Blog, Blog. Who's There?

happy new year!

2009-01-01T10:26:00.000-08:00

Mobile Blogging from here.

I have spent New Years day driving from VA to OH. Last night we played Liberty University's Winterfest. We had a good time and there were about 7500 people there. It's still wierd to me that we drove ten hours to play thirty minutes. It's still not as bad, though, as the time we flew to Sacramento , CA to play for fifteen. I'm not sure why, but this blog sounds robotic. I think I left my brain at the Wingate hotel where I only slept for four hours last night. Maybe I should get some more sleep.

Twitter on the side

2008-10-19T13:09:00.000-07:00

I have now added Twitter to my sidebar, so you can check my "Twitters" out from my blogspot.

Today we're in Vegas. We went down to the strip this morning and walked around a little. It was pretty random. Within a couple hours, I bought a winter jacket in the middle of the desert and saw our old bass player arrest somebody (check out my Twitter). Happy Birthday to me.

Twitter

2008-10-13T23:23:00.000-07:00

Today, I signed for Twitter. It's super easy to use with my phone. Check out my page at http://twitter.com/matthammitt

TOMS (shoes for tomorrow)

2008-09-06T21:47:00.000-07:00

I'm in the van with Carlos from TOMS shoes. He told me Blake, the founder of TOMS had checked out our blogs. In response I thought, "Better blog!"
This weekend, we started "We Need Each Other" the tour. We've had three great shows so far and our fans have raised over $60,000 for building wells in Africa (mochaclub.org). Also, we have partnered with our favorite shoe company, TOMS, to help put shoes on little feet that need them (tomsshoes.com). They will also be my "shoes for tomorrow" when we perform a benefit concert for Extreme Makeover Home
Edition.

"Papa Louie"

2008-07-08T07:08:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago I stood at my Grandfather's bedside as he passed into eternity with Jesus. He had been suffering from breathing complications after a recent heart surgery. "Papa Louie"(pictured left), as my daughter Emmy lovingly called him, was a really simple guy who loved to talk about cars, my travels, and his grandchildren. He was a man of many words, few of them food for thought. We adored his simplicity and never questioned his love. I'll miss him greatly.

If you'd like to hear some of the songs I chose for his viewing and funeral, I published an "imix" at itunes named "Funeral for Grandpa"

Louis G. Hirth, 75, of Toledo, went home to be with the Lord on Wednesday, June 25, 2008, from The Toledo Hospital. The oldest son of Louis W. and Luella F. (Brown) Hirth, he was born on July 7, 1932, in South Toledo, where he spent most of his life. He was a veteran of the US Air Force and it was while serving in the military that he met the love of his life, his wife of 50 years, Clara, who preceded him in death on March 17, 2005. Louis owned and managed Hirth's Sohio, located on the corner of Arlington and Woodsdale, during the late 60's and early 70's, with his father who preceded him in death in 1985. He had previously managed the Sohio station on Spencer Ave. He loved cars and he enjoyed collecting scale model vehicles. He was a generous and loving father, grandfather, great-grand-father and brother, who will be greatly missed by family and friends. He attended Calvary Assembly of God for the past 15 years. Survivors include daughters, Gail (Gary) Hammitt, Etta Hirth of Enterprise, AL, Pam (Jon) Hughes; grandchildren, Aaron (Tara) Hammitt, Matthew (Sarah) Hammitt, Yasmenda (Jay) Neal and Solomon Hughes; great-grandchildren, Ian, Ella, Emmy and Claire Hammitt, and James Fordham Jr.; sisters, Laura (Russell) Watters of Lakeside, CA, Carole Curtiss and brother, Daryl Hirth; as well as many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents; wife; older sister, Delores Floro, and younger brothers, Larry and Jerry Hirth.

about time

2008-06-20T17:50:00.000-07:00

It's been too long since my last post. First thing, Claire is healthy and more or less problem free. She has been on a sleep apnea monitor, but its only a precaution. For a while, things felt really chaotic with Claire being sick, spending time with my wife and two-year old Emmy, and the band stuff. I'm now getting a grip, thank God.
Today we played at Atlanta Fest. The show was good, but I was equally excited that Chick-Fil-A served the meals backstage. I can't get enough of their chicken. Tonight we drive to Nashville, then on to Louisville in the morning. Hopefully it won't be as hot there. Oh yeah, thanks to our producer, Chris Stevens, for letting us use his Suburban.

Where do I start?

2008-05-15T09:29:00.000-07:00

It's been a few weeks since my last blog. My mind has been other places. On April 30th,at 5:17pm, my wife gave birth to our second daughter Claire Lillian Hammitt. the labor and delivery went very well, and our baby was seemingly healthy. After a week at home, I departed for England to perform at a one day music festival called the Ultimate Event. That evening I called Sarah to say goodnight and was surprised by the news that she was in the hospital with our new baby Claire. Claire had developed a fever and wasn't eating well so they went to the ER. Turns out that she had an ear infection which is very rare for a newborn. So my wife and I have spent the past week in the hospital waiting for all the tests and treatments to be completed. The latest report is that she will be fine, but they have discovered that she has sleep apnea. So they will hopefully send us home tomorrow with a breathing monitor. Being in the NICU has really opened my eyes to how blessed we are. So many babies and parents deal with much more than we have been through. Please keep us and all these babies in your prayers.

Cedarville, OH

2008-04-06T05:17:00.000-07:00

I woke up this morning at 3:30am. The band and I are flying back to Ohio to play our last show of the Third Day Live tour. Our wives and and kids will be there, so it will be a good day.

Last weekend, the band shot a video for our song "Whatever You're Doing" in downtown Tulsa. We had to carry our gear up four flights of rubble. I posted a few pics so you could see the place. The guy down on the street in the orange shirt owns the building. He also owns a well known club called Capella's across the street. David Cook from American Idol is one of his bar tenders. I don't watch Idol, but it's a good little factoid if you do.

2008-04-05T04:15:00.000-07:00

I'm in the Albany airport drinking a hazelnut latte from the Coffee Beanery. We are flying to Sacramento for an Aquire the Fire event. Larry the cleaning guy is rambling about the Yankees.

Turkey at Tropicana

2008-03-18T20:03:00.000-07:00

Last night we went bowling with December Radio at Tropicana Lanes St. Louis. The bowling alley made me take off my skullcap and excessively long T-Shirt. At first I was bummed, but I think it it freed me up to bowl a good game. As you can see in the picture I BOWLED A TURKEY!

Losing My Voice, Or Finding It?

2008-03-17T08:58:00.000-07:00

Over the past week, I’ve been the road with the band. We are on tour with Third Day and it’s been a great experience. The first few nights of the tour we’re a little challenging for me because I was having problems with my throat. I’m not really sure what the problem is, but it started with a cough. My throat has been tense and it’s hard to get those high notes. I’ve been doing my warm-ups, eating and drinking the right things, and caring for my voice, but it just doesn’t feel free. After two weeks, it’s pretty much back to normal, but not quite. Send up a prayer for me.

As far as being on the road with Third Day, it’s been great. They are such a good live band. I learn a lot from watching those guys. My favorite part, the thing I will look forward to every night, is singing “Handle With Care” by The Traveling Wilburys with Third Day, Josh from Decemberadio, and Dave from Revive. We’ve only done it one night so far, but it went really well.

By the title of this post, you probably thought I was getting to something profound. Sorry if I let you down. I think it’s time to find a coffee shop in St. Louis. If you see me out there, come say hello.

Still Winter

2008-02-27T13:46:00.000-08:00

The last few days have been treacherous here in Ohio. I took this picture yesterday morning from my front window. Afterwards, I borrowed my neighbors snow blower and cleared six or more inches of snow from my driveway. And it's not over yet.

Tomorrow is my daughter's second birthday party for our family. We bought her a tricycle and a new play table and chairs. I can't believe she's growing so fast!

May 3rd is when our next little girl is due. Life will be glorious chaos when number two shows up!

I-80

2008-02-23T20:54:00.001-08:00

This week, the band and I continued our "We Need Each Other"
promotional tour. On Wednesday night we had to make an unplanned stop
in Coralville, IA due to the aftermath of the midwest blizzards. Thursday
morning our diesel van wouldn't start due to negative
overnight temperatures. So we called for a tow, put our gear into a
rental van and drove on to Des Moine. On the way we saw more of what
looked like scenes from War of the Worlds. You can see in the photo
there is a truck and a van upside down. This was mild compared to what
we saw, I just happened to get a shot of this one. Thank God we made
it safely to and from everywhere we went .

Tony Campolo

2008-02-16T10:50:00.000-08:00

I've been watching Tony Campolo on YouTube and his message is reaching deep into my heart. For a long time, I have allowed politically charged faith related issues to overshadow the primary teaching of Jesus in my life. I am NOT saying that I can overlook any of Jesus' teachings, but that I should pay careful attention to the issue with which He was consumed, caring for the poor and oppressed.

Please take some time to download Tony's podcasts on itunes and watch his messages on YouTube. If it doesn't rock your world then I don't know what will.

Lost on Valentine’s Day

2008-02-15T21:35:00.000-08:00

It’s been a busy week on the road. We spent the last couple of days in Atlanta. Yesterday we were on the J93 morning show and then performed at Arbor Place Mall in Peach Tree City. In the afternoon, we attended two Valentine’s parties at children’s homes in the Atlanta area. It was an eye opening experience to see so many children who have been forced to live away from their parents. As a result, many of them have serious social and behavioral problems. Please pray for these kids, that God would heal their broken hearts and help their group leaders lead them in the right direction.

It was hard spending Valentine’s Day away from our ladies, but we found a sure distraction from missing out on America’s most celebrated date night…by ordering in Italian and watching this season’s third episode of LOST. We all huddled around the hotel television set and watched in anticipation as Sayid and Kate ventured into the jungle to find Charlotte. As usual, we weren’t disappointed. This show keeps getting better and better. They always leave us wanting more. Chris actually gave me a link to a site that presents a solid LOST theory. It’s www.docarzt.com/lost-theories/theory-vile-vortices.php. If you’re into the show, you’ll love this.

Last, but not least, we appeared this morning live across the country on “Everyday With Marcus and Lisa” on FamilyNet TV. Thank you, Marcus and Lisa, for having us on the show. It was a great ending to our time in Atlanta.

And we’re off to Kansas City.

Virginia

2008-02-15T21:30:00.000-08:00

Stanley hangin' with "the locals".

“We Need Each Other” CD Release Week

2008-02-12T20:00:00.003-08:00

It’s finally here, Sanctus Real’s “We Need Each Other” CD release week! The band and I kicked things off yesterday morning in our hometown of Toledo, Ohio. After twelve years of being a band, we went back to where it all started…at Chris and I‘s high school alma mater, Toledo Christian School. Joined by WTOL channel 11 news, we performed songs from our new CD and spoke to the students about the message in our songs. Afterwards, we did over fifteen radio interviews nationwide and finished our day with an in-store performance at the Family Christian store in south Toledo.

This morning we picked back up at Radio U in Columbus. We spent time talking with the morning show hosts, Nikki and Obadiah, about all kinds of random stuff. We have a blast with those guys every time!

And, now, we are driving in a van together. The first leg of our eight-hour trip from Columbus, OH to Winston – Salem, NC has been snowy and bleak, but I have a good feeling about what’s in store.

(Picture from Wal-Mart)

Sacramento, CA

2008-02-09T14:08:00.000-08:00

A few months ago Sanctus Real was asked to play the EMF Broadcasting (a.k.a. Air1 and K-Love) annual corporate awards banquet in Sacramento, CA. We really felt honored to be asked, so of course we said yes. We flew out last Thursday and met up with the VP of radio promotions from Sparrow Records and good friend of ours, Grant Hubbard. So what's the first thing Sanctus Real does when they get to California? Eat at "In N' Out Burger" of course! Anyone who has been to CA knows they have the best burgers and fries in the country. They're food is as fresh and healthy as "fast food" gets. Most of us ordered a "double double" (Double cheeseburger) and fries. It was great as usual.

After lunch we rehearsed a little at the hotel and then drove to the Holiday Inn conference center to do sound check. We played a twenty minute set at 7 pm and then had dinner with Louie Giglio who was the guest speaker. If you don't know who Louie is, you should. He is easily one of the most compelling speakers I have ever heard. After dinner, Louie brought tears to every eye in the room with his "fuitcake" message (google it!). Then, after a few more awards, we played another twenty minute set featuring songs from our new record, "We Need Each Other". The entire evening went really well. Everyone at EMF made it an incredible experience for us. If anyone from EMF is reading this, thank you!

Before we left yesterday , we did on-air interviews with Air1 and K-Love. We played our next single, "Whatever You're Doing" live and hung out for a while. One of the coolest things about being there yesterday is that it was the first day the new morning hosts, Eric and Copellia were on the air. We were really honored to be a part of it. You can check it out at Air1.com.

Before I finish, I want to share a little about the pictures posted up top. Every time I fly, I see the most ridiculous things in Sky Mall magazine. Some stuff is pretty cool, but it's all overpriced and mostly unnecessary to own. Check these out.

The first is "Poop Freeze". This entrepreneur must have seen the movie "Envy" with Jack Black and Ben Stiller. Does anyone think this is a good idea?! Also, notice the "Urine Gone" and the dog with the gacky eye cure to the left.

Some people might love the brownies at the edge of the pan, but I love the gooey ones in the middle...making this the worst brownie pan ever for people like me!

iPhone

2008-02-04T19:08:00.001-08:00

I bought an iphone today. Wow, communication just got a whole lot easier.

I Forgot Stanley!

2008-02-02T09:25:00.000-08:00

This week my wife, Sarah, and I went on a cruise with the band. I performed three nights with the band and was able to spend the rest of my time relaxing with Sarah. We visited Key West, FL and Calica, Mexico. We spent time with friends and ate some great food! It was great for everyone and,as you see, we made it home safe. Thank you Jesus!
I have only one regret...I forgot Stanley!

Stanley's First Trip

2008-01-23T19:51:00.000-08:00

Last weekend, the band had a run of shows in Florida. It was Stanley's first trip out of the back of a book and he was excited to get somewhere warm! We spent time in Ocala, Tampa, and Tallahassee. The most exciting stop was Tampa, where the band performed for 9,000 people at Winter Jam. One of the coolest things about the night was that Stanley got to meet Hunter Smith, the punter for the Indianapolis Colts. Hunter also plays in the group Connersvine. Stanley loves football and was so nervous around Hunter that he didn't say a word. I don't know much about football, but I had to do all the talking. Hunter was really nice and even took a picture with us. Thanks Hunter!

Flat Stanley

2008-01-15T11:00:00.000-08:00

I've seen a few Flat Stanley's in my day, but never knew the story behind it. According to my new Flat Stanley book, he's been around for forty years. I don't have my plan together yet, but look out 'cause my Flat Stanley will be coming to town near you!

Texas and American Gladiators

2008-01-13T20:55:00.000-08:00

First of all, I want to give a shout out to all our friends we saw last week during our Texas radio trip. A huge "thanks" to Jon and Sherry Rivers, KSBJ, KLTY, EMF, and the CMB for being so nice to us! I hope to see you all again soon.

As for less important things...I can't believe that American Gladiators is back with Hulk Hogan as the host! I'm not the only one who's shocked. While I was watching it, I was also at the 'Above the Golden State' myspace sight. Michael Watson had wrote something about it as well. The new Gladiators is back with it's glorious spandex and all new WWF style dialogue. This writers strike is killing me! So much bad reality style television. Almost as bad as the Sanctus Real podcast.

Ten: No More Numbers

2008-01-06T18:21:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure why I thought it was a good idea to number my blogs. Perhaps it was a lame attempt by me, an amatuer "blogger", to gain merit by racking up a hefty count. Wow, ten whole blogs. Just waiting for a star gold star to stick on my self-discipline chart. Ok. Seriously. No more numbers after this.
Today was really good. I went to church this morning and then spent a lot of time with my family throughout the day. We had Boston Market for lunch. I love their sweet potatoes with brown sugar and marshmallows on top. They might be one of my favorite things to eat...ever. The problem is all the carbs weigh me down. Who am I kidding? It's completely worth it every time! I also spent some time on the phone with Chris (Sanctus Real) talking about the marketing plan for our new record. We really think that it's, by far, the best Sanctus Real record we've made. It's really important that we're personally involved in getting the word out. We're actually gearing up for a short promo tour next week, and then we'll be on the road with the band Third Day. So much blogging waiting to happen! Did I just say "blog" again? Who came up with that word anyways? Kind of an ugly word...

Nine: It Was Grand

2008-01-03T07:20:00.000-08:00

Last week, the band performed in Branson, Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, and our hometown of Toledo, OH. All big tourist cities, well, except Toledo. I had never been to any of those other places before. Let me tell you, they are very "grand". Believe it or not we even performed at the Grand Palace in Branson, the Grand Convention Center in Pigeon Forge, and even stayed at the Grand Hotel! Gatlinburg was by far my favorite and there was nothing "grand" there except for a crowd of 7,000 at Extreme Winter conference. All in all, it was a good trip, but I'm glad to be back in my not so grand home again.

I love the picture of Mark sitting in front of the "Waterfall Pool" (At Grand Hotels, waterfalls have their own pool) with the warm glow of the Grand Buffet neon lights on his face.

Eight: RIPA!

2007-12-29T11:46:00.000-08:00

Ripa! That’s what I named this picture. I’m sure I’ll get mixed reactions by admitting that I love waking up to LIVE with Regis and Kelly. With my cup of coffee in hand and plate of eggs on the table (made by my lovely wife Sarah :)). I laugh out loud at the corny comedy and awkward co-host chemistry. Well, enough of that. Here’s how this picture happened…

The band and I were walking trough Central Park in New York City on a day off. As we were passing a side trail, I saw none other than Kelly Ripa walking towards us out of the corner of my eye. I called out to the guys and told them as discretely as possible that I was going to talk to her. As she came closer I made the “sorry to bother you!” face and, surprise, surprise, said, “I’m sorry to bother you! But would you be willing to take a picture with me?” She politely stopped and said, “Sure!” As she took out her ipod headphones I pulled my digital camera from its nerdy belt case. After snapping a picture, I asked her what she was listening to on her ipod. She chuckled and told me she was listening to Madonna. I said, “Just wondering, thanks!” and she smiled and went on her way.

Seven: Fast Cars

2007-12-27T23:26:00.000-08:00

Today I organized the entire contents of my computer, several hundred files that I hadn’t organized for over a year. Amongst them I found old song demos, lyrics, and pictures that I had completely forgotten about. I picked a few of my favorite pictures and decided to use them for my next couple of blogs.

The picture above is probably my favorite of Steven Curtis Chapman and I. It was taken in Charlotte, North Carolina on the Winter Jam tour in February of ’07. Eddie Carswell (of Newsong) took some of us to the Richard Petty Experience at Charlotte Motor Speedway. I have a certificate of how fast I drove somewhere at home, but I think it was about 128 mph. You can imagine that I was on an adrenaline high at the time. I can’t claim to be a big NASCAR fan, but I gained a lot more respect for the drivers that day. We also had a chance to visit the camp for special needs children that was built in honor of Adam Petty after he passed away in a racing accident. It was uplifting to see what an escape it was for kids who went there. After touring Camp Victory and driving fast cars, I topped off the day by performing at Cricket Arena in front of over 10,000 people. Now you know why I love this picture.

Six. I Got It!

2007-12-25T07:12:00.000-08:00

The wonder of watching Emmy share her Magnadoodle with Big Bird.

Five. Christmas Eve

2007-12-24T07:38:00.000-08:00

Christmas Eve...so close to seeing my daughter rip open those nicely wrapped gifts for the first time! Last year, she was still an infant and had no clue what those boxes were all about. She's not much older now, but she get's the idea. It's a little sad, however, to think that one day her excitement could fade and her holidays be clouded by the stress of adult life. What I would give to truly anticipate more than just good food and a couple hours to relax...to get that child like excitement back, feel the wonder of the gifts under the tree, and know the wonder of the gift of Jesus like it were the first time. So this is my Christmas prayer- "Lord, the gift of Jesus will always be enough, but if I could ask for something extra this Christmas...give me the gift of wonder."

These are the first draft lyrics to a Christmas song I wrote a couple weeks ago. I really wish I could figure out how to post audio, because I really love the melody.

"We Are Not Alone"
Words and music by Matt Hammitt

Oh, to sing on Christmas Eve
The final night the world will sleep fearful of the dark,
For there’s a shining star
Leading wise men to the humble place
Where they will find the gift of grace lay before their eyes
Their hearts will quake tonight

For it is known that Christ is born
The King of love has come and our hearts will be His throne
It is known that Christ is born
His name will be Immanuel, God with us, for we are not alone.

Oh, to sing on Christmas day
To look upon a child’s face and know that God’s a friend
To weak and sinful men
For soon enough this child would walk
His strength would bear the rugged cross
And when from death he rose, heaven and earth explode!

For it is known that Christ is born
The King of love has come and our hearts will be His throne
It is known that Christ is born
His name will be Immanuel, God with us, for we are not alone.

Four

2007-12-21T23:11:00.000-08:00

Wrote a cool song yesterday at 5am. I just finished a demo and can't figure out how to post it here. Guess I'll try again tomorrow.

Three

2007-12-19T10:53:00.000-08:00

After a lifetime of counter top microwave technology, I have finally mounted one over the range. Ahhh, the joy of simple things.

Two

2007-12-18T20:43:00.000-08:00

This afternoon, I had new appliances delivered from Lowe's. We bought them on "black friday" because they were supposedly selling them below cost just to get people in the store. Guess it worked. I had fun ripping out cabinets to get my fridge to fit and then installing my over the range microwave. I've always wanted one of those...less wasted counter space. I'm not done yet though, I still have to put the dishwasher in. My wifes (Sarah) uncle Jay is gong to help me so I don't screw it up. We won't do that 'til Thursday. In the meantime, I need to shave.

One

2007-12-18T11:10:00.000-08:00

I'm Matt, thanks for viewing my blogspot. I've tried using myspace, but I like the simplicity of this place. I just spent a bunch of time setting this up and I don't want to bore you with those details, so I'll drop in over the next couple days and actually write about something interesting. Yes, it will be interesting.

Matt