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Matthew McAvene (Mack-Uh-Veen) is a highly prolific musical and visual artist with outstanding versatility. After years of travel and self education, he has settled in Santa Barbara as a visionary artist and musician dedicated to the creation of positive and lasting change in the global community. As an inventor, producer, painter, musician, sculptor, writer and designer, it has been said he is one of the most prolific artists in multiple mediums (Montecito Journal, 7/18/05). McAvene's work is vast in style, ranging from primitive to realist.
Since performing publicly in 2005, McAvene created stage backdrops, puppets and effects for his show as well as other acts. He’s opened for the Wailers, Michael Franti & Spearhead, Eddie Money, ALO and Hot Buttered Rum String Band. McAvene’s music and art was featured at the Solutions for Dreamers Festival (2007) which also featured special guest Jack Johnson. McAvene has recorded with Zach Gill (ALO/Jack Johnson) and was recognized on the air as “the best band in Santa Barbara†after winning the FM107.7 Battle of the Bands. Out of 50 band submissions, McAvene was crowned champion and featured at the 2006 MDA Black & Blue Ball benefit.
McAvene worked as a freelance artist at his eldest brothers special effects shop, McAvene Designs in North Hollywood, CA. He created puppets and creature costumes for television shows on Fox and ABC, ice shows for Disney and feature films such as Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back. After 5 years in Los Angeles, he moved to Santa Barbara to raise his son, Benjamin Catch McAvene (b. 2001). In Santa Barbara, McAvene continued producing fine art, specialty effects and manifested ideas for television shows of his own...
In the early 1990s McAvene began a renunciation period, in which he simplified his life in order to focus on inner development. McAvene apprenticed with a variety of free thinking sculptors, painters, poets and performance artists. McAvene returned from his renunciation period and experimented with determination in a Los Angeles garage, recording songs, painting, sculpting and writing.
In 2003, McAvene teamed up with Oniracom (a Santa Barbara media development company dedicated to Solutions for Dreamers) for the production of Wasting Time ( www.wastingtimetv.com ), a 1/2 hour television show about artists, the creative process and the struggle for creative expression.
McAvene has recorded over 2000 songs through an intuitive song-writing process he calls the 'One Take Sessions' under his self-created record label Wizard Records. Throughout the editing process of Wasting Time T.V., Oniracom came to realize the amazing musical talent paralleling McAvenes other artistic achievements. Thus, in turn, led to the development of McAvenes website ( www.matthewmcavene.com ). In 2005, Oniracom created Oniric Records originally to record and produce his debut record 777. (The Triple Seven Album)
777 features 15 original songs by McAvene which are all based on his original One Take Sessions. 777 showcases incredible musicianship, emotional depth and sonic range from fast-paced psychedelic hoe-down to soothing lullaby. McAvenes stream of consciousness lyrics are emphasized by their powerful and captivating social political content touching on themes surrounding the human soul and higher consciousness. Thus he has been dubbed the Acoustic exSTREAM of Consciousness.
