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Here by accident? Hear the professional recordings Ive released on my myspace page.

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The Demo Project

Hi. My name is Matt Johnston. Here you can listen to some really rough home-recorded demos of new songs, as and when I write them.

These songs are not the finished article. Chances are theyve been recorded before Ive even played them live. This page isnt here to showcase my songwriting, more to give the people who like my music a day-by-day idea of where my musics going.

/>FAQ
What is The Demo Project?
Quick answer: A collection of regularly-updated, home-recorded rough demos of new songs.

Long answer: Since 2003 I've recorded and released an album/EP each summer, every year. I'm happy doing this - it gives me enough time to properly plug the CD, and by the time people are getting tired of it, I'll have a new one ready to distribute. The problem is, I tend to tire of the songs long before everyone else, and I've found that nothing inspires a creative streak more than recording an album and getting a batch of songs out of the way. I guess the empty space left behind needs to be filled. So what would end up happening is that, roughly 3 or 4 months after releasing an album, I'd be completely sick of the songs and insist on playing new ones I'd written recently, as I'm convinced new material is better than old (it has to be, or what's the point in writing at all?). Part of me knew that was a stupid idea, but the other part of me just wanted to get the new songs out there in some form or another. So I've compromised, and set The Demo Project in motion. Here, all new songs I write will be recorded and put up here for your (afternoon) delight.

How does The Demo Project work? When I write a new song, I'll record it on my laptop, and post it up here. The songs might be multi-track recordings, single-track recordings, played live, or not. Depends what suits the individual tracks. I'm trying to record every demo in one take (whenever possible), so chances are they'll include distortion, mistakes, improvisations, clicks, whirrs, coughs, interruptions (which really annoy me, but I have to stick to the rules), etc. Deal with it. If you prefer music polished, you probably won't be interested in this. Give my main music page a listen - www.myspace.com/mattjohnston.
When a new song is uploaded I'll delete the oldest of the three songs, and move them all down one slot, so there will in effect by a continuous cycle of new songs. The oldest song (the one at the bottom of the list) will be available for download until it's replaced by the song above it. Once a song has dropped off the cycle it will not be put back up, unless an alternate version is recorded. If you desperately want a recording from here that has been made unavailable, send me an email (matt@mattjohnston.co.uk) or add me on myspace (www.myspace.com/mattjohnston) and leave me a message. I'll generally send them to individual people.

Will you play these songs live? Yes.

Will the songs from The Demo Project be recorded properly in the future?
In all likelihood some of them will, although some will probably be abandoned altogether. The project exists to give people an insight into how my songwriting is progressing, without having to wait for a new album/EP, and inevitably some of them will end up on the next recording. Bear in mind, they may well change slightly or entirely as I play them live.

Have you recorded anything professionally? Yes. Soundtrack To A Perfect Year in 2003, Shimmer in 2004, and A Long List Of Excuses in 2005. You can hear tracks from these here (www.myspace.com/mattjohnston) and buy them here (www.mattjohnston.co.uk) in the Buy Things section.
I don't want people to think The Demo Project is all I have to offer. It's very much a side-project, or a companion piece, or something-I-don't-know. To avoid people finding this page by accident, I've removed all external links to it from the internet, besides my myspace page (www.myspace.com/mattjohnson) and my homepage (www.mattjohnston.co.uk). By all means, point people in this direction, but please tell them what it is in context before you do.

Can I steal the songs from the project? I mean, you won't have had time to copyright them Don't be an idiot, and definitely don't assume I'm one. All songs are under copyright and registered with the musician's union - it takes me about 10 minutes of my time all in all. Call my bluff if you really want.

What bands should I listen to? I value your opinion highly. The Appleseed Cast, Sufjan Stevens, Bright Eyes, Onelinedrawing, Eels, and Say Anything. Thanks for asking.