Episode 6: A Discussion on Confidence, the Contagious Nature of Anxiety, Composure and Edgy Performance Banter, and the Benefits of Sincere Compliments with the Reverend Merrill Wade.

Drawing on the concepts presented in Matt’s book, Hooks: Lessons on Performance, Business, and Life from a Working Musician, the Reverend Merrill Wade joins Matt to discuss

• tactful delivery and the art of remaining composed during a performance or presentation,
• finding faith in the ability to build confidence,
• how to discern and manage anxious environments and communication, and
• the necessity and benefits of sincere compliments.

 (The Reverend) Merrill Wade is a recently retired Episcopal priest living in Austin, Texas. Raised on Air Force bases in Florida, Morocco, and Kansas, his family settled in Fort Worth, Texas in the mid-1960s. Merrill graduated from the University of Texas in 1976. He worked in the oil and gas industry for the next nine years, the last six years as a petroleum land manager in Jackson, Mississippi. In 1986 he made a career change, and after having attended and graduated from General Theological Seminary in New York City, he was ordained an Episcopal minister in 1989. Merrill served three congregations in Mississippi (Vicksburg, Long Beach, and Meridian) over the next 13 years. In 2002 he and his wife Crystal and their two young children were called to Austin, Texas, where Merrill served as the Rector of St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church for 17 years, retiring in the Fall of 2019. A music lover, Merrill and St. Matthew’s launched a singer-songwriter series in Austin called the Soul of a Musician Series in 2013. The Soul Series affectionately focused on the heart and soul of the musicians seeking to honor their creativity and vocation. Merrill has spoken on music issues at the South by Southwest Music Conference four times and, on occasion, is interviewed on local “sports talk” radio as an informed live music curator. Merrill is excited about offering his 31 years of non-profit leadership experience in the South and Southwest in support of the staff and board of This is Noteworthy. 

Matt Wilson gained national exposure as the “Piano Man” in the First National Tour of the Billy Joel and Twyla Tharp’s Tony-award-winning musical Movin’ Out. In 2005, the Texas State Senate honored Matt with a resolution for his achievements in Fine Arts, and he was accepted to the 2016 - 2018 Texas Commission on the Arts Touring Roster. Matt continues to tour with his band, headlining numerous public, private, and social events of all sizes. 

In 2021, Matt released his first book, Hooks: Lessons on Performance, Business, and Life from a Working Musician, available on Amazon and iBooks.