recording artist, has taken his calling as a
“musical missionary” to create a substantial impact on a national and global stage. As an award-winning songwriter, Maher gained notice as the co-writer of the internationally renowned modern-worship song, “Your Grace Is Enough,” recorded by Chris Tomlin.
Highly sought after for his poignant yet poetic writing style, Matt has recently had songs recorded by such artists as Tomlin; Bethany Dillon; Phillips, Craig & Dean; Brenton Brown and others. In addition, Maher’s songs can be found in (and climbing beyond) the top 15 ranked songs on the CCLI chart, marking their popularity in church worship-services around the world.
Maher’s current project Empty & Beautiful (Essential Records 4/8/08), his first major-label project after three independent releases, has jumpstarted his work as a touring artist placing him in front of audiences worldwide, totaling more than 750,000 in 2008 alone. He has shared recent stages with artists such as Tomlin, Leeland, MercyMe, Michael W. Smith and Jeremy Camp.
Amid busy touring and writing schedules, Maher finds it important to serve alongside ministries including Life Teen, Adore Ministries, and Catholic Relief Services while still playing an active role with Oregon Catholic Press’ spiritandsong.com. Further, he serves as a regular host for Worship Together’s “Newsong Café,” has performed live on “FOX & Friends” has written for Billboard Magazine and is an active, bylined contributor to OnFaith.com (www.newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith), an interactive conversation on religion. Most recently, Maher was featured on the covers of Breakaway and Christian Single. For up-to-date information on Matt Maher, please visit www.mattmahermusic.com.
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2/5/2009 - Matt Maher to lead worship at Annual Arise DC Festival
Matt Maher to lead worship at Annual Arise DC Festival in Washington DC on Saturday, February 21 alongside speakers Paul George, Ralph Martin, Henry Capello and Bishop Gonzalez.
The vision of Youth Arise International & the Arise DC Festival is to bring together young adults from all over the local DC area to come together celebrate their Christian faith.
It is our hope that young adults will have a powerful encounter with Christ through participating in this festival.Youth Arise International is a Catholic federation of International Youth organizations promoting youth ministry. Its vision is to network between youth leaders and to encourage, equip and empower emerging leaders, young adults and professionals, for the mission of proclaiming Christ to all peoples.
This year's event takes place at Catholic University of America / Pryzbyla Center / 620 Michigan Ave., N.E. / Washington, DC 20064 and ticket information can be found at http://www.itickets.com/events/222945.html%20
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