Matthew Lien
Encyclopedia
Matthew Carl Lien is a Yukon
, Canada
based world music
singer-songwriter
and producer. His primary lyrical and musical focus is on environmental
and cultural themes.
, Yukon
each summer, eventually moving there when he was 16.
Lien taught himself to play piano when he was 10 years old, and later learned how to record and produce music in high school and afterwards.
He also taught himself to score for contemporary, traditional folk, and classical musicians by asking friends for help and working long hours alone.
As recording was an expensive undertaking for the independent Lien, he would work at various jobs in California or in the Yukon, until he saved enough money, and then record three songs at a time in San Diego studios.
The first song he ever formally recorded was in a recording studio at San Diego Senior High School
. The song, called "Kecia's Song," was inspired by the death of his friend and classmate, Kecia Cummings.
After high school, he recorded three more songs at Hit Single recording studio, with a classic rock band "Down To Earth" for which he was lead singer and keyboardist.
He later recorded his own solo material in San Diego recording studios, at Mix Masters recording studios, where he received a certificate in Advanced Engineering, and at Steve Vaus Productions where he met recording engineer Michael W. Harris.
As Lien's recordings became more advanced, with numerous musicians and layers of diverse instrumentation, he eventually required more advanced studios with automation, such as Lyonshare and The Complex in Hollywood, California.
Preferring his native San Diego to Los Angeles
, he discovered Signature Sound recording studios in San Diego, California, which is owned by his friend and musician/producer Luis Ortega whom he met earlier at Mix Masters, where he recorded most of his albums to date, with the exception of his Hybrid SACD
"Arctic Refuge" which was recorded at Bryan Adams
' Warehouse Studio
in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Lien's first international release, "Bleeding Wolves," was released in southeast Asia by independent record distributor Wind Music
of Taiwan. The non-pop album became a sensation, rapidly achieving multi-platinum status in Taiwan, and having sold millions of copies on the piracy market in China.
He now has a fan base of millions in Taiwan
and China, where he is known for his environmental music and his work with aboriginal and traditional cultures. His profile in Taiwan is such that he has received government appointments and is sought for commercial endorsements.
Matthew Lien is a co-founder the Caribou Commons Project, a coalition of artists and activists working for the permanent protection of Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
. Matthew Lien has also released two albums focusing on the same issue, including "Caribou Commons", and "Arctic Refuge".
. Daisy gave birth to a son on May 24, 2009.
Yukon
Yukon is the westernmost and smallest of Canada's three federal territories. It was named after the Yukon River. The word Yukon means "Great River" in Gwich’in....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
based world music
World music
World music is a term with widely varying definitions, often encompassing music which is primarily identified as another genre. This is evidenced by world music definitions such as "all of the music in the world" or "somebody else's local music"...
singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
and producer. His primary lyrical and musical focus is on environmental
Environmentalism
Environmentalism is a broad philosophy, ideology and social movement regarding concerns for environmental conservation and improvement of the health of the environment, particularly as the measure for this health seeks to incorporate the concerns of non-human elements...
and cultural themes.
Career
During his childhood in San Diego, Lien would visit his father at Dezadeash LakeDezadeash Lake
Dezadeash Lake is a lake of Yukon, Canada. It borders Kluane National Park, and lies along the edge of the Saint Elias Mountains.A World War II military camp was based here, at kilometer 202 of the Haines Highway, during the construction of the Haines and Alaska Highways. This camp was later...
, Yukon
Yukon
Yukon is the westernmost and smallest of Canada's three federal territories. It was named after the Yukon River. The word Yukon means "Great River" in Gwich’in....
each summer, eventually moving there when he was 16.
Lien taught himself to play piano when he was 10 years old, and later learned how to record and produce music in high school and afterwards.
He also taught himself to score for contemporary, traditional folk, and classical musicians by asking friends for help and working long hours alone.
As recording was an expensive undertaking for the independent Lien, he would work at various jobs in California or in the Yukon, until he saved enough money, and then record three songs at a time in San Diego studios.
The first song he ever formally recorded was in a recording studio at San Diego Senior High School
San Diego High School
San Diego High School is an urban public educational complex comprising six small schools located on the southern edge of Balboa Park, in San Diego, California. It is part of the San Diego Unified School District. It is the oldest high school in the San Diego Unified School District and one of the...
. The song, called "Kecia's Song," was inspired by the death of his friend and classmate, Kecia Cummings.
After high school, he recorded three more songs at Hit Single recording studio, with a classic rock band "Down To Earth" for which he was lead singer and keyboardist.
He later recorded his own solo material in San Diego recording studios, at Mix Masters recording studios, where he received a certificate in Advanced Engineering, and at Steve Vaus Productions where he met recording engineer Michael W. Harris.
As Lien's recordings became more advanced, with numerous musicians and layers of diverse instrumentation, he eventually required more advanced studios with automation, such as Lyonshare and The Complex in Hollywood, California.
Preferring his native San Diego to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, he discovered Signature Sound recording studios in San Diego, California, which is owned by his friend and musician/producer Luis Ortega whom he met earlier at Mix Masters, where he recorded most of his albums to date, with the exception of his Hybrid SACD
Super Audio CD
Super Audio CD is a high-resolution, read-only optical disc for audio storage. Sony and Philips Electronics jointly developed the technology, and publicized it in 1999. It is designated as the Scarlet Book standard. Sony and Philips previously collaborated to define the Compact Disc standard...
"Arctic Refuge" which was recorded at Bryan Adams
Bryan Adams
Bryan Adams, is a Canadian rock singer-songwriter, guitarist, bassist, producer, actor and photographer. Adams has won dozens of awards and nominations, including 20 Juno Awards among 56 nominations. He has also received 15 Grammy Award nominations including a win for Best Song Written...
' Warehouse Studio
The Warehouse Studio
The Warehouse Studio is a music recording facility in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, owned by Bryan Adams.- The building :The Warehouse Studio is housed in the oldest brick building in Vancouver, which is located in present-day Gastown...
in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Lien's first international release, "Bleeding Wolves," was released in southeast Asia by independent record distributor Wind Music
Wind Music (record label)
Wind Music , formerly Wind Records is an independent record label based in Xindian, Taiwan specializing in traditional Taiwanese and Chinese music. The company has recorded a number of collections of documentary recordings, notably of the music of the minority peoples of Taiwan and China.The...
of Taiwan. The non-pop album became a sensation, rapidly achieving multi-platinum status in Taiwan, and having sold millions of copies on the piracy market in China.
He now has a fan base of millions in Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
and China, where he is known for his environmental music and his work with aboriginal and traditional cultures. His profile in Taiwan is such that he has received government appointments and is sought for commercial endorsements.
Activism
Matthew Lien is the President of the John Graham Defense Committee.Matthew Lien is a co-founder the Caribou Commons Project, a coalition of artists and activists working for the permanent protection of Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is a national wildlife refuge in northeastern Alaska, United States. It consists of in the Alaska North Slope region. It is the largest National Wildlife Refuge in the country, slightly larger than the Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge...
. Matthew Lien has also released two albums focusing on the same issue, including "Caribou Commons", and "Arctic Refuge".
Personal
In 2009, Lien married Ms. Liu Kuan-yu (English name: "Daisy"), a Taiwanese national from a well-connected family in Miaoli CountyMiaoli County
Miaoli County is a county in western Taiwan. The name Miaoli was coined using two Hakka words, cat and raccoon dog , which phonetically approximate Pali , a community of Taokas people...
. Daisy gave birth to a son on May 24, 2009.
Discography
- 1987: Music to See By (re-released in 2003 with the bonus song "Unicorn")
- 1995: Bleeding Wolves
- 1997: Confluence
- 1999: Voyage to Paradise
- 1999: Caribou Commons (with various artists)
- 2000: Touching the Earth
- 2001: In So Many Words
- 2004: Arctic Refuge
- 2005: A Journey Of Water
- 2006: The Universal Musician - Matthew Lien Live in Concert (2-DVD)
- 2007: Moving Through Twilight
- 2008: Adventures in the Hakka Heartland
- 2008: Spirits of Orchid Island (soundtrack music for HD-DVD by PTS Taiwan)
External links
- Matthew Lien official website Matthew Lien official website - Chinese
- MySpace: Matthew Lien
- The Globe and Mail: "Yukon Gold: A Canadian musician who's bigger than Jesus...in Taiwan" (11 March 2006, Alexandra Gill, accessed 21 May 2006 via Workopolis) Wind Records (Taiwan): Matthew Lien info Wind Records (Taiwan): Matthew Lien forum
- Taiwan Headlines: "Matthew Lien - an arctic musician strikes a warm chord with Taiwan"
- John Graham Defense Committee
- COMMUNITY COMPASS: Canadian musician weds in Nantou