True blues
Experience an unforgettable performance by Canadian blues guitarist Matt Andersen, who will be playing his newest album, “House to House” at the Lincoln City Cultural Center this Friday, Feb. 3, joined by singer-songwriter Mariel Buckley
Andersen has logged countless miles following little white lines down the highway, crossed vast oceans and left audiences around the world forever changed by his powerful, soul-baring song writing. Those travels have been fueled by a profound devotion to music, a journey that began in New Brunswick with six steel strings. Since then, Andersen’s work has reached spectacular heights through rich arrangements and fruitful collaboration, but at its core, one musical relationship has remained at the very heart of the whole affair.
With bright soul, introspective folk, and songs rooted in blues, “House to House" showcases a more intimate vibe than what listeners might be used to on the songwriter’s studio recordings like “The Softer Side of Matt Andersen.”
“Over the years I’ve come to really appreciate the moments in a show when I can chill out and not worry about making as much sound as possible,” Andersen said. “Songs that are as much about the space as they are about what happens between the spaces. Big and strong isn’t big and strong if you don’t have a quiet moment to compare it to.”
He lets his grand, resonant boom settle just a little after opening the high and lonesome “Other Side of Goodbye,” allowing for the melancholy to softly seep in, and gets pensive over melodic finger picking on “Lookin’ Back at You.” Love songs abound — “Let Me Hold You” sets the scene for a quiet, fireside evening; he paints the town red with the help of Terra Spencer’s harmonies on “Raise Up Your Glass;” and “See This Through” summons strength during a dark period in a relationship. On the ghostly “Coal Mining Blues” — an older song, recorded here stripped-down for the first time — Andersen zooms in to the individual level, examining the pain that the industry inflicts on its soot-covered foot soldiers. He gets a little help from his friends Reeny, Micah and Mahalia Smith to spread some good news on the gospel-inflected David Francey tune “Time for the Wicked to Rest,” and calls on listeners to live fully, despite trials and tribulations, on the soaring “All We Need.”
Finally, the Smiths trade vocal duties with Andersen for the album’s heart-swelling finale — a cover of Curtis Mayfield’s “People Get Ready” — subtly reminding us that even a solo record takes a village.
The title track is a co-write with Chris Robison and Scott Prudence, who built the home studio Andersen had always dreamed of 30 feet from his front door, where the album was recorded live off-the-floor, with no overdubs.
“House to House” is the latest installation in a body of work that is expansive, rich and varied, revealing Andersen as an artist who’s just as comfortable delivering a tender ballad as he is flying high on gospel or belting the blues. But as Andersen’s first solo studio record, it also stands alone as a pure document from one of the most compelling songwriters and engaging performers in modern roots music.
When Andersen steps on stage, he brings a lifetime of music to every note he plays. His presence is informed by decades of cutting his teeth in dusty clubs, dim-lit bars, and grand theaters all over the world, delivering soulful performances that run the gamut from intimate to wall-shaking. His recordings have received more than 23 million streams on Spotify and 26 million views on YouTube. In addition to headlining major festivals, clubs and theaters throughout North America, Europe and Australia, he has shared the stage and toured with artists including Marcus King, Beth Hart and Marty Stuart. Andersen nabbed the 2013 and 2016 European Blues Awards for Best Solo/Acoustic Act, was the first ever Canadian to take home top honors in the solo category at the 2010 International Blues Challenge in Memphis, won the CIMA Road Gold award in 2015 and has won multiple Maple Blues Awards.
Friday’s show starts at 7 pm. Tickets are $30, $25 for seniors and students, and $15 for kids aged six to 18. The Lincoln City Cultural Center is located at 540 NE Hwy. 101. For more information, go to lincolncity-culturalcenter.org or call 541-994-9994.