For the third time since 2011, Matt Andersen will bring his own blend of roots and soul to the Burnaby Blues + Roots Festival stage at Deer Lake Park – but this time it’ll be just him and his guitar.
The New Brunswick native (who now lives in Nova Scotia just outside Halifax) said he’s excited about returning to Burnaby for the annual festival.
The NOW caught up with him recently to talk about his recent album, Honest Man, and what folks can expect of his upcoming show.
This is your third time at Blues Fest. What brings you back?
Well, being asked for one. It’s a great festival, and I’m looking forward to getting back. The first time I played, I came alone solo, and the last time I was there with the band. And I’m coming back solo this time, so I’m looking forward to it. I love the site, too, and it’s great the music goes on all day. It’s pretty cool.
Tell me about the new album, Honest Man.
I recorded that in New York with Commissioner Gordon as the producer. He’s worked with Amy Winehouse, Santana and a bunch of different people. And yeah, it was great. It was downtown Manhattan right near Madison Square Garden. It was great. He has a whole roll of really cool people to bring on and play on the album. It was great. Each song we would treat like its own little project and bring in the beat players for each song, kind of thing. … I’m really happy with it.
You’ve been at this a while. Has your music changed over time?
It’s always kind of feels the same as the person making it. For me, there’s more and more influences now as far as musically because I’m being exposed to more music as the years go on, but also the writing is definitely different. When I first started writing, I was writing from the first-person perspective, everything was I or me, and I kind of feel like you kind of grow out of that after a while.
For people who haven’t heard your music or haven’t been to Blues Fest, how would you describe it?
Usually I say roots and soul. It’s just me and my guitar, so I guess that’s as folky as I’ll ever be. I’ve got a lot of different influences. I grew up on classic rock my brothers had and a lot of the country my folks listened to, but also a lot of Irish music that mashes in there a little bit.
What can people expect from your show?
I’m just going to be doing my thing. It’ll be just me and my guitar, and I’ll be playing stuff off my new album, of course, and the whole back catalogue as well, so I think it’s going to be a lot of fun. I think Sue Foley’s on before me, which means I’m not going to just sit back and relax and coast because Sue’s fantastic. And Trombone Shorty, I think, is who’s after me, and they’re fantastic. I think it’s going to be a great night of music. I’m pretty happy to be part of it.
What about your expectations for the show? What do you want to get out of this?
I’ve enjoyed myself out there. I find the crowds are really into the music going on, and I think the vibe on the stage is great. We’ve got two stages, … and people have got lots of energy. They haven’t been beaten up by a weekend of camping out in the rain or anything like that, so people are usually pretty engaged. I’m looking forward to getting back in front of that crowd again.
What are you most proud of?
I don’t know. It’s pretty cool to be able to say that I’m a full-time musician for all these years. There’s not very many that can say that, so I think I’m pretty fortunate to be able to say that.
Is this success? What does success look like?
Oh, definitely. I would definitely be happy if this is as far as I ever got. But I don’t want to stop, you want to keep working. I don’t want to get placid and say I don’t want to try go any further, but no, I’m fortunate travelling the world and playing music full-time, doing 100 or some shows a year. I’ve got no complaints.
So what’s next?
After the summer, I’ve got a few more festivals left here in Canada, and then I’m off to Europe – Germany and the U.K., I think, for a couple weeks. And then just kind of writing at the time, too, so I’ll be going to the studio probably late this year, early next year for a new album.
See www.burnabybluesfestival.com for ticket info.
