If you love what you do, it makes sense to do it a lot.
Since self-releasing his debut album One Size Never Fits in 2004, Matt Andersen has rarely sat idle, the past 20 years a whirlwind of international tour stops, recording sessions, and new projects.
While it would have been easy for the multi award-winning blues guitarist and singer-songwriter to put his feet up for an extended period, that wasn’t an option for the New Brunswick native.
So it is that on Saturday, July 8th, fresh from his previous night appearance at the Mariposa Folk Festival, Andersen will headline Peterborough Musicfest at Del Crary Park, fronting his new band The Big Bottle of Joy.
Admission to the 8 p.m. concert is free, due in part to the continued support of kawarthaNOW, this concert’s headline sponsor.
Since that first album, Andersen has taken few extended breaks from writing and recording, with his latest album — also titled Matt Andersen And The Big Bottle of Joy — being his 16th offering. His prodigious output has brought his music more than 26 million YouTube streams and more than 23 million Spotify listens.
Music industry acclaim has been frequent and noteworthy. After winning two East Coast Music Association Awards in 2009, Andersen brought home top honours from the 2010 International Blues Challenge in Memphis — the first Canadian ever to do so.
In 2013 and again in 2016, he won a European Blues Award for Best Solo/Acoustic Act. In addition, multiple Maple Blues Awards have come his way, and he has a Juno Award nomination to his credit. He last performed in Peterborough in a solo show at Showplace Performance Centre in 2017.
VIDEO: “What’s on My Mind” – Matt Andersen & the Big Bottle of Joy
And if collaboration is the best from of flattery, Andersen has been paid due respect, having shared the stage with the likes of Buddy Guy, Greg Allman, and Serena Ryder to name but a few.
In an April 2022 interview with Sean Bennett of The Rockpit, Andersen reflected on the a-ha moment that set him on his musical journey.
“My grandfather was a huge influence on me,” he said. “Not musically so much, but his love of playing. He was always the last one to put down his fiddle when the rest would head for the snack table. He played lots of different functions around the community and never took a dime for it. But what I remember most is how other musicians, and those listening, got excited when he would sit down to play. You could hear them say ‘Now it’s going to get good.’ All ears were on him.”
“I started off in band playing tuba and trumpet, but neither of those are all that good for a sing along,” Andersen recalled. “I grew up in a musical family. Music was always around. Playing guitar was a natural choice to be able to play along with everyone else.”
Andersen’s new music, which he’s touring extensively across North America this summer this year, has been described as “infused with raw blues-rock, rollicking Americana, thoughtful folk, and ecstatic gospel.” Clearly there’s a reason “joy” is in both the album’s and band’s name.
Andersen’s humility remains as big as his talent. In a release heralding the album’s release, he deflects any praise due him, lauding praise on his new band.
VIDEO: “Let It Slide” – Matt Andersen & the Big Bottle of Joy
“Somebody told me a long time ago that when you put band together, you need to make yourself the weakest musician,” Andersen said. “So that’s what I’ve always done. They’re all absolutely monstrous at what they do.”
Andersen elaborated on that in an earlier March 2022 sit down with The Bluegrass Situation.
“I’ve always surrounded myself with musicians that I have to work to keep up with; musicians that inspire and challenge me. It’s a comfort to be on a stage and know that the only person I need to worry about making a mistake is myself.”
Andersen has clearly made few mistakes, bringing a lifetime of music to every note he plays. Now he makes no secret of his happiness over being able to resume a full band performance schedule after two years’ worth of pandemic-induced solo gigs.
“All these musicians and singers are people that I’ve known for a long time and that I’ve always wanted to work with … we’re all good friends,” he told The Montrealer this past April.
“We have a great vibe backstage and (that) carries into our respective shows on stage,” Andersen said — something the Peterborough Musicfest audience is sure to experience when Andersen and his eight-piece band take to the stage at Del Crary Park on Saturday night.
VIDEO: “Aurora” – Matt Andersen & the Big Bottle of Joy
Peterborough Musicfest is presenting 15 free-admission concerts during its 36th season, each staged on Wednesday and Saturday nights until August 19th, and supported by more than 100 sponsors, kawarthaNOW among them.
Overseen by general manager Tracey Randall and staff, a board of directors, and numerous volunteers, Peterborough Musicfest’s stated mission remains “to provide diverse, affordable live music to enrich cultural and economic prosperity in our community.”
For more information on this concert or the entire 2023 season, visit www.ptbomusicfest.ca or phone the Peterborough Musicfest office at 705-755-1111.
kawarthaNOW is proud to be a headline sponsor of Peterborough Musicfest’s 2023 season.
