Tag: Matthew Todd

Gaitway Brothers – an inspiring true story

Gaitway-Brothers-before-and-afterLife is full of tragic and touching stories. Peter and Steven Gait – the Scottish twin singers better known as the Gaitway Brothers – have just turned 15-years-old. At this time of year, we often find ourselves looking back with amazement at how much we have achieved and with nostalgia at how much has changed.

It has been my privilege to work with the boys since they were 10-years-old and to share, not only in their musical journey, but also in that dangerous adventure that every adolescent boy must take: their journey to manhood.  

Gaitway-Brothers

Though every boy must rise to this challenge, it cannot be overstated how difficult if can be. The Gaitway Brothers are no stranger to tragedy and perhaps this gives some of their music it’s unique pathos which fans often describe. I asked Steven and Peter to share personally a little about themselves:

Steven

Gaitway-Brothers-Steven“I was born in Scotland and I live Helensburgh. A lot of our songs are old traditional music and it’s written by Matthew or people we work with. 

A big struggle for me was my Dad passed away when I was 9. My Papa and Nana give me the strength to persevere because they are really supportive of me. 


My advice to other young people trying to succeed in music is try hard, don’t give up don’t listen to all the people that make fun of you or say you can’t do it. 

Please keep supporting us b sharing our videos and tell people to ‘like’ us, follow us etc. Thank you so much for all you do. I want to give special thanks to Matthew Todd, Phil Todd, Nathan my Papa, Mum and Nana”

Gaitway-Brothers-With-You-2

Peter

Gaitway-Brothers-Peter-ninja

“I was born in the Vale of Leven in Alexandria which is in in Scotland and I live in Helensburgh. My biggest musical inspiration is Matthew Todd, our manager and our friend.

We sing lots of traditional Scottish music and have other songs about God. Some of the songs we have sung are written by Matthew Todd and we do covers of other songs like ‘Human’ by the Killers.

Our Dad passed away when we were 9. It was hard and was a dark time for me. My Nana and Papa help me carry on because they encourage me and are very supportive, and my Mum as well.

My ambition is to learn Japanese and to achieve higher in all the subjects I choose at school and advance higher in some too.  I want to go to university and go to Japan and go to the Pokémon store and theme park.

My advice to other young people would be to try as hard as possible, believe in yourself and stick to it and practice.

Please keep on watching our music videos on youtube and subscribe to us and go to our website www.gaitwaybrothers.com

A special thank you to Matthew Todd, Phillip Todd, Nathan Todd, Mum, Nana, Papa and all our fans and the people who have helped in our music videos.

Keep following us :)”

 

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Rivenmaster Passing The Torch

 passing the torch

Rod Johnson aka Rivenmaster
Rod Johnson aka Rivenmaster

It’s been nearly six years that Rod Johnson aka Rivenmaster has been promoting young talent on this website and during this time the site has grown exponentially. Over 130 young artists have graced the pages here some being featured on a variety of occasions and numerous times. 

During this time period Rivenmaster’s Place has reached every habitable continent and provided opportunities for young musical prodigies to be featured for the very first time on a platform extending into the entertainment industry. In addition to helping introduce these talented youngsters to other talent scouts and producers, the site has also been instrumental in recommending some of these musical prodigies for scholarships and helped put them in contact with both television and radio producers. 

Author and owner Rod Johnson, aka Rivenmaster has decided to step down from the ownership of Rivenmaster’s Place and will soon be passing all ownership and managerial rights to Matthew Todd, an exceptionally qualified and dedicated young professional author, teacher, and vocal artist. 

While Rod plans to stay on as an author and will still submit occasional publications, the sole responsibility and all managerial duties will belong to the new owner, Author Matthew Todd. 

“I’m very excited about this”, said Rod Johnson. “Rivenmaster’s Place has needed an infusion of new blood with fresh ideas and the time and energy to take it to the next level. We need a new look with a new platform that can reach all forms of new technology. For the longest time we have needed to change the site so it will work better on Smart Phones and Tablets in addition to still function well on laptops, and desktop computers. Matthew Todd is not only a proven author with the ability to inspire youth in music as a teacher, but already has a team to help him accomplish many of the things that I have been desiring to do with the site for some time. I’m very anxious to see what they have in store for the future of this website.” 

While all the plans are not yet ready to announce, over the next month or so Matthew will begin announcing a name change and start revealing some of his vision for the future of the site. 

You should not be alarmed with any of this as the site is only going to become bigger and better than ever with all of the past articles following the move to its new location on the web. Eventually, the site will have a new layout and possess the potential to reach more readers and subscribers than ever before. 

You can still follow Rod on:

 

About the New Owner/Author 

Matthew Todd Whtbg300
Matthew Todd

 

Matthew Todd was born in Scotland in 1988 into a large musical family. He has been performing and singing for as long as he can remember, along with his four brothers and two sisters. Music was always an escape and a passion in the Todd family but Matthew knew that, for him, it was going to be even more important.  

Growing up in the remote Highlands of Scotland, it was a real challenge to gain the essential foundation and experience for a career in music. Throughout his school career, Matthew was systematically bullied and discouraged and music became an invaluable solace through this difficult time. However, he persevered with his dream and, after completing his vocal studies at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, Matthew began a varied and exciting musical career as a tenor soloist, choral conductor, composer, community musician, teacher and music therapist. 

Due to his own childhood, Matthew has a deep concern for young people and their struggles and challenges. Drawing from his own experience and extensive voluntary youth work, Matthew has created many pieces of art and literature with a particular emphasis on the power of children to make a difference to the world. These include an historical novel for children – ‘For the King’ – numerous songs, poems and short stories, and a choral drama – ‘Such is the Kingdom’ – which was premiered in Glasgow Cathedral in 2013. More recently, he has been involved in the production and scoring of films through ‘Fellowship Film’, a small film company which he co-manages with two of his brothers and two of his cousins. 

It has been a delight for Matthew to introduce and manage the Gaitway Brothers. After a tragic event in the boys’ lives, Matthew saw their musical and acting potential and began mentoring the twins when they were just 10 years old. Now, the boys have about a dozen music videos (including the award-winning ‘Còmhla Riut-sa’), an album, many single tracks and thousands of fans. Their acting and vocals also feature in a ‘Fellowship Film’ production: ‘The Fable of Forsaken’. 

It is Matthew’s passion to help as many young people as possible achieve their dreams and to encourage them to make a difference to the world.      

 

 

 

More about Matthew Todd
New Owner/Admin of Rivenmaster.com:Â