Matt Andersen

Award-winning Canadian blues guitarist and singer/songwriter Matt Andersen is known as one of Canada's hardest-working musicians, averaging around 200 live performances per year. Specializing in an earthy blend of blue-collar folk, electric blues, and roots rock, the New Brunswick native began his musical career in 2002 with the group Flat Top. He issued his solo debut, Second Time Around, in 2007, followed in 2008 by Something in Between and in 2009 by Piggyback, the latter of which was a collaboration with acclaimed harmonica player Mike Stevens. That same year he issued his first concert album, Live from the Phoenix Theatre, and later his first collection of holiday music, Christmas Time. A pair of studio albums, Push Record (with Mike Stevens) and Coal Miner Blues, followed in 2011. The Steve Berlin-produced Weightless, his debut long-player for the True North label, arrived in 2014, earning Andersen a Juno nomination for Roots & Traditional Album of the Year. For his follow-up, he traveled to New York, working with producer Commissioner Gordon (Amy Winehouse, Joss Stone) to record 2016's Honest Man. The concert album Live at Olympic Hall appeared in 2018, and featured Andersen backed by his band the Mellotones at the historic Halifax, Nova Scotia venue. ~ James Christopher Monger