On Saturday September 27th,
WagonWheel Presents… welcomes multi award winning Canadian singer/songwriter
Matt Andersen back to Sheffield. The man described as “Canada’s greatest guitarist” is undoubtedly one of the finest live performers around and comes to
Shakespeares after winning the 2013 European Blues Award for best solo act. Matt will be touring the UK in support of brand new album Weightless.
M&J Blues open the show. Advance tickets priced at £9 are available from
http://www.wegottickets.com/event/279240 or entry on the night will be £11. Doors open 8pm.
***MATT ANDERSEN***With over 2 million views on YouTube, independent sales over 30,000 albums, a 2013 European Blues Award, and winning Best Solo Performer at the Memphis Blues Challenge, it appears that the entire world is now discovering Matt Andersen. A powerhouse performer with a giant soul-filled voice and commanding stage presence, Matt has built a formidable following the old fashioned way – touring worldwide and letting the converted audiences and Andersen devotees spread his reputation through word of mouth. Now with Weightless, his debut album for True North Records, Matt’s music has been captured on record as never before.
With Weightless, the New Brunswick native shifts his formidable talents as a blues performer to his song-craft. His reputation as a bluesman won him the 2013 Euro Blues Award for Best Solo /Acoustic Act, three Maple Blues Awards in 2012, and nabbed him 2010 International Blues Challenge in Memphis. “The blues is a big part of what I do, and in my solo show some tunes are straight-up blues, for sure,” he says. “But I would never stand beside B.B. King and say, ‘I play blues, too.’ None of my albums are blues albums – I’ve won blues awards with them, but I wouldn’t say they’re blues albums.“
That’s more than evident on Weightless, where Andersen comes out of the gate swinging with ‘I Lost My Way’, one of two co-writes with Joel Plaskett, where he is singing a soul/gospel melody over a reggae groove. Then he channels Van Morrison on ‘My Last Day’, before delivering a gorgeous country ballad co-written with David Myles, ‘So Easy’. With Dave Gunning, Andersen tells the all-too-common tale of Maritimers heading west to work on the oil sands, in ‘Alberta Gold’. Tom Wilson (Blackie and the Rodeo Kings) helps craft a rockabilly ode to a battered rust-belt town, ‘City of Dreams’, while Andersen’s Wolfville, N.S. neighbour Ryan Hupman lends a hand on three songs, including the title track, ‘Between the Lines’ and the spiritual ‘What Will You Leave’.
“Writing with Joel Plaskett, he’s always thinking about the hook and has a real melodic quality. I like having different angles on there. Dave Gunning is a really great storyteller, so the songs I wrote with him have more of a storytelling kind of vibe. Writing with Tom Wilson was trying to play catch-up, because he just keeps writing and writing.“
Andersen’s extensive discography boasts seven albums, including one Christmas album, one live album, and two albums with harmonica player Mike Stevens. His most recent album, 2011’s Coal Mining Blues, was produced by Colin Linden and was recorded at Levon Helm’s studio in Woodstock, N.Y. This time out he turned to Steve Berlin of Los Lobos for production duties. Berlin brought Calgary guitarist Paul Rigby on board, who is best known as Neko Case’s right-hand man. Anyone who’s ever been wowed by Andersen’s guitar chops might wonder why he’d need another guitarist, but he says, “Paul is the kind of guitar player I’m not. He had great melody ideas for arrangements and guitar parts; I had to learn my songs again after Paul was done with them.“
One thing Andersen won’t be doing in the near future is learning other people’s songs to flesh out his set. (Andersen plays at least 200 shows a year). That’s despite the fact that a performance of him transforming Bill Withers’ ‘Ain’t No Sunshine’ has over 900,000 views on YouTube.
After hearing the instant classic material on Weightless, it’s hard to imagine any fan of Matt Andersen – old or new – leaving unsatisfied.
“
Canada’s greatest guitarist made one acoustic guitar sound like a fully staffed band. Outrageous skill and contagious joy.”
The Times“
If you haven’t yet heard Matt Andersen, you really must, and you should start here. Not only weightless, the Canadian’s latest feels effortless too, that shoulder-rub of a voice putting the icing on some staggeringly good Americana.”
Classic Rock (8/10)“
With his distinctive smoky soulful voice and mastery of the guitar Andersen is made for the blues, indeed when in that genre his voice and physical bulk brings Grammy bluesman Solomon Burke to mind and there cannot be much higher praise than that. However with this album Andersen is making a compelling case for the quality of his offering in a much wider range of musical styles.”
Maverick (4 stars)http://www.stubbyfingers.ca/***M&J BLUES***M&J Blues are father and son Mark & Jeff Lyall. They’re regular performers at many Sheffield venues doing their bluesy country rock ‘n’ roll thing. The ever popular duo will kick the night off in typically fine style.
http://www.facebook.com/groups/11483654339/Facebook Event page:
http://www.facebook.com/events/853351301364347Last.fm Event page:
http://www.last.fm/event/3943757