There is no dust on Edmonton singer songwriter Matt Patershuk, who returns to Lethbridge to play the Slice, Oct. 25 in support of his third CD “Same As I’ve Ever Been.”
The CD is anything but as producer Steve Dawson encouraged Patershuk to spread his wings and explore a few of his other musical interests.
“It ”s a little different. There’s a lot of different things on it. It’s not just country. There’s blues music and Celtic music and Tex Mex music,” said Patershuk on his way to work.
He has been enjoying spending time at home with his wife and kids, but is excited to return to Lethbridge.
“ I really like playing Lethbridge. I get better response there than I do up north so I love getting back on the road and coming back,” Patershuk said.
he will be bringing a rejigged line up of his band, the straight Arrows including drummer Liam MacDonald, bassist Curtis Ebner and Steve Dawson on lead guitar.
“ And, of course, me,” he chuckled.
“This will be the first time this configuration has played together , but I have no doubt that it will be golden. I’ve played with Steve for years. he’s on all three albums and I’ve played with Curtis for years,” he said.
He always enjoys playing with Steve Dawson.
“He’s been on all three of my albums. We started working on the first one in 2012 and that came out in 2013. So it’s been about five years. It helps that we really get along well together and that he’s incredibly technically proficient on his instruments. But he’s also very honest which is unusual, because often in Nashville people tend to blow smoke,” he observed.
He noted Dawson encouraged him to experiment with blues music.
“I remember my uncle gave me a tape of BB King Live at the Cook County Jail when I was 12 and I fell in love with it It was one of those mind blowing experiences. I never thought I could play it. Blues music is a little bit out of my wheelhouse but Steve encouraged me to try it,” Patershuk said.
Patershuk and a different line up of the Straight Arrows played several shows for the Wide Cut Country Weekend in Calgary, and after Lethbridge will play Saskatoon and Winnipeg before playing ashort run in B.c including stops in Vancouver and Victoria. They Patershuk will concentrate on more writing.
Lyrically, the new CD has one song about his sister, who died in an accident with a drunk driver called “Memory and The First Law of Thermodynamics.”
“I read an essay by a physicist about how energy and matter goes back into the universe. So they are always with you which is comforting even if you don’t believe in a higher power. So that’s why I read it at her funeral,” he said.
The other songs were inspired by a combination of fictional characters and people Patershuk knows.
“ I still write a lot in the first person. These characters are all experiencing a time of transition, so the songs are about how they deal with that transition. I’m always interested in people’s reaction to that,” he said.
He noted the album was only released in Canada on Oct. 6, however it is already making a stir in the United Kingdom, where it has been out for a few months.
“It’s only been out here for a few weeks, but it is getting a great reaction in the United Kingdom,” he observed, noting there are no plans to tour there yet.
“ I’d love to, but I don’t think I can. I’m not at that point in my career. I still hold down a day job and have my family here. It takes away from the time I need to tour in Canada,” he observed.
Matt Patershuk and the Straight Arrows play their album release show at the Slice, Wednesday,Oct. 25.
