Matt Andersen
With more than five million views on You Tube, a 2013 European Blues Award, several Maple Blues awards from Canada in 2012 and winning Best Solo Performer at the International Blues Challenge in Memphis in 2010, Matt Andersen, a New Brunswick native, has already developed quite a following. Additionally he has had two opening appearances at the Ridgefield Playhouse that have both resulted in standing ovations. He appeared at the Clearwater Festival in Croton-on-Hudson in June and brought to their feet an audience mostly of people hearing him for the first time.
Now Matt Andersen will treat you to a whole evening of his giant soul-filled voice and commanding stage presence when he is CHIRP’s artist for the free concert in Ballard Park on Thursday, Aug. 13, at 7 p.m. This concert has been underwritten in part by Naomi Manners Stern. The rain venue is East Ridge Middle School.
Andersen has quite a number of albums released in past years, but his most recent, Weightless, has been nominated for Juno’s (Canadian “Grammy”) Roots & Traditional Album of the Year. This album is largely original music co-written with several of Canada’s finest songwriters including Dave Gunning, Joel Plaskett and David Myles. It was produced by Steve Berlin of Los Lobos. His 2011 CD, Coal Mining Blues, was recorded at Levon Helm’s studio in Woodstock and produced by Colin Linden. Andersen may have built his early reputation on performing powerhouse covers of some great blues songs — see the YouTube clip of him doing Bill Withers’ Ain’t No Sunshine — but he is expanding and sustaining that reputation with his own polished songcraft. Be one of the over five million who have checked him out on YouTube and understand why CHIRP is incredibly thrilled to be presenting Matt Andersen.
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