What's so good about Matt Andersen?

Some artists must be experienced live in order to get a true appreciation of their talent. Matt Andersen is one of those artists.

That's not to say Matt's musical ability does not, somehow, come across on record or on YouTube. He is a powerhouse musician - a huge voice, an excellent guitarist, and a passionate performer - and that becomes clear no matter how his music is being heard. But to truly understand why Matt's such an incredible performer, you need to be there in person.

I've seen Matt perform only once. It was in a tiny conference room at the Hilton in New York as part of the Association for Performing Arts Presenters conference at the beginning of January. The showcase concert in not always an envious setting for a musician - the acoustics can be challenging, there is no guarantee of an audience, and those in attendance may likely be distracted by the other goings-on of the conference. But despite all this, Matt put on a great show, and won me over immediately.

What struck me right away was that he was clearly not interested in giving anything less than his full commitment to the concert. He dug in to his guitar and sang full voice - he was there to engage every person in the room. That was impressive on its own, but his voice was what got me hooked. To say that his voice filled the room is an understatement. Check out this instrument:

The next thing which stuck out about Matt's performance was the passion with which he sang and played. His new album is called Coal Miner's Blues and the lyrics reflect some of the trials and tribulations of being a coal miner on the east coast. These are tunes filled with joy and sorrow, love and heartache...and the way he sang them I was ready to believe that he had experienced it all himself. He was able to convey the real stories behind the tunes. Here's an example of his musical story-telling:

Performing a solo show is no small feat, no matter what the size of the audience. When Matt steps out on stage - just him and his guitar - I have no doubt that he will keep the crowd's attention from the first note to the last. In Matt's own words: "I’m not trying to change anyone’s life in a big way, but I love it when [listeners] really get involved in the music." Here's one last clip which demonstrates the range of Matt's talent - a great voice, bluesy guitar playing, and engaging (if tongue-in-cheek) story telling:

Matt Andersen performs a solo show on the Mainstage at Nathan Phillips Square on Saturday, June 30, with the Joan Osborne Duo opening up. For complete information visit the concert page.

Josh