Conducted by Maestro Arthur Post, this concert brings together the TBSO with the soulful voice and remarkable guitar playing of award winning Canadian Blues guitarist Matt Andersen.
Matt Andersen is an acclaimed Blues guitarist and singer-songwriter from Perth-Andover, New Brunswick. Born and raised in a musical family, he became interested in music early on and by junior high was in the school band. He took up guitar at 14, and before long was playing classic rock and Top 40 covers in pub bands while he studied studio engineering. Things changed dramatically, however, when he discovered the blues. “What really hit me most about the blues was its total honesty,” says Matt.
Matt began to build his name on the Canadian circuit, his imposing voice and slashing slide guitar making a monolithic impression on audiences. He debuted with 2002’s One Size Never Fits, and followed with the equally warmly-received Solo at Session (2004) and Live at Liberty House (2005).
After playing the prestigious 2004 East Coast Music Awards, Matt continued to build his audience, appearing with Randy Bachman, Bo Diddley, Little Feat, America, Loverboy, April Wine, and others. He signed with Busted Flat Records for a string of exalted albums: 2007’s Second Time Around, 2008’s Something in Between, and 2009’s Piggyback (a duo set with harmonica king Mike Stevens) and Live at the Phoenix Theatre.
By 2009 Matt had become a frequent guest on Stuart McLean’s CBC treaveling radio show “The Vinyl Café” and had completed his fourth tour of the UK, where The Times called him “Canada’s greatest guitarist.” In 2010 he became the first Canadian to win Memphis’s famed International Blues Challenge, which led to festival dates in France, Italy, and the US, where he toured with Old Crow Medicine Show.
Matt’s newest album, Coal Mining Blues (2011), was produced by Colin Linden (who co-wrote and plays on several tunes) and recorded at Levon Helm Studios in Woodstock, New York. Featuring The Band’s keyboardist Garth Hudson and Olabelle singer Amy Helm, it’s a rich vein of new songs.
Matt now performs more than 200 shows a year and has just returned from performances in London and Brighton, England, and Laval, France. In the last two years, Matt has won numerous awards including the 2011 Maple Blues Awards for Entertainer of the Year and Acoustic Act of the Year, and 2012 East Coast Music Award for Best Blues Recording of the Year.
Get your tickets now! Tickets range from $20-45 (HST included), and under 30s pay only $15 with the TD Under 30 Access Pass (available free at www.tbso.ca). Or, to save even more, pick up a Pops or Select 6 subscription package, and save up to 20% off single ticket prices. Tickets are available through the Thunder Bay Community Auditorium Box Office, 1 Paul Shaffer Drive, 807.684.4444, www.tbca.com.
