Meet Matthew McNeal | Recording Artist & Label Owner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Matthew McNeal and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Matthew, what is the most important factor behind your success?
I believe persistence is the single most important factor in driving success in general. That’s been very true in my own life on all fronts. From pursuing the Matthew McNeal career in writing, recording, and touring, to co-owning and operating the Matte Black Sound Company label and production company. It also translates into my personal life. Maintaining and growing relationships and constantly aiming to better yourself takes a ton of persistence. I’ve learned that there is never one single thing that will ensure success, but rather it’s a cumulative effort of never giving up and letting opportunities compound on one another.

I think it’s also worth noting that success isn’t a hard-line goal, but success should be defined early on as a series of small and attainable milestones that act as markers moving toward a dream. Success might be defined as being able to financially support yourself, success might be defined as touring across the country and selling out concerts, or success can be defined by simply recording a song that you love.

There will always be hardships and roadblocks that pop up along the way, but it’s how you handle those difficulties that helps propel you forward to accomplishing whatever it is that you want to do. That line of thinking has been a pillar in my life as a creative, as a business owner, and a human being in general.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I’ve been writing songs, finding ways to record myself, and performing music as long as I can remember. From a young age, I decided that a career in music was something that I wanted to do and I went for it full-force. I have always believed that if you have a backup plan that’s an easier fall-back if all else fails, you’ll end up taking that path at some point. I decided there was no backup plan, that I would simply figure it out as I went.

I didn’t come from a musical family, but I was fortunate to have found a partner in crime in Andre Black, growing up in the same small town and having the same dream. We constantly wrote songs, recorded, and looked for opportunities. That soon turned into booking our own tours across the country, performing over 100 shows each year. That led to us learning how to run a studio ourselves, allowing us to constantly create in our own space. Figuring out how to define a brand, how to market that brand, how to diversify what we do in order to make what we do financially sustainable, how to start a business and learn everything that comes alongside that.

Nothing in this world is ever easy, so persistence has been vital in helping us turn a childhood dream into a lifelong reality. We aim to bring an authentic and honest approach to creativity, empowering others to use modern tools to help themselves attain their dreams in the same way the we strive to do every day. From the music we make to the artists we record to the brands we collaborate with, we want to bring positivity, understanding, and togetherness to the world with the tools that we have.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I reside in Fort Worth, so I’d take them to Magnolia to start the day. We’d hit Cherry Coffee to start then grab some breakfast tacos at Salsa Limon. We can shop around at Panther City Vinyl or Centre, then make our way to South Main. We could swing by Morgan Mercantile to pick up some Fort Worth gear, swing by Four Sisters for lunch. I’m a big fan of tiki bars, so we could swing by Tarantula Tiki before heading over to Main At South Side or Magnolia Motor Lounge for a show.

After a full day out and about, we could spend the next day spinning records at the house and milling around the studio. Gotta have a day to recover!

There’s so much to do in this city and I love calling this place home.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My business partner and longtime best friend Andre Black is such a creative force in my world. Everything we do, whether it’s with Matte Black Sound or within the Matthew McNeal career, Andre has been a huge part in making it come to fruition.

I’ve been fortunate enough to learn a lot about the creative process over the years from Joey McClellan – one of the best guitar players out there, performing alongside Elle King, Midlake, BNQT, and his own project Joseph M. He helps run Redwood Studio in Denton and has been a constant light in my life.

There are such fantastic creatives in the DFW community, from songwriters like Bayleigh Cheek and Grady Spencer & The Work to film production teams like Fort Worth’s Twelve Midnight and Dallas’ Cinderblock.

I’m constantly inspired by this community and I’m honored to be a part of it!

Website: matteblacksound.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/matthewmcnealtx

Twitter: twitter.com/matthewmcnealtx

Facebook: Facebook.com/matthewmcneal

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvPNCnIimFm8YePuEAQfk_w

Image Credits
All photos: Emily Lynn McNeal