MUSICAL MIX
Matt Andersen plays a blend of blues, folk and R&B
There’s no rhyme or reason to Matt Andersen’s music. Instead, he lets a song develop naturally without guiding it in a certain direction.
“I don’t put a whole lot of thought into it, really,” he said. “I guess if I like something, I play it. It’s usually what I go with. Some songs sound like a straight-up folk song or like a blues song, and some are kind of a mix of the two. So it just kind of depends. I try not to put too much thought creative wise to have too much of a plan so I just kind of let things develop a little bit more organically.”
The Canadian bluesman writes lyrics that will keep him interested for years to come.
“It definitely runs the gamut, but it’s usually stuff I’ve experienced or stuff I’m feeling,” Andersen said. “They’re songs I’m going to be singing somewhat for the rest of my life or at least when you’re on tour you’re singing them night after night, so I’ve got to have something I can connect to in there. So there’s always something, kind of a personal story in there, something I can definitely connect to.”
Over the years, he says, his approach to writing lyrics has improved.
“I think it’s gotten better, for one, hopefully,” Andersen said of his music. “When you first start writing, you always write in the first-person perspective. I did, anyway, and I think a lot of people kind of do that as a writer, where you kind of write from the outside looking in more than from the inside looking out. But other than that, it’s
kind of gotten more into an R&B, kind of soul kind of vibe.”
Mixing it up is how Andersen puts together his set lists for concerts. His sets are not the same night after night.
“I kind of mix it up for myself,” he said. “Sometimes I play the new stuff, sometimes the old stuff, and sometimes it’s just a mix. It depends on the mood, I guess, really. It really depends on the night. It depends on the kind of crowd. If it’s the kind of crowd that is looking for songwriter kind of stuff, I kind of do that, or if they want more of the blues kind of thing, that’s what I’ll do, so it really just depends on the night. I’ve got 10 albums now, so I have quite a bit to choose from, so I can just kind of just go on the fly with that kind of stuff.”
Andersen recently crossed an item off of his wish list after recording his latest album, “Halfway Home By Morning,” released earlier this year. He recorded the album live in a studio alongside his band.
“I did that one down in Nashville with producer Steve Dawson,” Andersen said. “We did a live record. It’s something I’ve been wanting to do for a long time. We have the horn players and all that stuff. Everybody is recording at the same time, which is pretty fun. So a full band kind of thing. I did a lot of the songs with really good friends and also people I admire and also same thing with the people on the recording. I got to pick and choose a little bit of who I worked with, so it was a lot of fun.”