Toaster Fires an EP and was recorded By Brian Koehler out of Topsoil studios in Oshkosh WI. It was then mastered by Ramie Espinoza at Firebird recording in Milwaukee, WI. Recording began in October of 2007 and the EP was completed on December 8th 2007. The album was recorded live. with the exception of the bass guitar and organ tracks which were over dubbed afterwards. Thank you to Brian Koehler and Ramie Espinoza. Thank you to Matt Koch for your production management, to Cody Calderon for drum work, thank you to the Oshkosh La Quinta where we braved many a cold night, and thank you to the American Table on Main in Oshkosh for keeping us well fed. A value is required.

Monkey Highway was recorded in the fall of 2004 and was completed by early spring 2005. The album was recorded live i.e. each player laid down their tracks at the same time.  Thank you very much to Ramie Espinoza for being so supportive and helpful during the recording process. A value is required.

I signed Merry Christmas Bullshit over to paramount group, but I still like our version better. “Being a Local Musician” was done in 2006 for a UWO students college project. A value is required.

This album is fun to listen to if you want a good laugh and to see how far we've come, but it is not recommended for listening pleasure. This album was never titled because it was originally recorded so that I could catalog and copyright my material...which we did in case you wanted to steal something. I recorded 7 songs with Nate Schreiber and Adam "Moose" Dahlstrom. This was the original band. Back when we were calling ourselves the King Soul Assembly. I also recorded 11 other songs solo/acoustic. We used the trio songs later on to get us our first shows. This album was recorded prior to any performance save the WUHS variety show. A value is required.

The acoustic part of the Miracle Sound sessions is a bit more bearable to digest than the band portion, just because there was less that could go wrong.  This album was put together during my "bedroom artist" phase. The bedroom artist phase is any time when an artist does most of his playing in his bedroom, or at home. The tell tale signs of a bedroom artist are; quiet, soft songs where the artist always seems to be holding back. This is the natural result from constantly trying not to disturb your nieghbors. A value is required.

 

Now available at online stores

"Rhythm Ethics" can be found at most online music stores (e.g. itunes), and may be purchased at haeffel.com. Visit myspace.com/mathewhaeffel to hear samples. Free* copies are available in limited quantity at performances! Article by Bobby Tanzillo for onmilwaukee.com - online magazine: Eight years into his career as a performing musician, Mathew Haeffel has played nearly 700 gigs. That's nearly two entire years' of shows. Despite all that hard work on stage and on the road -- or maybe exactly because of it -- Haeffel only recently issued his first full-length CD. "Rhythm Ethics" was recorded last winter with Rae Nimeh at Chicago's United Technique studio on South Michigan Avenue. The record has 10 well-crafted tracks that will especially delight fans of the likes of John Mayer and Jason Mraz. It's been a long time since we checked in with him, so we caught up with Haeffel recently to ask about "Rhythm Ethics" and more. OnMilwaukee.com: How has life been for the band lately? Lots of gigs? Mathew Haeffel The gig list has been steadily growing since inception. Over the past few years the live performance average has been upwards of 100 shows. Playing has occurred in 60 plus cities across the Midwest and expansion is forthcoming. With such a hefty schedule, it has been difficult to find musicians able to commit to so many dates. As such, the latest incarnation of "the band" has been a mixture of many talented artists. I play solo, duo, trio, quartet, quintet. Each show consists of different players -- chosen from a list of many different percussionists, bassists, keyboardists, guitarists, horn players, etc. -- that have all agreed to supply backing instrumentation on a case by case basis. It has been really great for me to experience playing with different talented musicians every show. It helps to hone my abilities as a player and has helped me to make new friendships and associates that I otherwise may never have had the pleasure of meeting. Logistically, it helps for me to be able to alter performances to feature different settings. A typical week of shows will consist of a dinner setting, club setting, festival setting or any other type of setting. This "chameleon" effect positively affects the amount of shows I can play. OMC: Tell us about the latest record and where, when and how it was made. MH: "Rhythm Ethics" is my first attempt at a "radio" quality recording, to coin a music industry term that means "a really good one." Previous recordings were made primarily to catalog and copyright material, and to acquire gigs. Having made those previous recordings and the mistakes that come along with it, as well as meeting professionals and gaining the wisdom they've shared, I was more confident and prepared for the recording of "Rhythm Ethics." I like to let songs work themselves out, and one of the best ways to do that is to write during live performances. A lot of the album was written on stage at different performances over the past couple years. The changes, syncopations and most of the lyrics were written in solidarity. I met a musician, Larry Hubbard, through some ads I posted looking for bassists. Larry played/produced for the group BassX and has played with many great groups including Destiny's Child. We played several shows together and he connected me with United Technique and sound engineer Rae Nimeh in Chicago. Rae has played with Disturbed and recorded with industry heavyweights such as Beyonce and Mariah Carey. He has the best studio I've had the honor of playing in and is one of the best sound engineers around. Larry and Rae taught me invaluable information and were greatly helpful in making "Rhythm Ethics." The players on this recording are beyond talented. Larry Hubbard played bass guitar for the song "Wonder" and Ricky Peterson laid down the organ. Ricky Peterson has played with greats such as Prince, John Mayer and Bonnie Raitt. It is an honor to have his talents on my new album. Matt Turner played bass for most of the album. Matt has played with great acts such as the BoDeans, De La Buena and Stealing Strings. Cody Calderon played drums for the album and has played with Chinese Finger Trap, The Superchiefs and Herman Astro. OMC: It has a very relaxed vibe to it. Does that reflect the mood of the sessions? MH: The sessions were actually quite intense; five 12-hour days over three weekends -- not to mention Illinois toll way traffic -- but everything went so smooth. Perhaps the "relaxed vibe" is the result of careful preparation, great players and an excellent studio, which led to an almost effortless, though intense, recording session. OMC: Why did you choose Chicago for recording? Did recording down there -- in terms of logistics but also vibe -- change the way you approached making the record? * (free versions do not include jewel case nor the 10page booklet insert which includes lyrics and biographical information.) A value is required.

Free Downloads below!

"The complete catalog" - EP "Toaster Fires" 2008, song "Merry Christmas Bullshit" 2007 (paramount version 2006), "Monkey Highway" 2006, "Crazy Crazy Good" 2004, "Blue" (Mathew Haeffel) 2002.

Crazy Crazy Good was recorded live by producer Gary Tanin (recorded Daryl Strummer), at The Bosch in Hales Corners WI in 2003. Adam Dahlstrom on Bass, Nate Schreiber on Drums, Brian Wilke on Congas. A value is required.