| If Matt Masters had played his set of traditional country tunes at the Brooks Hotel 10 years ago, he would have been run out of town. With the over-produced Hollywoodism of Garth Brooks dominating the radio, Wilf Carter and Stompin’ Tom Connors fans were sparse.
But, as Albertans celebrate the province’s centennial, Masters says that nostalgia is rekindling an interest in Alberta’s music history. As an ex-Albertan, Masters is paying tribute to the traditional country music of the past 100 years by playing 100 shows in the Province over the course of the summer.
Playing 100 shows in only a few months isn’t easy to pull off, but as Masters sips a drink at a 17th Avenue bar just around the corner from his parents’ house – where he’s staying for one day before heading back out on his Alberta centennial crusade – he analyzes why he is attempting the most ambitious tour of the summer.
"I have a deep love of history, having studied it at university, and I saw this opportunity to take a musical history revue on the road. I recognized that having a centennial heading and playing 100 shows would allow me access to communities I otherwise wouldn’t have played in – old-folks homes, cowboy poetry gatherings and elementary schools, that sort of thing," he says. "There is a degree of legitimacy that comes by becoming an official centennial (performer), instead of being a cowboy rock ’n’ roller travelling in a van."
Considered a newbie in the new traditional country scene that includes such acts as the Corb Lund Band, Tim Hus, and The Agnostic Mountain Gospel Choir, Masters has witnessed drastic changes across Canada in the six years he’s been playing.
"Increasingly there’s a market for us. Ten years ago could I have done 100 shows in Alberta? I don’t know. I don’t think so," he says. "The scene is always growing, and it’s a real national scene," he says. "I can name you my favourite country band in every province."
It’s prime time to be a traditional country artist and Masters has found himself to be a wanted man this summer, as he plays up to three shows a day. But just because he’s in high demand doesn’t mean he’s filling stadiums. This is, after all, Alberta, where a food court full of seniors can be a better audience than a bar full of drunks. With that in mind, Masters is meeting Albertans of all walks of life. As part of his centennial quest, Masters performed at a food court in Edmonton’s Northgate Mall where he met a man that was 107 years old. Later the same week he performed in a bar and an elementary school, where the age diversity of his audience really hit home.
"Wednesday, I played a bar in Edmonton and everyone there was born in the 1900s. Friday, I played Monterey elementary school (in Calgary) and some of the kids were born in 2000," he says. "Three centuries in three shows. I never thought it would get that cool. How much better does anything get?"
For some acts, booking 100 shows in one summer would be an impossible task, but Masters has capitalized on the centennial theme with a 40-minute show that highlights the history of Canadian country music. "You could even say it’s a marketing angle – that people are willing to buy into the centennial show – but I happen to have this historical Alberta centennial show that I do anyways, so it seems like the perfect avenue to spread it around," he says.
He calls schools, bars and centennial committees and asks, "Hey, do you need a country show about Alberta music history?" and more often than not they say yes.
Masters’s set includes a song from each decade dating back to 1905, and original tunes from his album Alberta Reporter, including the fan favourite "Whisky Business." Currently halfway to achieving his 100-shows goal, Masters is hell-bent on becoming a long-term mainstay in the new old-country scene that is slowly creeping up in popularity.
"In 10 years the Canadian folk country industry will be 10 years more mature. All of a sudden, I’ll be the guy who’s been doing it for 15 years. Right now I have no experience and no reputation. That’s encouraging."
He says that even though another Garth Brooks may come along and take away the old-school country spotlight, there will always be room for a ramblin’ guitar picker like himself.
"That’s why the genre I’m in will always be popular, because people love acoustic voices and instruments and stories."
To check out Matt Masters’s centennial itinerary visit www.mattmasters.com. |
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