A TEAM EFFORT
Matt Andersen coming to Tumbleroot with Mariel Buckley
Matt Andersen hadn’t seen the leaves change at his Canada home in 10 years. When the pandemic hit, Andersen was forced to stay home.
While the musician yearned for life on the road, he decided to embrace the two-year hiatus from the road.
“I was antsy for the first few months of the pandemic,” he says. “To have that opportunity to relax, it was good for me and it recharged me in a different way.”
Andersen is back on the road and gearing up to release his next album, “The Big Bottle of Joy” on March 10.
His tour will make a stop at Tumbleroot Brewery & Distillery at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 13. Opening for him will be Mariel Buckley.
While at home, Andersen didn’t immediately being working on material for the new album.
He says the idea for it stemmed from what was happening in the world and wanted the music to be about celebration.
“(It’s about) being good to each other, you know, in taking care of each other — those are the biggest things I want to put out there,” Andersen says. “If we’re in it together, it’ll be a lot easier than trying to do it on our own.”
Andersen says the album was a team effort and that he wrote the songs with an exact group of people in mind.
He collaborated with songwriters Terra Spencer, Carleton Stone, Breagh Isabel, Dylan Guthro, Dave Sampson, Ian Janes, Andy Stochansky, Ross Neilsen, Cory Tetford,
Chris Kirby, Clayton Bellamy, Jason Blaine and Donovan Woods.
The approach gave them the best possible scenario to record live-off-the-floor at The Sonic Temple, in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and the individual performances — shot through with the kind of dynamism that can only come from being in a room together — flow seamlessly into each other.
“Somebody told me a long time ago that when you put a band together, you need to make yourself the weakest musician,” Andersen says. “So that’s always what I’ve
done. And they’re all just absolutely monstrous at what they do.”
Andersen is looking forward to the performance in Santa Fe.
He’s planning on performing a mix of old and new songs, which is the key to keeping him happy on tour.
“We have a day off before the show and will explore the area,” he says. “That’s the great part of being on the road. I get the opportunity to immerse myself into each community.”