Matt York
Though Matt's straight from Canada, it sounds as if he should have been raised across the border in Detriot. He creates sinuous grooves based on acoustic guitar riffs or the kind of electric piano sounds that used to fill records in the 1970s, then sings over them in a tenor voice full of sand and butterscotch. York sounds like the sort of artist who developed his tastes listening to old records and never heard anything made after about 1975. Music fans who feel the same way, and who have spent decades wondering why nobody makes albums like that any more, will be happy to hear him.
After navigating his way through the music world on his own steam for two years and getting a taste of both its luster and seedy underbelly, Matt was beginning to feel the effects of the road. Rather than take a break, Matt responded by pairing up with some friends and exceptional songwriters: Brad Stella and Joel Parisien (NewWorldSon) to craft a selection of tracks for his latest project. Those connections, and Matt’s habit of locking himself in a Toronto rehearsal space for weeks on end, resulted in twenty new songs and a rekindled fire in the belly. In February of 2008, Matt went back in the studio with producer and longtime friend Justin Koop (Tomi Swick, St. Alvia Cartel, NewWorldSon) to begin working on his sophomore release – “Mine.” Six months of work and eleven final tracks later, “Mine” is ready to fill the ears of the masses. Matt York's music will make you think, feel, dance, sing out loud until it hurts, and then do it all over again. The new album, along with his new five-piece band, has even further confirmed that Matt York isn’t just another singer-songwriter.
“I grew up listening to the Motown and gospel that my mom and dad would listen to around the house,” says Matt. “In high school, when all of my friends were listening to Nirvana, I was listening to Stevie and Rare Earth. My dad’s a high school music teacher and accomplished violinist, and when he’d work long hours after school (I went to the same high school he taught at… it was awesome….), I’d sit in the music room and play guitar for hours each night. My dad would be there to help me if I didn’t know certain chords, but I never took one lesson. I just learned the songs I loved after school every day.”
Some highlights include:
- Matt’s first album, “Under the Streetlights,” sold nearly 8,000 copies worldwide.
- In 2006, Matt got picked up by Japanese label Entak/Universal. His single “Hey Love” charted in the Top 20 on Tokyo radio charts for nearly seven weeks.
- In 2006 and 2007, Matt hit the top three in the Canadian Radio Start Competition run by Mix 99.9 (now Virgin Radio) for his songs “That’s Life” and “Lucky Man.”
- In 2007, Matt was nominated for three TIMA (Toronto Independant Music Awards) including “Best Male Acoustic” and “Best Song.”
Matt has shared stages with Andy Stochansky, Tomi Swick, Justin Nozuka, Allanah Myles, Matthew Barber, G. Love and Special Sauce, State Radio, The Alternate Routes, and Ryan Montbleau to name a few.
- Matt has already showcased at the 2008 CMJ Music Marathon in NYC at Sullivan Hall.
- Matt’s new album “Mine” has been picked up by US-based Indie label Rock Ridge Music and is slated for digital release November 4, 2008. All US Stores will carry it on January 20, 2009. Distribution to Europe will follow.
- “Tomorrow,” the first single off of “Mine,” has already been picked up by thirteen major radio stations across Ontario, Quebec, and Nova Scotia including CBC Radio 2.
- Matt’s songs have been placed in numerous films and television programs, most notably on PBS’s “Road Trip Nation” and just recently on “The New Indie” where three of Matt’s songs were picked for placement.
- Matt’s first EP sold nearly 5000 copies just from side-stage sales. Matt hand-made each one and sold them while on tour across North America.
- Matt recently received an endorsement from Cole Clark Guitars.
“Mine” will be released in Canada on November 7th with a tour of North America to follow. For more information on Matt and the band, visit www.matt-york.com or www.myspace.com/mattyork.
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