Matt Andersen

Tour Diary

Thu Jul 01

Hey All,

I'm celebrating Canada day in the best way. Sitting at the airport bar in Charlottetown because of a flight delay.

On my way to Montreal Jazz Fest to start a string of summer festivals. Really pumped to be back in Montreal. Such a great time. I've got a cool bunch of gigs this summer. Going to get to hear and meet some great folks.

I'll be on the road all summer and into the fall doing the festival thing. Then I'm off on a tour to the UK for the fall. Making my frist trip into Prague on that run as well. Then I'm back to Canada to hit the road with Vinyl Cafe crew for Stuart's fall tour. www.cbc.ca/vinylcafe Can't wait to be out with them again.

Once I finish up with the VC folks I'm heading to France to play a festival. This slot is part of the prize from winning the IBC. It's pretty thrilling to be going into a totally new place. I'm going to have to brush up on my Francais.....or not and see how it goes.

I hope summer is treating you all well. I had a gorgeous drive todayj. Gotta love the sunshine.

I've got some big news on the next album, I'll be dropping the word on that pretty soon.....but not yet.

See you on the road,

Matt

Fri Apr 30

Hey Folks,

I'm just back to the hotel after finishing up my tour with Wil. Thanks so much to all of you who made it out to the shows. I had such a blast doing the those dates. Wil is somebody you all should check out. www.ibreakstrings.com

I'm in my hotel now catching up on some internet bidness. Check out my dates. I've got some great shows coming up over the summer. Going to get to open for Roomful of Blues, Lighthouse, Derek Trucks and Susan Tedeschi, and lots of others. Gonna be a fun summer.

In just a bout 2 hours I'm going to be catching a flight to New Orleans to start a 6 show run with Old Crow Medicine Show ww.crowmedicine.com I'm really looking foward to these dates. I'm a huge fan of the guys and am pretty excited to see some more of the states.

That's about all the news for now. Lots of road travelled and lots more to go.

See you on the road,

Matt

Home and gone again

Mon Mar 22

Hi All,

I'm just home from a fantastic tour of Ontario with Wil. Had loads of fun on and off stage. Before that all started up I was at the Atlantic Canada House as part of the Olympics in Vancouver. What an amazing vibe out there, especially when Canada would take a medal. I got to hang with some great friends and make a racket with them to boot.

Now I'm gearing up for a drive across the country to hit the western side. Again, I'll be doing a good portion of these shows with Wil. He's got a good thing going on. Killer tunes and loads of energy on stage. Check out www.ibreakstrings.com , or better yet. Get yerself out to a show and bring some friends.

That is going to take me well into May. I'm actually going to be taking a bit of time off. I've got lots of songs that I need to get out of me. Then the summer will hit and I'll be busy back and forth from east to west.

Thanks so much to all you folks who made it out to the shows on this last tour of ON. It was great to see some many faces each night.

I'm hoping this weather isn't just mother nature teasing us. I'd love to have clear skies as I cross the Great White North. I'm keeping the winters on just in case.

I'll be dropping a line on here as the tour moves on. No doubt there will be some stories to share.

Enjoy the warming weather.

See you on the road,

Matt

To Memphis and back again

Mon Jan 25

Hello Everybody,

I'm just back from my trip down to Memphis for the International Blues Challenge. It was an amazing trip to say the least. Memphis is where blues, soul and rock and roll got rollin'. So much history in that town. I got there last Sunday and started taking in the vibes. Went to Sun Studios and got to stand where acts like Elvis, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins and Jerry Lee Lewis stood when they recorded their first hits. The Stax Museum was full of chilling moments as I got to see the where soul music came to life. And yes, even Graceland was more than I expected. Wall after wall of gold and platinum records at the Presley Mansion.

The competition was whole other experience upon itself. I haven't been in something like that for quite some time. Pretty daunting to go up against 80 other acts from all over the world. I was blow away to say the least to walk away with first place in the solo/duo category. A huge thanks to all of you for so much support. I was happy to be able to bring home the goods.

Now with all the fun behind me it's back to the grind. I'm home for just a couple of nights and fly to the west coast on Wednesday to start a tour out there. Then home for a few days before I head back out to play a couple of shows at the Olympics. I'm really looking forward to those gigs. It'll be cool to be a part of such a huge event.

Once I'm done with the Olympics I'm back on the road in ON. I've got a string of shows with special guest Wil. www.ibreakstrings.com I'm really looking forward to hitting the road with this guy. I've got the dates posted on here, check them out and spread the word to any folks you think will be up for a night of tunes. I've got some shows coming up on the West Coast with Wil again. They will be posted up shortly.

That's taking me into the spring. There will be lots more news to come. The live DVD from the Phoenix that was recorded back in October will be released shortly. Keep yer eyes and ears open for that.

Oh, another release that I am super stoked about is from my good friend Ross Neilsen. He and his band the Sufferin' Bastards were in Memphis as well. They had just finished recording their new album down in Mississippi. I got to hear some of the tracks. It's going to be a rocker. I'm a huge fan of what Ross and the boys do. This album really captures what they are all about.

That's the news for now. I hope the new year is treating you all well. It's been quite a ride for me so far. Can't wait to see what will take place in 2010.

Take care all and I'll see you on the road,

Matt

Back on the East Coast.....for a bit

Mon Dec 28

Hello All,

I trust the holidays were good to everybody.

I'm just home from a fantastic tour with the Vinyl Cafe. A real treat to hit the road with Stuart and his crew.

Bit of news incase you haven't heard. In January I'm on my way to Memphis for the International Blues Challenge. www.blues.org/ibc There will be musicians from all over the world at this thing. I'm really looking forward to it This will be my first time in Memphis. My good friends Ross Neilsen and the Sufferin' Bastards will be there as well. We are being sent down by the good folks at The Harvest Jazz and Blues Festival.

As part of doing this Harvest is holding a fundraiser for the trip on January 13th at Dolan's Pub in Fredericton. I'll be starting at 8pm, doing a couple of sets then handing the night off to the house band directed by Barry Hughes. There will be lots of great tunes this night.

Tickets are $20. You can get them online through www.ticketpro.ca, in person at the Festival office at 81 Regent Street or over the phone at (506)454-2583. You can also follow the links on the Harvest site at www.harvestjazzandblues.com. A couple of the links say Jan. 16th, but the tickets are for the 13th. C'mon down. It's gonna be a ripper.

After Memphis I'll be hitting the road East to West in Canada. Looking forward to getting across the Great White North again.

The very best to all of you in the New Year.

See you on the road,

Matt

Bio

New Brunswick, Canada's Matt Andersen has a larger than life showmanship that has been earning him a fervent and steadfast audience wherever he graces the stage. Matt's sprawling blues, roots and rock musical hybrid with his sorrowing and soulful voice and astonishing guitar-playing has sparked a phenomenal buzz on Canada's East Coast and that grass roots word of mouth cannot be contained any longer!

In the past few years, Matt has released an introductory EP along with two critically-acclaimed live fans' favorites, the full length studio release "Second time around", "Something In-between" which garnered two East Coast Music awards for Matt (Male Solo Artist of the Year and Blues Recording of the Year), "Piggyback" with harmonica virtuoso Mike Stevens and "Live at the Phoenix Theatre". Along with a very busy touring schedule as a headliner at major festivals, clubs and theatres throughout North America and the UK, Matt has also shared the stage and toured with David "Honeyboy" Edwards, America, Randy Bachman, the late Bo Diddley, Little Feat and a host of others.

Matt has just finished his fourth successful UK Tour along with airplay on the BBC and in various prominent blues and roots publications. Matt's hectic touring schedule includes over 200 live dates a year that encompass North America and the rest of the world. In Dec. 2009, Matt performed on the CBC Vinyl Cafe tour that is hosted by Stuart Mclean and included major centers between Ottawa and Victoria to capacity crowds. The Vinyl Cafe is a radio variety show on CBC radio, BBC radio 7 and U.S. public radio stations.

On Jan 24, 2010 Matt won the 26th edition of the 2010 International Blues Challenge (IBC) in the birthplace of Rock N' Roll and home of the blues, Memphis, TN. Matt was sponsored for this event by the Harvest Jazz & Blues Festival in Fredericton, NB in the solo/duo category. Blues musicians from all over the world including 39 states, 12 countries and 5 continents were chosen by their respected Blues societies to compete in venues on the world-famous Beale Street. As the big winner, Matt opens the door to the U.S. market and the larger world stage! Some of the prizes Matt won include: cash, 1st place International Blues plaque, large profile American festival gigs, festivals in France, Italy and a slot on the Legendary Rhythm and Blues Cruises. Matt is the 1st Canadian ever to Win the IBC in it's 26 years of inception. For more information on the IBC go to www.blues.org.

Matt Andersen is a very real, rare, raw talent and career artist -- vital to our musical landscape. For more info on Matt and his music catalogue go to www.bustedflatrecords.com.