March 31, 2009 — 5:12pm ET | By Jason Ankeny

Rob Thomas at CTIA

Calling himself “a Twittering fool,” Matchbox Twenty frontman Rob Thomas sung the praises of new digital platforms during his keynote appearance at Tuesday’s Mobile Entertainment Live! event in Las Vegas, proclaiming that mobile and online channels have “eliminated the middleman between you and your fans.” Thomas was particularly effusive in his appreciation for micro-blogging service Twitter–earlier this month, the singer launched an account to announce the mid-April release of “Her Diamonds,” the first single from his upcoming solo album Cradlesong, and said that more than 9,000 fans now follow his posts. “At first it’s daunting, but then you realize how easy [Twitter] is, and you begin waking up at 9:00 am to talk to fans in your underwear,” the self-effacing Thomas cracked.

Thomas also announced that his longtime label Atlantic Records will spotlight Cradlesong by launching a mobile version of its desktop application Fanbase, which offers social media features alongside news, photos and video content. “It’s a one-stop for me,” Thomas said. “You’re creating your own little world–your own little radio station and your own little news center.”

For Thomas, the digital platform is above all another outlet for creative expression. “You’re limited only by what you want to give,” he said. “You can be as connected as you want to be.”

Original Source: http://www.fiercewireless.com/ctialive/story/matchbox-twentys-thomas-sings-praises-mobile/2009-03-31

rob thomas fanbase application

Rob’s new website is online and it is absolutely gorgeous ! While Rob is a keynote speaker at the CTIA Wireless in Las Vegas, his new website as well as a new fanbase desktop application bringing Rob news directly to your desktop was launched while a snippet of the first single “Her Diamonds” was shared via  Twitter.

Find his website and fanbase application here: http://www.robthomasmusic.com

You can download the “Her Diamonds” snippet by entering your twitter account name on Rob’s website at http://www.robthomasmusic.com/follow and verifying you are following Rob on twitter

Follow him at http://www.twitter.com/ThisIsRobThomas (and yes, it’s him and not a ghost writer)

Also you can find a few clips from the conference here:

http://www.flixwagon.com/gomobile

A newsletter has just been sent out giving a phone number where you can hear messages from Rob AND leave your own message for him  – 917-338-4077 !

Here is the newsletter:

Welcome to the Official Rob Thomas E-Newsletter.  It’s been a while and we’re happy to be back. We’ve got a lot coming up and are really excited to share everything with you all as we hear it.

First off, Rob has officially announced the title of his new solo album: cradlesong. The album arrives on June 30 and will be preceded by the first single, ‘Her Diamonds’.

Second, ROB HAS JOINED TWITTER!! If you want to be the first to hear breaking news directly from Rob (and find out what he’s doing all day), make sure to follow Rob on Twitter at twitter.com/ThisIsRobThomas. Plus, Rob mentioned to us earlier that he might be sending out the first clip of ‘Her Diamonds’ through Twitter next week, so make sure to follow him now!

Finally, you can now call Rob!  Give him a call at 917-338-4077 and leave him a voicemail with any questions or comments you have (let’s keep it appropriate please).

Thanks all for your support! (Our apologies for all the exclamation points in this week’s newsletter!) You will be hearing more from us soon.

-The Rob Thomas Web Crew

03.26.09

Rob Thomas album coming soon

Rob Thomas has announced the forthcoming release of his second solo album, entitled “CRADLESONG.” Due on June 30th, the album features the first single, “Her Diamonds,” which will hit radio and video outlets in mid-April. Once again produced by Matt Serletic, “CRADLESONG” is the eagerly anticipated follow-up to Thomas’ 2005 solo debut – the #1, RIAA platinum “…SOMETHING TO BE.”

“I like musical hybrids,” says Thomas about the musical direction of the new album. “Like, ‘What would it sound like if we took Prince’s drummer and mixed him with really amazing Nashville players?’ I like to take everyone just left of their comfort zone and record it.”

Original Source:  http://www.atlanticrecords.com/news/article/?articleId=8a0af8122040e2dc012043f388ad0654

Written by Rob Thomas, published on the album "Something to be"

It's never easy and you never know
What leaves you crying
And what makes you whole
There ain't no way that I can hold it down
Fallin' to pieces
Forever in doubt

But it's alright
Why don't you tell me again
How you'll still be there
When the heartache ends
But it's alright
Why don't you tell me, my friend
How you'll still be there
When the heartache ends

There ain't nobody who can show you how
To find the surface when you're underground
There ain't no blanket that can hide this cold
There ain't no memory
That ever gets old

But it's alright
Why don't you tell me again
How you'll still be there
When the heartache ends
But it's alright
Why don't you tell me, my friend
How you'll still be there
When the heartache ends

And I move all directions
To the corners and the outskirts
While the lovers and the lonely
Start to whisper all about me
And if I stand here silent
I almost start to feel you fading in
Telling me hold on

Cause it's gonna be alright
Why don't you tell me again
How you'll still be there
When the heartache ends
But it's alright
Why don't you tell me, my friend
How you'll still be there
When the heartache ends
How you'll still be there
When the heartache ends

Say you'll be with me
When the heartache ends

Rob Thomas
Cradlesong
6/30

On the follow-up to his chart-topping 2005 solo debut, Rob Thomas tries on New Wave (the synthy, Devo-esque “Gasoline”), country (“Getting Late”) and world music (“Her Diamonds,” featuring Japanese taiko drums). “I recorded all these moments when I felt, like, ‘I’m Paul Simon,’ or ‘I’m INXS,’ ” says the Matchbox Twenty singer. “But I still retained my identity as a songwriter — I just dressed it up.”

Rob is gonna perform for the fundraiser of City Harvest NYC April 22nd. The Event is hosted by David Arquette

Wednesday, April 22
Cipriani 42nd Street
110 East 42nd Street

6:30 pm
Cocktails and Silent Auction

7:30 pm
Awards Presentation followed by
Dinner and Live Auction

Performance by
Rob Thomas and Marc Shaiman
As directed by Adam Shankman

Man, it’s a hot one
Like seven inches from the midday sun
Well, I hear you whispering the words that melt everyone
But you stay so cool
My muñequita, my Spanish Harlem Mona Lisa
You’re my reason for reason
The step in my groove

And if you said this life ain’t good enough
I would give my world to lift you up
I could change my life to better suit your mood
Cause you’re so smooth

And it’s just like the ocean under the moon
It’s the same as the emotion that I get from you
You got the kind of lovin’ that can be so smooth, yeah
Gimme your heart, make it real,
Or else forget about it

I’ll tell you one thing
If you would leave it’d be a crying shame
In every breath and every word
I hear your name calling me out
Out from the barrio, you hear my rhythm on your radio
You feel the turning of the world so soft and slow
Turning you round and round

And if you said this life ain’t good enough
I would give my world to lift you up
I could change my life to better suit your mood
Cause you’re so smooth

And its just like the ocean under the moon
it’s the same as the emotion that I get from you
You got the kind of lovin that can be so smooth, yeah
Gimme your heart, make it real
Or else forget about it

And its just like the ocean under the moon
it’s the same as the emotion that I get from you
You got the kind of lovin that can be so smooth, yeah
Gimme your heart, make it real
Or else forget about it

Rob Thomas on Twitter

Yes, it’s true, Rob found his way to twitter and he invites everyone to join him (as per his post on his messageboard !)

yes, friends. i am twittering. it was not something i thought i was going to do, but truth is, it’s a way to throw up quick, random thoughts, and let’s face it, that’s how i think. having a hard time getting to everyone, but i’m twittering my ass off!!! LET’S GO!!
damn the man.
Rt

You heard it ;)

His page is http://twitter.com/ThisIsRobThomas
Enjoy his tweets !

After making a not so clear clarification about the name of his new album “cradlesong”, Rob posted another  re-clarification in regards to his earlier post … rockstars are allowed to make typos too …

Posted 03 March 2009 09:18 PM
hey peeps! just wanted to make sure that we were all on the same page. the record will be called CRADLESONG. one word. plural. but, i’m glad you guys are talking about it and you can call it whatever you want! so, a few tidbits: we’ve mixed 11 songs so far. we recorded 27!!! the record will have 12 songs, but the first pressing will have an extra 3 on it as well. we’re still trying to figure out which are which and later in the year i’m going to try to find a way to release the others, but i’ll keep popping them out here and there at shows. we’ve just picked the first single and are starting to look for video directors. very exciting!! new u2 is out. lost is getting good…i guess that’s it for now. i’ll keep you guys filled in as we go along.
damn the man.
Rt

And here is the re-clarification:

Posted 06 March 2009 05:36 AM
umm. that would be CRADLESONG, singular. now that i’ve sobered up a bit, that makes much more sense.
Rt

and

rob thomas cradlesong

Mar 2, 2009, 08:00 AM | by Clark Collis

Rob Thomas has played EW half of his new solo album, Cradle Song, which is due to hit stores June 30. The Matchbox Twenty frontman had originally intended for his second solo CD to channel the Latin music-fueled vibe of Paul Simon’s 1990 The Rhythm of the Saints collection. But the tracks EW heard roam from the INXS-esque power pop of “Meltdown” (a possible first single) to the epic, tribal drum-driven “Fire on the Mountain” (which was inspired by Dave Eggers’ book What Is the What) to the Tom Petty-evoking “Getting Late” (the set’s likely closer and a track Thomas describes as “a little ditty about death”).

After Thomas finished previewing his follow-up to 2005′s chart-topping collection …Something to Be, he talk to us about the new material, the future of Matchbox, and the time he smoked Salman Rushdie like a bong.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: There are a lot of lyrics on Cradle Song about troubled relationships. Does your wife, Marisol, ever say, “Hey, it would be nice if you wrote about us having a good time”?
ROB THOMAS: I only write songs when we’re having a bad time, it just works that way. But she’s a good sport.

“Meltdown” has a definite Kick-era INXS feel to it.
That was in our sights without a doubt. I was born in ’72. I’m an ’80s child. I feel like that’s really represented on this record.

And “Getting Late” definitely tips a hat to Tom Petty.
In my heart, Willie Nelson and Tom Petty –- that is it for me. I have to make records that I like. But I want to feel they would like them too. That, if they heard it, they wouldn’t hate it.

And not sue for plagiarism.
Well, yeah, that would help!

So, what happened to your master plan of evoking The Rhythm of the Saints?
I was writing all these songs and they just didn’t fit in that vibe. But I grew up thinking that album and Graceland were the coolest things that ever existed. I guess I was at the right age when they came out. I remember I was sitting with George Michael talking about The Wall. To me, that’s one of the greatest records ever made. But he’s a little older than me, and he’s English, and he had an affinity for Pink Floyd before The Wall and so he has a completely different opinion.

You share a manager with George Michael. But I still find the idea of the two of you sitting around discussing The Wall one of the oddest I’ve ever heard.
Isn’t it? I have a picture of me smoking him. Because I smoke famous people. Not in a, like, a weird sexual way.

Yeah, you’re really going to have to expand on that.
I take pictures of me grabbing your thumb and pretending to smoke you like a bong. A long time ago I took a picture of me pretending something was a bong. And so me and my stoner friends started to do that with everything. Then I got a few famous people let me smoke them. I have pictures of me smoking Salman Rushdie, PJ O’Rourke, George Michael, Alicia Keys, I think. I’m hoping to build it up so I can have a coffee table book of me smoking famous people. To me, it’s about people that you just wouldn’t expect to be up for that kind of silliness and frivolity. Like, I would never in a million years think that Salman Rushdie would be that kind of guy. But he is. He’s the kind of guy that will sit with you for hours and have a lot of drinks and talk about books. And let you smoke him!

Matchbox Twenty haven’t released a proper new album since 2002′s More Than You Think You Are. Is there any news on that front?
I think next month we’re going to get together in Nashville and start writing some stuff. We want to build it up so that, when I’m done with this, we can be ready to do a Matchbox record.

Do you know when that might come out?
I can’t imagine. [Laughs] We just did a gig two weeks ago –- a casino gig –- and I said, “Guys, the rule is, until my record is out, you can’t ask me any questions about what I think is going to happen. I’ve got to get this record out. That’s the rule!”

The creator of Veronica Mars is also called Rob Thomas. Do you ever get his mail?
No. But e-mail a lot. And I get a lot of people that are, like, Hey, I didn’t know you wrote for Veronica Mars! I’m, like, I’m working hard!