Matt Epp
Matt Epp, February 2017
Matt Epp, February 2017
Background information
Born (1980-11-25) November 25, 1980
GenresRock, roots, soul
Instrument(s)Guitar, harmonica, piano
Years active2005–present
LabelsIndependent
Websitewww.mattepp.com

Matt Epp (born November 25, 1980) is a Canadian singer-songwriter from Winnipeg, Manitoba.[1] He has released several albums and collaborated with artists like Eliza Gilkyson, Rose Cousins, Serena Ryder and Amelia Curran, among others.[2][3]

Early life

Epp was born in 1980 in Crystal City, Manitoba, and moved around southern Manitoba until attending high school in Steinbach, where he started his first band with future The Waking Eyes drummer Stephen Senkiw and graduated from the Steinbach Regional Secondary School.[4][5]

Solo career

Epp released You'll Find Me Alone in 2005, followed by Love in Such Strong Words in 2006. Extensive touring, and a radio hit in the single "My Love Will Come", brought Epp international attention in 2008, following the release of Orphan Horse, his third album. Orphan Horse was given an A+ by Uptown Magazine.[6]

Safe or Free, released in 2009,[7] included collaborations with Eliza Gilkyson, Jesse DeNatale and Amelia Curran.[8] It was listed as one of the top ten albums of the year by a number of Canadian folk magazine Penguin Eggs expert panelists in their 2009 Year in Review edition.[9] He released his first official video, for revenge murder ballad "They Won't Find the Bodies".

In 2010, Epp was nominated for Singer-Songwriter Discovery of the Year on Sirius Radio's popular The Coffee House program, for whom he performed in their New York studios. He continued to tour Europe and North America extensively, and played at various festivals, including the Vancouver Folk Music Festival.[10][11] Epp was also spotlighted on Spanish television in 2010 and had a song included alongside songs by Fred Penner and others on a charity album of children's music.[12][13]

Matt Epp was the May 2011 artist for Sirius' Backstage Pass series.[14] A short interview and clip segment on him ran before every Cineplex movie screening in Canada for the month.

April 2011 was also Epp's first period of work with his backing band, The Amorian Assembly. Together they recorded and released their debut, At Dawn. In 2012 they temporarily relocated to Spain where they worked on their follow-up album.

In 2012, Epp lived in Granada, Spain, continuing to tour Europe with highlights including playing Germany's Edenkoben Guitar Festival,[15] and making a new solo acoustic album Never Have I Loved Like This on Peter Finger's Acoustic Music Records label. Never Have I Loved Like This was released in Germany on September 7, 2012.

November 2012 saw Matt Epp on his first international magazine cover, for the German guitar magazine, Akustik Gitarre.[16]

Matt Epp & the Amorian Assembly's album, Learning To Lose Control, was released on June 4, 2013.[17] The single "When You Know" entered the CBC Radio 2 Top 20 chart on August 16, 2013 and remained in the top 5 there for the next 12 weeks.[18] When You Know was then nominated as co-written song in the Juno Awards of 2014 as part of Serena Ryder's Juno Award for Songwriter of the Year.[19]

Amorian Assembly

In 2010, Epp formed the Amorian Assembly with Antonio Lomas, drummer from the successful Spanish band Lori Meyers, and Joel Couture, a Franco Manitoban bassist.[20] Their first album, At Dawn, was released in April 2011.[1] It features collaborations with Bahamas and Rose Cousins.[21]

While Epp and the Amorian Assembly were living in Granada in the spring of 2012, Epp did a crowd-funding project that raised its goal of $20,000 towards the recording of their second album together.[22] They began recording in Granada and at a studio in Las Alpujarras mountain range in Andalucia, and they finished recording in Los Angeles, California, with record producer Jamie Candiloro.[23] This album was released in June 2013, and featured Imaginary Cities lead singer Marti Sarbit on several tracks, as well as a duet with Serena Ryder called "When You Know".

Discography

  • You'll Find Me Alone, 2005
  • Love in Such Strong Words, 2006
  • Orphan Horse, 2008
  • Safe or Free, 2009
  • At Dawn (as Matt Epp and the Amorian Assembly), 2011
  • Valentine (Single), 2012
  • Never Have I Loved Like This (Germany release only, on Acoustic Music Records), 2012
  • Learning to Lose Control (as Matt Epp and the Amorian Assembly), 2013
  • Luma, 2014
  • Ready in Time, 2015
  • The Sound (Single), 2016
  • Shadowlands, 2018
  • You Were Chosen to Be Here (with Isaac Murdoch), 2021
  • Rolling Wave, 2023

References

  1. 1 2 Wilton, Lisa (April 7, 2011). "From Spain to Winnipeg: Wonderlust in an album". Calgary Sun.
  2. ↑ Bey, Kindah Mardam (November 11, 2009). "Storyteller & Canadian Singer Matt Epp releases his new album 'Safe Or Free'". Press+1. Archived from the original on February 21, 2014. Retrieved July 4, 2013.
  3. ↑ Sperounes, Sandra (January 28, 2011). "Edmonton singer Ann Vriend kicks up her heels with new CD". Edmonton Journal. Archived from the original on April 7, 2011.
  4. ↑ "Living in a state of intention to love and serve others". Canadian Mennonite. July 2, 2014. Retrieved May 30, 2023.
  5. ↑ Jen Zoratti (August 31, 2006). "He Won't Be Alone for Long". Uptown Magazine.
  6. ↑ Archived January 20, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  7. ↑ Fernandes, Nereida (November 2009). "Matt Epp – Safe or Free". Exclaim! Magazine.
  8. ↑ "Archived copy". www.raisedonindie.com. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved January 14, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  9. ↑ "Critics' Albums of the Year for 2009". Penguin Eggs Magazine. Archived from the original on July 6, 2011.
  10. ↑ "Line-up 2010". Vancouver Folk Music Festival. Archived from the original on July 15, 2010.
  11. ↑ "Vancouver Folk Music Festival 2010 Weekend Recap". North by East-West. July 21, 2010. Archived from the original on July 6, 2011. Retrieved January 10, 2011.
  12. ↑ "Matt Epp" (in Spanish). IndyRock. Retrieved July 4, 2013.
  13. ↑ "Kid-friendly CD fundraiser for hospital foundation". Winnipeg Free Press. April 28, 2013.
  14. ↑ "Matt Epp : Sirius XM". Discovermusic.siriusxm.ca. Archived from the original on February 22, 2014. Retrieved July 5, 2014.
  15. ↑ "Gitarrenfestival Edenkoben" (in German). Kulturland, Rheinland-Pfalz. Retrieved July 4, 2013.
  16. ↑ "Matt Epp". Akustik Gitarre: 48. June 2012.
  17. ↑ "Learning to Lose Control : Matt Epp & The Amorian Assembly". Itunes.apple.com. June 4, 2013. Retrieved July 5, 2014.
  18. ↑ "The Radio 2 Top 20: Sam Roberts Band tops the chart". Music.cbc.ca. Archived from the original on March 1, 2016. Retrieved July 5, 2014.
  19. ↑ "Manitobans get 13 Juno nods ahead of Winnipeg award show". Cbc.ca. Retrieved July 5, 2014.
  20. ↑ Brake, Justin (May 3, 2011). "Epp returns with songs from Amoria". The Telegram.
  21. ↑ "From Amoria with Love- Matt Epp Releases Fifth Album". Matt Epp and the Amorian Assembly. Archived from the original on January 24, 2011.
  22. ↑ "New Matt Epp album! Pre-buy so that I can make it!". Kapipal. February 22, 2012. Archived from the original on November 5, 2012. Retrieved October 30, 2012.
  23. ↑ "Matt Epp crosses Canada on 'Careful Abandon' Tour". Artists in Motion. September 7, 2012. Archived from the original on January 16, 2013. Retrieved October 30, 2012.
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