Time to WIN!

I told you to keep an eye on this blog for a chance to win free stuff. That chance is NOW! Over the last couple weeks, I have been playing a LOT of interviews. From my 'week of interviews' from GMA to my Anne Rice interview today (Thursday 5-8) and tomorrow.

Here is how you can win right now. Let me know who else you would like to hear interviewed! Could be a band, author, celebrity, or whatever! Email me at MATT@KAXL.COM right now, and the first response I get with 'BLOG CONTEST' in the subject line will win.

I am giving away a copy of Half-Life/Die Already: How I Died and Lived to Tell About It by Mark Steele. He is a hilarious man, and this is a memoir about how he dealt with some difficult things in his life, but written in a way that makes you laugh. A lot. AND, I'm also going to tuck a couple coupons to Dewars in the pages as well.

It pays to read the blogs! Email me right now, and be sure to include your name and phone number so we can contact you.

GMA update #2 PICTURES!!!

We've had a real busy last few days! We've gotten some great interviews, audio materials and some great resources to bring back to Bakersfield! Here is just a glimpse at some of the things we've had the opportunity to do while in Nashville. Stay tuned in the following weeks as we unveal the audio material we've collected. It was great to sit down with several artists over the last few days and to hear the unique things God has been teaching them and the unique vision and talents God has given each of them. Coming up this afternoon we'll be interview Fee, Sarah Groves and 33 Miles. Hope you all are having a fantastic week in Bakersfield!!

Sunday evening worship night led by Michael W. Smith, Israel (of Israel & New Breed), & Mandisa

Calling into the live KAXL morning show with Dan Schaffer

Interviewing Phil Joel

Fun with Phil Joel

Interviewing Robby Seay

After the Dizmas interview. COOL guys!


Matt interviewing Chris Rice

What a fun guy!!

Hello From Nashville!

We are on our second day here in Music City USA. We arrived in Nashville yesterday afternoon. Saturday was fairly low key aside from getting registered and checked into the hotel. It is nice to not have to dive in full force on the first day, because things soon get crazy. Becky is here with me and today was spent mingling with a lot of the artists.

I should point out that in the radio business, you don't get so easily 'star struck' around all these artists. For me, however, there are a small few. Any time I meet any of the guys from DC Talk, I get nervous. They are legends to me, and meeting Toby Mac (which I did today) made me like a giddy little kid. I'm sure it will be the same for tomorrow when we meet Kevin Max.

This evening we went to a few showcases. It started off with a GMA favorite, Sunday night worship. Michael W Smith traditionally leads it, and this year was joined by Mandisa and Israel (Israel and New Breed). It is always an amazing worship experience. After that, we went to a hip hop show which was on the roof of a tall building which was really fun. Finally, we attended a showcase by BMI artists such as Toby Mac, Brandon Heath, Chris Tomlin, Mercy Me, and more.

Tomorrow the REALLY crazy schedule starts. We have about 8 interviews over the next 2 days. On top of that, there are a number of sessions I will be attending, and I'll be calling in for some live reports (make sure to listen!!). And concerts. There are usually about 4 venues all hosting concerts each night all over downtown Nashville with the greats in Christian music. It can be hard to pick which ones to attend. Such a hard life...

Thats it for now, but check back and I'll try to get some more pictures and updates posted for you. We appreciate all your prayer support as we gather all kinds of great audio to bring back to you!

Are Christians too boring?

If you are reading this, you most likely have heard my show. If you somehow found this blog simply through the blogger website, well, you SHOULD hear my show.

I thought I'd share a few thoughts about what the purpose of the afternoon drive shift that I host is.

All radio shows have a feel to them. Whether its talk radio, music radio, or even news. They all have a specific way things are done and presented. When it comes to the feedback I get for my show, it can be all over the map. Everything from 'I wish you would talk more' to 'I wish there wasn't so much talking' to 'I enjoy how light hearted the show is' and 'you should be more serious on the air.' These are all valid, and are all basically preferences. Let me tell you what the 'feel' of my show is intended to be.

I like to have fun. I believe that far too often, Christians can get overly serious, and lack a sense of fun, much less, a sense of humor. I'm sure you know people like this. KAXL is a ministry, and a Christian station, yes, but I do not believe that Christian media needs to be limited ONLY to alter calls and deep, theological meditation. Christians come in all different kinds of people, with all kinds of different needs as well as gifts. While I do occasionally share something God has been teaching me, I tend to focus more on finding the humor in life. I have nothing against sharing the Gospel on the air, and have done it a number of times, but it is not ALL that I do. Sometimes Christians need a place they can turn for some lighthearted fun. That is my spot on the air, thats the need that I attempt to fill, and thats using the gifts I've been given. Just like Ken Davis says every single day at about 3:20, 'Lighten Up, and Live.' This would probably make for a good slogan for my show, if it were not already taken. :)

On a more practical note, the biggest listening time is during the drive home. The majority of people, after a long day, are looking for something fun and/or encouraging after working hard. There is absolutely a place for in depth Bible study. I love to study the Bible and try to make it a daily practice. My show is not to take the place of Bible study, certainly not! My purpose is to serve believers with clean, positive family fun to help lighten the burdens of the day.

There are some people, believe it or not, that believe using funny stories and jokes belong in the world, not in the body of Christ, and have told me as much. They believe I should only focus on ministry. I believe that ministry comes in all forms. Ministry is not simply alter calls. Remember, whatever we do, we are to do it to the glory of God. I think that too often, those who do not know Christ look at Christians and see nothing more than 'boring people stuck on a bunch of rules.' Unfortunatly, we look like that sometimes. We need the world to see our JOY! We can have fun and be followers of Christ at the same time!

And that's my passion. My show may not cater to everyone, but now you know its purpose. Just like not everyone may like the Sci-Fi channel, it caters to specific people. If you are someone who thinks it's ok for Christians to have fun, and enjoy laughing, thats what I'm here for every afternoon from 2 - 6 on 88.3.

I'd love to hear what you think. Do you also find that Christians can sometimes come across as dull to unbelievers? Do you think it ok for us to have entertainment that is not constant preaching? Give me your thoughts!

The Flying Fortress

This last Monday (March 17th), Dan and I had the privilage of taking a flight on a WWII B-17 Bomber. Talk about perks of being in this business! Along with some other media folks, we had about a 15 or 20 minute flight around Bakersfield. As soon as the wheels lifted off the ground, we were free to walk about the plane, which took some more effort than you might think. It took a lot of ducking, balancing and holding onto the cold, metal sides of the plane to keep from falling over. It was amazing. My favorite part was climbing down a little hatch underneath the cockpit into the very front of the airplane. You could sit on a chair and watch the world fly by underneath you, an amazing vantage point. I really gained a new appreciation for those that served in WWII, as well as those who have been serving our country since. My words can't do it justice, so check out some of the pictures we took from that day.


Pretty awesome feeling holding a .50 calibur machine gun with a city below

A view from above

The catwalk above the bomb door, right behind the cockpit. Took some effort to navigate across this with the plane bobbing up and down.

The Flying Fortress prepares for take off

Dan and I giddy as little girls before the flight!

I'm really glad they waited untill we moved before starting the engine above our heads

The best seat in the house..er, war-plane... This was the nose of the B-17, and my favorite part with an amazing view.

I wanted to sit there the entire flight, but I think other media folks were getting annoyed that I was taking too long, including the TV guy who I asked to take my picture here.

Fun things ahead!

Hellllooooooooo everyone!

First, I'd like to start by saying it was really cool to see some of our listeners who showed up at Yakzir-Makah these last couple weeks. If you think that I just phonetically typed out a sneeze, see my posts below to find out what Yakzir-Makah is (be sure to check out the pictures right below this). New comers are still welcome to join, by the way.

Well we have some really fun things ahead in the next several weeks. Today (March 11) Frank Viola will be on-air at 4:00pm. Frank is the author of Pagan Christianity (along with the more well known George Barna) and we will be talking about the controversial ideas addressed in the book. Make sure you don't miss it!

Next up, this coming Monday (17th) Dan and I are thrilled to be taking a flight in the historic Liberty Belle B-17 bomber. This WWII plane has been restored and will be in Bakersfield next week, with public flights available March 22nd. Be watching the website and my blog for pictures, and listen in to hear all the details about this unique opportunity next week.

Coming in April, I will be talking to Mark Steele, author of the upcoming book Half-Life Die Already. Mark's first book, Flashbang: How I got Over Myself, was hilarious, but also drove home some solid, Biblical truth through his outrageous stories. That will be April 8th at 4:00pm.

And of course, April is a big month for me as I'll be heading to GMA in Nashville. I am in the middle of lining up interviews there as well with your favorite artists!

Lots of exciting things ahead, so make sure to keep it tuned in!

The BIG studio fight!

As many of you may already know, on Friday I invited Mike Martinez of the Independant Yakzir Maka Federation ( a faith-based martial art) to talk with me in the studio. We had a great tiem, and the interview went well. What you DIDN'T hear though, came after we turned off the mics. Just to test my skill, I thought I'd surprise Mike and attack him. It started well, as you can see here-

However, let me assure you that it is NEVER wise to attack an experienced martial artist with multiple black belts. I soon learned this lesson the hard way. He came back at me before I even knew what was happening-

And finally, Mike ended the squbble as quickly as it had begun with a Judo-throw right onto the studio sound board-

At this point, I figured Mike had had enough, so I let him go.....

If you want some more information on Yakzir-Maka, please check out the website. Its right here in Bakersfield, its Christ-centered, and its completely free! http://ymfederation.googlepages.com